The Mesa County Federal Mineral Lease District is thinking globally by acting locally.

The district’s three-member board has inspired a bill that would give districts throughout the state investment authority, meaning they could put aside some of the money they receive from the Department of Local Affairs into a “permanent fund.”

It’s a good idea – provided there are enough safeguards to protect the public’s money – because it allows local boards to more fully embrace the spirit of directing a finite resource to its highest and best use.

Under the current arrangement, FML districts get a portion of the royalty payments the federal government receives from leases on federal lands. Those royalties are shared with the state, which then disperses them through DOLA grants to municipalities. Counties with FML districts receive their portion then award funds to local projects through an application process.

Read more at The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.