Boulder County commissioners approve amended minimum-wage schedule after days of divided public comment

Boulder County commissioners approved Ordinance 2025-001 on second reading on Nov. 20, 2025, changing the local minimum-wage schedule for unincorporated parts of the county to match the City of Boulder for 2026 and to link later increases to the consumer price index.

The move came after a staff presentation and nearly three hours of public comment, with farmers and small-business owners urging the board for a moderated pace of increases to preserve local farms and small employers, and labor leaders and workers urging commissioners to keep the original schedule that would reach $25 an hour by 2030.

Staff members said the amendment would create alignment for 2026 with a 1.5% increase from 2025 wages and would use the CPI for future increases. "This the amended ordinance will create alignment between this Boulder County local minimum wage and the City Of Boulder local minimum wage for 2026 with a 1.5% increase from 2025 wages," said Mark Rosen of the commissioners' office during the staff presentation.

Farmers and small-business speakers described razor-thin margins and high labor costs. Michael Moss, owner of Kilt Farm and president of the Community Farmers Alliance, told the board that for many farms "labor makes up 50 to 55% of our revenue," and argued a moderated schedule would "lift wages and keep local food production alive." Several small-business owners likewise said steep or rapid increases could force job cuts or the loss of benefits.

Labor and worker advocates countered that the minimum wage is a necessary floor for households struggling with high housing and food costs. Alejandra Beatty, president of the Boulder Area Labor Council, said cutting scheduled increases would not help workers: "Cutting wages will never help anybody," she said, pointing to the fragility of low-wage households and the risk of further dependence on public benefits.

Several policy analysts and economists urged the board to weigh widely published research showing limited net job losses from minimum-wage increases and to consider broader cost drivers such as commercial rents and payment-processing fees. During the hearing, Deputy County Attorney David Hughes read the applicable statutory language and advised that Colorado Revised Statute section 8-6-1101 requires a local government to "consult with surrounding local governments and engage stakeholders, including chambers of commerce, small and large businesses, businesses that employ tipped workers, workers, labor unions, and community groups" before enacting a minimum-wage law; Hughes said staff had reached out to many groups and provided a list in the record.

Commissioners debated both the policy trade-offs and the adequacy of the consultation. One commissioner voiced support for the staff-crafted compromise, saying it better positions the county to lead regional conversations; Commissioner Stoltzmann urged the county to ensure the consultation requirements had been met and called for convening a broader regional effort. Stoltzmann also moved to continue the hearing so the county could complete any outstanding consultation; that motion failed for lack of a second.

A motion to approve Ordinance 2025-001 on second reading was then made and seconded and passed on a 2-1 vote. The record does not contain a labeled roll-call with individual commissioners' votes tied to names; the board recorded two ayes and one no. County staff said the ordinance aligns the 2026 county rate with the City of Boulder's schedule (a 1.5% increase from 2025) and then ties later increases to CPI, and staff noted some minor typographical corrections were made in the draft.

The board closed the public hearing, completed deliberations on item 2 and adjourned the business meeting. The adopted amendment applies only to unincorporated Boulder County; wages in the City of Boulder and other municipalities remain under their own local schedules or state law.

Ordinance 2025-001: staff materials and the record of outreach are in the county packet; Deputy County Attorney David Hughes said a list of consulted organizations and governments was attached to the agenda packet.