Boulder 2021 City Council Election Voter Guide: Update

BOULDER, CO — Boulder voters have been turning in their ballots for Tuesday's election, which will decide the fate of ten candidates who are running for five open seats on City Council.

It's too late to return your ballot by mail, but drop boxes and vote centers are open. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Nov. 2. Colorado doesn't have a registration deadline, so voters can both register and vote Nov. 2. If you are voting in person, you must be in the line before 7 p.m., officials said.

Boulder City Council candidates participated in multiple forums in the lead up to the election and discussed some of the most important issues facing Boulder, which include climate change, housing, transportation, social justice, economic recovery, neighborhood safety and other issues.

Boulder City Council Candidate Profiles

• Matt Benjamin
• Michael Christy
• Jacques Decalo
• Lauren Folkerts
• Steve Rosenblum
• David Takahashi
• Dan Williams
• Tara Winer
• Mark Wallach
• Nicole Speer - profile will be linked once completed.

Voter Registration

If you’ve changed your name or moved since the last time you received a mail ballot, you need to update your voter registration as soon as possible.

Coloradans who will turn 18 on or before Nov. 2 can pre-register to vote in the election here. They will need a valid driver’s license or Colorado State ID number to register online.

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Ballot Tracking Registration

Boulder voters who want to track their ballots can sign up here to receive alerts by phone, email or text message.

You can also log in to Boulder County Votes Ballot Track at any time to change your preferences, turn off notifications or check the status of your ballot.

Boulder Ballot Measures

*The wording as it will appear on the ballot is in italics

City of Boulder Ballot Question 301 - Humane Clothing Act

If passed, sales and processing of any new fur products would be banned in the city.

Shall the City of Boulder prohibit the sale and manufacture for sale of certain fur products?

City of Boulder Ballot Question 300 - Bedrooms are for People

Under city law, only four unrelated people can live together in one home, regardless of its number of bedrooms. If passed, this measure would allow the same number of people as bedrooms, plus one extra person. While some worry this could pave the way for dorm-style apartment buildings, others believe it could help the housing crisis.

Shall the City of Boulder expand access to housing by allowing all housing units to be occupied by a number of people equal to the number of legal bedrooms, plus one additional person per home, provided that relevant health and safety codes are met?

City of Boulder Ballot Question 302 - Let the Voters Decide on Annexation of CU South

Boulder City Council voted Sept. 21 to annex the CU Boulder South property, a 308-acre plot of land at the southeast edge of the city. Annexing the land would put it within city limits. If this measure is approved, a vote would be held on the annexation agreement before city utilities are provided (except flood control facilities), and the agreement would need to include a site plan. While some say this measure is necessary to fix a problematic current agreement, others say the agreement is being misrepresented.

Shall the voters of the City of Boulder adopt changes to the City of Boulder, Colorado, Revised Code to require that any agreement with the University of Colorado regarding terms of annexation for the land known as CU South include certain specific details, and that the annexation agreement gain voter approval in an election prior to provision of city utilities and services other than flood control facilities to or on any portion of CU South?

City of Boulder Ballot Issue 2I - Extension of Community, Culture, Resilience and Safety Sales and Use Tax (TABOR)

If this measure is approved, the city's 0.3 percent sales and use tax would be extended by 15 years, and used for many capital improvement and infrastructure projects, as well as funding (up to 10 percent) for non-profits that serve Boulder.

Without raising the current tax rate, shall the existing Community, Culture and Safety sales and use tax of 0.3%, scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2021, be extended to Dec. 31, 2036, and be known as the Community, Culture, Resilience and Safety Tax, with the revenue from such tax extension and all earnings thereon be used to fund city capital improvement projects such as:

