DENVER, Colo. -- A Colorado State Senator wants to redirect millions of dollars in historic grant funding away from the state's largest gaming community following a series of reports by the CALL7 Investigators.

The Colorado Legislature convened on Wednesday and one item expected in the 2009 session will be action to remove more than $4 million intended to retain the rich history of Black Hawk. However, the city's board of aldermen has its own plan to thwart those changes.

"You're a veteran lawmaker. Have you ever seen anything like this?" CALL7 Investigator Tony Kovaleski asked Republican state Sen. Al White who is co-sponsoring legislation with House Democrat Claire Levy.

White laughed and said, "No, I never have. I'm just dumbfounded by the audacity of the Black Hawk City Council in their efforts to forestall statewide public policy. It's arrogant. It's just over the top."

White is planning legislation to give a government body other than the Black Hawk city council the final say on state historic grants in their town and he also wants a referendum that would take Black Hawk’s state historic money and help fund programs for senior citizens.

But Black Hawk's elected leaders have recently passed two ordinances that White says have left him “dumbfounded.”

Records from Black Hawk show that if the state terminates any of Black Hawk’s funding, the city will add a tax on slot machines, paid by casinos. The city would also withhold hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Gilpin County School District that is projected to come from a new sales tax.

Gilpin School Board President Scott Groginsky told 7NEWS he is thankful for Black Hawk's generosity, even if the money may be short-lived.

Groginsky said, "We didn't question the city of Black Hawk's generosity. It's their money, they have conditions on them and those were acceptable to the school board."

While the school board calls it generosity, White says the recent moves by Black Hawk as an overt attempt to coerce Gilpin school officials and the casinos to lobby against any legislation that will affect Black Hawk’s money.

Kovaleski asked White, "Is this a savvy political play to try to undermine you?"

White replied, "I know what they're doing. It's very overt. I don't think it's going to be successful. Frankly, it would only be savvy if it works and I don't think it's going to."

White threatened legislative intervention last year after a series of CALL7 investigations uncovered Black Hawk's elected leadership approving millions of dollars in history grants for council colleagues and historic money used for dog doors, granite countertops, entertainment centers and routine household repairs.

White is working on a state constitutional question that would ask voters to end the trail of money to Black Hawk and instead send it to programs for Colorado's senior citizens.

White said, "I've been fairly successful in my legislative career and I wouldn't sell me short, especially when I'm mad."

As with all our previous stories we asked the city of Black Hawk, specifically City Manager Richard Lessner, for an on-camera interview to discuss the use of historic grant money.

In previous stories, elected officials ran from cameras, threatened 7News personnel who were trying to get comment and directed us to put our questions in writing.

The request for an on-camera interview on this topic was denied.