Boulder council kicks off FY27 budget with focus on events, maintenance and revenue mix

BOULDER, Utah — On March 24, 2026, the Boulder Town Council convened a special meeting to begin work on the town’s fiscal year 2027 budget, with Mayor Cheryl Cox leading a hands-on workshop and Town CPA Dave Sanderson advising on process and timelines. Four council members attended and the meeting ran from about 2:11 p.m. to 4:29 p.m.

Mayor Cheryl Cox outlined three primary FY27 goals: bringing the community together through events and facilities, addressing building and infrastructure maintenance needs, and stewarding public dollars while seeking additional revenue sources. Councilmember Josh Ellis pushed for attention to landfill compliance, potential water infrastructure and acquiring a water tanker for the fire department.

Dave Sanderson, the town’s CPA, framed the exercise as planning work rather than final accounting, saying that “a budget is simply a guide prepared 4–6 months before the end of the fiscal year and should not be overanalyzed,” and encouraged officials to use best estimates and monitor progress throughout the year.

Councilmember John Veranth presented pie-chart analyses indicating administrative salaries account for roughly 40% of Boulder’s current budget (about $82,000) and that the town relies heavily on tourism-driven revenue—about 82% from sales tax, transient room tax and resort tax—while property taxes represent roughly 4% of revenue. The council noted those figures may be imprecise because corresponding line items in Pelorus were recorded inconsistently during the 2026 fiscal year.

To improve transparency and tracking, the council assigned Town Clerk Elizabeth Julian, Mayor Cox and Councilmember Lacy Allen to work with CPA Dave Sanderson and Pelorus to restructure budget categories so items such as park maintenance, Christmas lights and community events are recorded outside administrative categories. The council also discussed implementing improved time-tracking and quarterly assessments of administrative hours, with proposed categories that include meeting management, state and federal compliance, and citizen services.

Council members compiled a preliminary capital projects list that included a commercial kitchen upgrade, post office expansion, landfill engineering and compliance work, sports court resurfacing, ADA accessibility improvements, playground modifications, a multipurpose building, preliminary engineering studies and a water tanker. Staff were directed to coordinate with the Five County Association of Governments on Permanent Community Impact Board (CIB) grant opportunities and timelines and to explore Safe Routes to School funding in coordination with Boulder Elementary School.

The council discussed Truth in Taxation procedures as a potential path to increase property tax revenue, noting the property tax rate has effectively decreased about 27% over the past decade although revenue has remained similar owing to new home construction. Council action assigned Dave Sanderson to present a timeline and requirements for Truth in Taxation at the April 7 regular meeting either as a written report or a presentation.

No formal budget votes were taken at the special meeting. The council adopted the meeting agenda at the start of the session (motion by Councilmember Lacy Allen, second by Councilmember Josh Ellis; voice vote passed 4–0). The council set the following budget schedule: April 7 — regular meeting Truth in Taxation information; April 20 — special budget work session (2:00–4:00 p.m.); May 6 — adopt tentative budget; May 29 — deadline to advertise public hearing; June 3 — public hearing and possible adoption of the FY27 budget.

Town Clerk Elizabeth Julian closed the meeting by summarizing deliverables and noting that she and Deputy Clerk Henry Davis will attend the Utah Municipal Clerks Association training April 6–10. The meeting was adjourned at 4:29 p.m.