Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday followed up on a May executive order that would limit hundreds of millions in state grants to only communities that adhere to new laws on housing, land use and parking restrictions.

In May, the governor had threatened to pull at least $100 million in funding from local governments that have balked at the difficulty of implementing zoning, building codes, and other “affordable” housing changes pushed by the Colorado General Assembly over the last two years.

The executive order defines non-compliance as a non-satisfactory completion of requirements outlined in those laws, a local government adopting a resolution or policy not to conform with them, or acting contrary to the directives in those statutes.

Polis hinted at an Oct. 6 deadline for state agencies to develop grants and other funding that could be subject to the executive order.

On Wednesday, he released the list of 34 grants subject to the executive order, totaling $277 million, for the departments of transportation, local affairs, Colorado Energy Office, and Office of Economic and International Trade.

In that executive order, the governor said “it is important to ensure that State funds are spent on local projects that lower the cost of living for Coloradans, including housing and transportation costs, and ease the pressure on our climate and natural resources.”

The order is meant “to support communities that are meeting Colorado’s housing goals and complying with Strategic Growth Laws.”

“I am directing relevant state agencies to ensure state grant support goes to communities that are stepping up to be part of our housing solution,” the governor said in a statement.

The Polis administration is already being sued by a half-dozen Front Range communities over the withholding of grants for cities that don’t comply.

While Centennial is not among the plaintiffs, Councilmember Robyn Carnes told Colorado Politics in May that city voters have “had enough of the partisan political retribution.”

“Governor Polis’ retribution against local voters who value their community identity is just wrong. Our voters just want a government that works. One that values our identity, low taxes and high value government services,” Carnes said. “Our residents didn’t move to Denver, they moved to Centennial for its unique and welcoming neighborhoods.”

The Colorado Municipal League, which represents 275 cities and towns across the state, said Wednesday the governor’s executive order is “an unprecedented expansion of executive authority that redirects state and federal funds from their legislatively intended purposes.”

The group added: “The order conditions critical grant funding for Colorado’s municipalities on the administration’s arbitrary view of municipalities’ compliance with so-called ‘Strategic Growth Laws’ that in many cases have no direct connection with the threatened funding programs. The Colorado Municipal League (CML) is concerned by the Governor’s decision to unilaterally reshape funding eligibility without legislative approval or transparent rulemaking.”

Kevin Bommer, the group’s executive director, added that the governor “lacks any authority to rewrite laws restricting funding to only so-called ‘pro-housing’ jurisdictions or to implement a strategic growth plan that has not been endorsed by the legislature.”