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Boulder council maps Jan. 2026 retreat, agrees to a narrowed priority process
Summary
Council discussed planning for a Jan. 12–13 retreat, agreed on a timeline for submitting priorities (boards by Dec. 19; council proposals by Dec. 21), and debated whether members should submit up to five proposals then downselect to two to box in work for the one‑year term.
City staff and the retreat committee outlined logistics and a prioritization process for a Jan. 12–13, 2026 Boulder City Council retreat.
Assistant City Manager Pam Davis and Mayor Pro Tem Tara Winer, who chairs the retreat committee, described steps for collecting suggestions from boards and commissions (due Dec. 19) and council members (proposals due Dec. 21). The committee plans to aggregate council proposals into a survey that each councilor will rank; results will inform what each member brings to the retreat. Facilitator Heather Bergman will run exercises to help the council downselect to a small set of priority projects the body can reasonably complete in the one‑year scope.
Council members asked for clarity on scoping, staff capacity and public transparency. Staff said they will work with members prior to the Dec. 21 deadline to scope ideas into the three‑to‑six‑month target where possible, provide staff notes for survey context, and, if requested, make a basic public-facing work‑plan dashboard available ahead of the retreat. Several councilors favored limiting items to keep the retreat tractable; others asked for room to raise procedural or calendar topics during the retreat. The retreat committee said the council could block two full days but will end early if work finishes sooner.
The council did not take a final binding vote on the number of proposals per member but agreed to the timeline for submissions and to continue pre‑retreat scoping conversations with staff.
