Boulder puts four measures on November ballot
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Boulder voters will decide this November whether to tax vacant homes, borrow $400 million for aging city facilities and dramatically expand the city's debt capacity.
The big picture: The four city-backed ballot measures would put some of Boulder's biggest financial questions in the hands of voters, including two tax measures that would have to pass together for the city to borrow $400 million for recreation and public safety projects.
Context: Boulder officials are putting the measures before voters during what they hope to be a high-turnout midterm election, when tax measures have historically fared better.
Here's what to know about each measure:
🏠Vacancy tax
The measure would charge owners $4,000 a year for homes that go unoccupied more than half the year.
Why it matters: While it could raise $6 million for general spending, this is intended as a deterrent, not a money-maker.
- City officials hope the tax will limit multi-home ownership and restock the city's dwindling housing supply.
Context: City Council considered putting a vacancy tax on the ballot last year, but opted to wait for the midterm.
By the numbers: City staff analyzed water use data to estimate how many —between 500 and 1,000 — homes sit vacant for more than six months of the year.
- The tax would increase annually with the consumer price index and is capped at $7,000.
What we're watching: The measure has polled favorably and City Council members have expressed optimism it will pass given the tax targets a narrow population.
🏗️ $400M recreation and safety bond
This measure would raise property taxes for city facilities and recreation centers.
Why it matters: Despite polling poorly, city officials sent the measure to voters anyway, saying public facilities are in desperate need of upgrades.
How it works: The city would issue up to $400 million in debt and repay it through an increase in property taxes.
- The increase would cost the owner of a $1 million home about $400 a year.
By the numbers: Projects identified include:
- $170 million: Public Safety Center and 911 dispatch facility
- $100 million: Municipal Services Center
- $72 million: North Boulder Recreation Center and West Age Well Center
- $65 million: South Boulder Recreation Center
- $30 million: Renovations to the Penfield Tate II municipal building
Friction point: Critics say the city is asking for too much with too little specificity about how the $400 million would be spent.
- City Council already amended the measure to include a guarantee about a lap pool at the South Boulder rec center after significant community feedback.
đź’° Higher debt limit
Voters will decide whether to change the city charter's formula for calculating how much debt Boulder can take on.
Why it matters: This amendment is effectively a companion measure to the $400 million facilities bond, and would need to pass for the city to issue the full amount of debt.
How it works: The charter currently caps debt at 3% of the assessed value of taxable property.
- The measure would keep that cap but calculate it using the much higher actual value of taxable property, substantially increasing Boulder's borrowing capacity.
đźš’ Firefighter collective bargaining
This would give full-time Boulder firefighters a charter-protected right to collectively bargain over wages, benefits, safety and other working conditions.
Why it matters: Boulder firefighters already collectively bargain with the city, but the measure would make that right charter-protected and make those rights harder for future city leaders to weaken or eliminate.
What we're watching: City Council approved this measure unanimously, and no organized opposition has come out on this item.