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Commissioners agree to put amended open‑space sales tax extension on ballot; limit set to 10 years
Summary
After a lengthy public hearing and many calls to add commitments to agriculture and stewardship, Boulder County commissioners approved asking voters to extend the county’s 0.15% open‑space sales tax — but amended staff’s original request for a perpetual extension to a 10‑year extension and asked for cleanup of ballot language.
Boulder County commissioners voted Aug. 12 to ask voters to extend a 0.15% parks and open‑space sales tax, but amended staff’s initial request for a permanent (in perpetuity) extension to a 10‑year extension and directed staff to clean up ballot language prior to certification.
Staff case and request: Therese Glowacki, director of Boulder County Parks and Open Space, presented a 50‑year retrospective on the county’s open‑space program and detailed planned projects and maintenance needs including prairie restoration, mine cleanup and forest‑health work. Glowacki said the 0.15% tax set to expire in 2030 currently funds personnel and operations and that, without new revenue, the county faces a “cliff” in 2031 that would require reducing staffing and services.
Public response and agriculture debate: Dozens of public speakers — farmers, agricultural advocates, conservation groups and nonprofit leaders — supported continued open‑space funding but urged revisions to the ballot language to more explicitly protect agricultural land stewardship, fund on‑farm infrastructure (housing, wash/pack, processing) and require measurable stewardship outcomes. Staff and the county attorney said the current ballot title is intentionally broad, that existing expenditure rules allow support for agriculture, and that language can be revised before the statutory certification deadline of Sept. 5 (staff suggested Aug. 25 as an internal deadline to allow formatting and clerks’ office processing).
Board action and rationale: Commissioners said they valued the program’s long record of protecting 107,000 acres and the staff’s list of near‑term needs, but several board members expressed concern about authorizing a tax in perpetuity without additional community engagement and clearer stewardship commitments. Commissioner Lechmin (chair) said the vote was needed to avoid immediate budget cliffs and to allow multi‑year planning; other commissioners asked for a finite term. A motion to approve the ballot measures’ resolutions but change the 0.15% proposal from “in perpetuity” to a 10‑year extension, with editorial cleanup of the recitals (e.g., replace “citizens” with “residents”), passed unanimously.
Next steps: Staff may revise ballot language and must provide the clerk and recorder with final text by Colorado’s Sept. 5 statutory deadline; county staff recommended Aug. 25 as the practical internal cutoff to allow formatting and coordination with the clerk and recorder. Commissioners and staff also discussed follow‑up engagement on agricultural stewardship, cropland policy and maintenance priorities.
Why it matters: The 0.15% sales‑tax revenue (projected roughly $15 million per year) funds land acquisitions, stewardship, trails and agricultural programs; commissioners’ decision sets a finite horizon (10 years) for voter consideration and directs staff to refine language and outreach ahead of certification.
Sources: Parks and Open Space presentation, county‑attorney guidance and public testimony at the Aug. 12 Board of County Commissioners meeting.
