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City administrator recommends raises that would add roughly $20 to utility bills; council asks for full budget review
Summary
City Administrator Brian Bullock recommended raises for several city employees and said funding them would require raising water and sewer rates by about $11–$12 per account (about $20 total when combined with an existing water project increase); council asked staff to rework the budget and return with mill levy calculations on June 19.
City Administrator Brian Bullock told the Boulder City Council at a June 9 budget workshop that he recommends significant pay increases for City Clerk Rosemary Perna, Public Works employee Scott Warren and Public Works Director Dennis Wortman and discussed hiring an Assistant Public Works Director. Bullock said the proposed payroll increases could not be covered within current operating revenues.
Bullock told council members the city would need to raise water and sewer rates to cover the payroll costs, estimating roughly $11–$12 per customer account to pay for the raises alone. He recommended combining those operating and maintenance increases with a planned water project rate increase, and estimated a combined impact of about $20 per account.
Council members indicated they were open to raises but concerned about the added cost to ratepayers. They asked Bullock and City Clerk/Treasurer Rosemary Perna to review the entire budget for potential operating cuts that could offset payroll increases. Perna said she is working with Kim Anderson, identified in the minutes as a former Jefferson County employee who handled county budgeting, to make substantial changes intended to balance revenues and expenditures.
No formal vote or ordinance was recorded at the workshop. The council directed staff to return with an updated budget and mill levy calculations; the minutes state the City Administrator and Clerk/Treasurer will provide that update on June 19 at 5:00 p.m. with City Accountant Michael Blakeley. The workshop concluded at about 5:48 p.m.
The discussion occurred in the context of preparing the FY2025/2026 budget. The council did not set final pay increases or a formal schedule for rate changes during the workshop; those determinations would require additional staff work and later council action.
