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Town adviser outlines narrow property-tax option that avoids formal "truth-in-taxation" process
Summary
A consultant briefed the Boulder Town Council on a code provision allowing towns with under $20,000 in annual property-tax revenue to adopt a modest levy increase without the full truth-in-taxation process; council members urged transparency and public discussion before any adoption.
Roger Carter, an adviser working with the town, told the Boulder Town Council on April 7 that state code lets municipalities with less than $20,000 in annual property-tax revenue elect a levy increase that would still keep total property-tax receipts at or below $20,000 without triggering the formal truth-in-taxation notices and hearings. "If you do have under $20,000 in property tax revenue, you can go ahead and elect to increase that not to exceed $20,000," Carter said, walking the council through example calculations.
Carter presented household-impact scenarios to give residents perspective: in one estimate a modest increase would raise a sample household's bill by about $10.56 a year (roughly $0.88 a month); a $15,000 levy scenario produced about $31.75 per year in Carter's examples. He cautioned that the figures were estimates and recommended the council coordinate final numbers with the county auditor before any public notice or adoption.
Council members acknowledged the revenue need but warned about optics and public trust. "I think we're doing this a little backwards ... if the first thing we do is run off and raise taxes, there's a little optics problem," Councilman John said, urging clear justification for any increase and that increases be tied to specific needs. Other members said a small, transparent bump could be defensible if packaged with clear spending priorities.
Mayor and staff noted the administrative steps: if the council elects an increase that stays under the $20,000 threshold, it must notify the county by May 1 and include the change in the town's tentative budget; if the proposal would exceed $20,000 the full truth-in-taxation process and public hearings would be required. Carter added that the council could adopt the change as part of its regular budget process but should work closely with the county to confirm timing and public-notice requirements.
The council did not take action on the levy at the April 7 meeting. Members asked staff to include precise calculations in the budget materials for the special budget meeting on April 20 and to plan public outreach so residents can weigh in ahead of any decision.
