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tl')'j"~1 J"_ ~,J ,) .. The basic plan behind the development of the regional drought management concept, then, was to devise a comprehensive Statewide response mechanism which would exercise a high degree of sensitivity to drought-related problems at the local level. 3.1.2 REGIONAL PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION The State I simp lementat i on of the regional drought management project occurred in two phases. First, during the pre-funding phase, the State Drought Coordi nator attempted to foster the early development of regi ona 1 drought response mechanisms. The second or formal izat ion phase occurred after the Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded the State a technical assistance grant for the funding of the regional management projects. Essentially, activities revolved around the contractual process during which the State/regional functional relationships were formalized. 3.1.2.1 Pre-funding Phase Although the regional drought management project was conceptually in place at the State level by March 1977, formal implementation did not occur unt i 1 the 1 ate summer. The reason for the de 1 ay was that fundi ng was not available. The Governor, in his March 1977 budget request to the Colorado Legislature, asked for $241,500 (out of a total request of $533,491) to fund drought coordi nators in the 13 regions. The Legi s 1 ature turned down the request. It was not until mid-July 1977, when the Economic Development Administration approved a $253,977 technical assistance grant to the Governor's Office, that the formal implementation of the regional drought program could begin. During the interim, however, the State Drought Coordinator began to contact the administrators of each of the 11 COGs, the Region 10 Regional Planning Commission (RPC), and the Region 9 Regional Commission (RC) to nego- tiate their proposed roles in drought mitigation. For most of the regional organizations, it was impossible to consider undertaking any substantial drought response program until funding could be provided. However, in antici- pation of funding from an as yet unknown source, a few regional administrators began to assemble technical advisory committees to develop region-specific responses to drought conditions. In the interests of further regional preparation, the Office of the State Drought Coordinator (OSDC) in May 1977 sponsored a "Drought Relief Seminar" in Denver for the staffs of the 13 regional organizations. The purpose of the seminar was to provide regional staffs in attendance with all available information pertaining to federal drought assistance programs so that they could begin to assist individuals and municipalities in accessing the federal drought funds which were becoming increasingly available. The need within the regions for information on federal assistance programs was especially critical because the application deadline for federal programs was September 30, 1977, five months hence. 35