• Maintain and improve roads and multi-modal paths; replace critically deteriorated signal poles; replace central avenue bridge; improve the Boulder Creek Path corridor; implement the Boulder Civic Area Phase 2/Central Park improvements; complete fire station 3 construction; relocate or reconstruct fire station 2 or fire station 4; purchase emergency vehicles for Boulder Fire-Rescue to provide advanced life support; renovate East Boulder Recreation Center; acquire streetlight system and convert to led lights; refresh pearl street mall;
• And future city capital improvement projects such as those in the following categories: transportation system resilience – maintain and modernize boulder's transportation system to allow for safer and more efficient flow for all modes of transportation including pedestrian, bike, and vehicles; progress toward climate goals – renovate and retrofit the city’s aged facilities to increase resilience and reduce carbon emissions; safe and prepared boulder – maintain and replace capital infrastructure that supports first responders; active and healthy boulder – maintain and modernize facilities needed to provide residents the amenities and opportunities to recreate and maintain healthy and active lifestyle; community focused technology improvements – modernize and consolidate the city’s data infrastructure and outreach tools for more transparent, faster, accessible, and user-friendly resident and visitor service;
• And use up to 10% of tax revenue to fund a grant pool for non-profit organization projects that serve the people of Boulder and related costs including grant program administration costs in compliance with terms, conditions, and timing adopted by the City Council;
• And in connection therewith, shall the tax revenues and any earnings from the revenues constitute a voter approved revenue change and an exception to the revenue and spending limits of Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution?

City of Boulder Ballot Issue 2J – Approval of Issuance of Bonds to be Paid from Extended Community Culture Resilience and Safety Sales and Use Tax (TABOR)

If the above Ballot 2I passes and the 0.3 percent tax is extended, this ballot question — 2J — asks voters whether the city can issue bonds for capital improvement and non-profit projects.

Shall City of Boulder debt be increased up to $110,000,000 (principal amount) with a maximum repayment cost of up to $158,000,000 (such amount being the total principal and interest that could be payable over the maximum life of the debt) to be payable solely from the extension of the Community, Culture, Resilience and Safety Sales and Use Tax of 0.3% (previously known as the Community, Culture and Safety Tax), if separately approved;

• Such debt to be sold at such time and in such manner and to contain such terms, not inconsistent herewith, as the city council may determine, with the proceeds of such debt and earnings thereon being used to fund city capital improvement projects and non-profit projects that serve the people of boulder payable from such sales and use tax extension including, among other things:
• Maintain and improve roads and multi-modal paths; replace critically deteriorated signal poles; replace central avenue bridge; improve the Boulder Creek path corridor; implement the Boulder Civic Area Phase 2/Central Park improvements; complete fire station 3 construction; relocate or reconstruct fire station 2 or fire station 4; purchase emergency vehicles for Boulder Fire-Rescue to provide advanced life support ; renovate East Boulder Recreation Center; acquire streetlight system and convert to led lights; refresh pearl street mall; or used to fund other city capital improvement projects and projects of non-profit organizations otherwise payable from said sales and use tax;
• And in connection therewith, shall any earnings from the investment of the proceeds of such debts constitute a voter approved revenue change and an exception to the revenue and spending limits of Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution?

City of Boulder Ballot Question 2K - Council Committees

If this ballot measure is approved, the Boulder City Charter would be amended to 'explicitly' allow the council to appoint committees that contain no more than two council members.

Shall Section 9, “Meetings of Council,” of the Boulder City Charter be amended pursuant to Ordinance No.8478 to (a) remove provisions that expired in December 2017, (b) explicitly allow council to appoint council committees that generally contain no more than two councilmembers and in no event equal or exceed a quorum of council and allow councilmembers not appointed to the committee to attend, but not participate in council committee meeting, and (c) require council to appoint a recruitment committee of no more than two members for each of the three council appointments?

City of Boulder Ballot Question 2M - Council Payment Schedule

If this measure passes, the Boulder City Charter will be amended to allow City Council members to receive the same payment schedule as city employees.

Shall Section 7, “Compensation,” of the Boulder City Charter be amended pursuant to Ordinance No. 8477 to allow council members serving on January 1, 2022 and thereafter, and the mayor elected in November 2023 and thereafter, to receive compensation for fifty-two meetings each year on the same schedule as other city employees or on a schedule prepared by the city manager?

City of Boulder Ballot Question 2L - Clarification of Signatures for Petitions

If this measure passes, the Boulder City Charter will be amended to clarify that ballot measure petition signatures must come from registered Boulder voters. The measure would also require that the number of signatures equal at least 10 percent of the average number of voters in the previous two municipal candidate elections.

Shall Sections 38A, “Signatures required for initiative, referenda and recall petitions,” 44, “Referendum petition,” and 46, “Certificate of petition,” of the Boulder City Charter be amended to clarify that the number of signatures for initiative, referenda and recall petitions are required to be registered electors of the city and that the number of signatures of registered electors on a referendum petition must be at least ten percent of the average number of voters in the previous two municipal candidate elections consistent with other changes approved by the voters in 2018?

>> More information about the Nov. 2 election in Boulder can be found here.