Boulder council sends CCRS tax extension and debt authorization to November ballot; consent agenda approved including police pay proposal

Boulder City Council on Aug. 7 adopted two ordinances to refer measures to the Nov. 4, 2025 coordinated municipal election: a permanent extension of the city’s existing 0.3% Community, Culture, Resilience and Safety (CCRS) sales-and-use tax and an authorization to increase the city’s debt capacity for capital improvements.

The council also approved the remainder of the meeting’s consent agenda, which included the selection of the 4% option to resolve the Boulder Police Officers Association (BPOA) declared impasse on economic issues for the 2026 contract year and the negotiated sale of the Dairy building to its tenant. All votes on the ordinances and the consent agenda were unanimous.

Why it matters: The CCRS extension, if approved by voters, would preserve an estimated $13 million to $15 million in annual revenue for capital projects and allow the city to set aside up to 10% of receipts for a nonprofit capital grants pool. The related ordinance also authorizes increasing the city’s principal debt amount up to $262,000,000 to finance capital projects and provide financing flexibility over a longer horizon than the present 10-year limit.

Key details - Ordinance 87 10 (CCRS extension): places on the Nov. 4 ballot a measure to extend the existing 0.3% CCRS sales and use tax in perpetuity and to allow up to 10% of the revenue for a nonprofit capital grant pool. - Ordinance 87 11 (debt authorization): authorizes increasing the city’s principal debt amount up to $262,000,000 to finance capital improvements funded by the CCRS tax proceeds. - Consent action: Council selected option A — a 4% economic increase proposal offered in the arbitration/arbitration report related to the BPOA impasse for 2026.

How the council acted: Council member Nicole Speer moved adoption of the CCRS ordinance and council unanimously approved it on roll call. The council subsequently approved the companion ordinance authorizing the debt increase by the same unanimous vote. The consent agenda (items 3a–3e), which incorporated the BPOA option A selection and the Dairy building agreement, passed by unanimous roll call.

Fiscal and procedural context: Charlotte Husky, the city’s budget officer, told the council the extension would provide the city enhanced flexibility for debt financing beginning in January 2026 and additional annual revenue beginning in 2027; the extension is part of a multi-year ballot measure framework aligned with the city’s long-term financial strategy. Husky and other staff emphasized the intent to balance annual revenues and annual debt-service obligations and to blend larger debt-financed capital projects with smaller maintenance and replacement projects.

What passed (vote totals) - Ordinance 87 10 (place CCRS extension on Nov. 4 ballot): adopted unanimously, roll call recorded as Yes from Council members Speer, Wallach, Weiner, Adams, Benjamin, Schuhart, Marquis, Mayor Brockett, and Mayor Pro Tem Folkerts (9–0). - Ordinance 87 11 (increase debt authorization up to $262,000,000): adopted unanimously on roll call (9–0). - Consent agenda (items 3a–3e), including adoption of Option A (4%): adopted unanimously on roll call (9–0).

What’s next: The CCRS extension and the debt authorization language will appear on the Nov. 4, 2025 coordinated municipal ballot for voter approval. If voters approve the measures, staff said the city would incorporate the funds and debt capacity into future capital planning and annual budgeting.

Reporting note: The ordinances authorize placing the questions before the electorate; they do not themselves change tax or debt levels without subsequent voter approval and implementation steps.