Boulder County commissioner outlines proposed 0.15% sales tax for mental‑health services, Longmont council asks for distribution details

Boulder County Commissioner Claire Levy told Longmont City Council on Tuesday that the county plans to ask voters in November to approve a 0.15% sales‑tax increase to fund behavioral‑health services and substance‑use programs countywide. Levy said the measure, Ballot Issue 1b, is projected to raise about $13.8 million in its first year.

Levy described five spending priorities for the funds: navigation services to help people find care, mobile crisis and walk‑in crisis response, prevention (especially school‑based services), treatment, and recovery supports. She said the bulk of the funds—more than $11 million annually under the proposal—would be distributed to community‑based nonprofit providers via directed and competitive grants; certain navigation and crisis functions would continue to be provided by county staff.

“Projections are that it will raise $13,800,000 in the first year,” Commissioner Levy told council. She said the county’s navigation staff are bilingual and that current navigation and school programs are funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money; the sales tax would replace some of that finite funding if voters approve the measure.

Why it matters: If approved, the tax would create a countywide revenue stream for mental‑health and substance‑use services, sustaining programs that county leaders and local providers say are at risk when temporary federal funds expire. Longmont councilors asked how much of the funds would be used for administration, how the county would allocate grants to local providers and schools, and how the county plans to ensure equitable access.

Councilors asked about administrative overhead and distribution. Mayor Pro Tem Hidalgo Faring asked whether the roughly $11 million for nonprofits would be diminished by administrative costs; Levy said staffing needs would be minimal—“at most 1 and a half” full‑time employees for program administration—and that most money would go to community nonprofits. Councilor Popkin asked the county to clarify the grant distribution rules and whether governmental entities (for example, school districts or municipal partners) could receive direct grants; Levy said the county intends to fund community service providers directly and that existing county‑funded programs would not be replaced with the tax dollars.

Levy said the measure would appear on the ballot as a three‑year measure; commissioners chose a shorter term to allow initial deployment of funds, data collection and community input before seeking a longer renewal. “Three years was a good period in which to deploy the funds, do some data gathering, do some more outreach, and then come back to the community and ask for an extension,” she said.

Council members pressed for a detailed spending plan before any final disbursement. Commissioner Levy said county staff would present a draft distribution plan to commissioners in the near term and that an advisory council composed of people with lived experience, providers and community representatives would guide funding decisions. Levy said she would provide Longmont council members the strategic implementation plan and the behavioral‑health roadmap that guided the proposal.

Local providers were cited as potential grantees. Levy mentioned Salud, Clinica, Hope for Longmont, All Roads, and Recovery Café among organizations that already provide local services and that could receive grants. She also noted school‑based prevention and counselor placements as a priority.

Next steps: Commissioner Levy told council staff would deliver a more detailed plan for distribution and an advisory process; the county planned to present a draft by the end of the week and to return to county commissioners after the election. Levy asked for Longmont’s endorsement of the ballot measure but primarily sought to inform the city council about county plans and answer questions.

The measure, if approved by voters, would be a county sales‑tax increase reported on November ballots; the county says it will publish detailed materials at healthymindsstrongercommunity.org.