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Council adopts tentative FY27 budget, corrects $53,738 error and votes to seek small property tax increase
Summary
Boulder’s council adopted version 9 of the FY27 tentative budget after correcting a $53,738 formula error, and voted 5–0 to work with the county to target roughly $19,500 in property tax revenue, keeping the increase below a $20,000 threshold to avoid a full truth‑in‑taxation process; staff will post public notice by May 22 for a June 2 hearing.
The Boulder Town Council adopted a tentative fiscal year 2027 budget and authorized staff to start a certified tax‑rate adjustment intended to raise the town’s property tax revenue to about $19,500 in FY27.
At the May 5 meeting, Mayor Cheryl Cox explained staff found a formula error in a publicly posted budget version that had incorrectly added $53,738 to projected revenue. The council considered two revised budget drafts (versions 8 and 9) and adopted version 9 by a unanimous roll call vote.
Cox described the fix and the balancing steps: version 9 uses updated current‑year tax receipts for four non‑property tax categories (sales tax, transient room tax and others), which added roughly $22,000 of projected revenue compared with version 8, and councilors trimmed discretionary expenses so the tentative budget is balanced without drawing on one‑time savings. Cox emphasized transparency and said staff will post materials publicly in advance of a hearing.
Councilmember John Brandt pressed for clarity about the changes and noted the town’s budgets have used transfers in the past to balance operations; Brandt said the version 9 figures show a meaningful net increase in the town’s overall budget compared with recent actuals and urged that the presentation clearly explain what spending increases represent.
The council also voted to begin the process of adjusting the certified tax rate but kept the change within a statutory shortcut: by targeting about $19,500 in added revenue — just under the $20,000 threshold — the town can avoid the longer truth‑in‑taxation procedure required for larger increases. Staff and council agreed to post a public notice by May 22 and hold a combined budget and tax public hearing on June 2; the final budget must be submitted to the state auditor by June 30.
Cheryl Cox gave an example of household impact used in the presentation: a $300,000 house with a taxable value of 165 (used in the town’s slide) would see an estimated $4.40 per month increase under one option presented. Cox and staff said they will prepare a public‑facing slide deck that explains how much of a typical property owner’s tax bill goes to the town versus other taxing entities, and will set office hours to answer questions before the hearing.
Next steps: staff to post the revised budget packet and explanatory presentation by May 22, collect public comment, and return to council at the June 2 hearing before finalizing the FY27 budget by June 30.
