The Boulder City Council is considering two new tax measures for the November 2025 ballot to raise millions for the city’s growing list of unfunded infrastructure projects. But a replacement for the failing South Boulder Recreation Center — a top priority for many residents — isn’t among them.
City staff have proposed a sales tax extension and a new property tax that together could generate an estimated $22 million annually. The money would help chip away at what officials say is a critical $380 million backlog of maintenance and repair needs — including roads, parks, civic buildings and rec centers. But not the total rebuild of the South Boulder Rec Center, which alone would cost about $21 million.
“While this could include some items necessary to keep the South Boulder Recreation Center operational, these taxes are not intended to cover the costs of replacing this facility,” city communications director Sarah Huntley told Boulder Reporting Lab. The focus, she said, is on “taking care of what we have.”
Although not yet formally proposed, councilmembers have also expressed interest in studying a potential vacancy tax — a fee on homes that sit empty for extended periods — as another revenue option.
What would the proposed taxes do?
To help address the city’s infrastructure backlog, Boulder’s Financial Strategy Committee has recommended two potential tax measures for this November:
- ‘Public Realm’ Property Tax: A proposed 1.352-mill increase to the existing Permanent Parks property tax. For a $1 million home, it would add about $90 per year, factoring in the state assessment rate and local value adjustment. Estimated revenue: $7 million/year.
- CCRS Sales Tax Extension: Would extend the existing 0.30% Community, Culture, Resilience & Safety (CCRS) tax through 2050 or permanently. Estimated revenue: $15 million/year.
The sales tax extension wouldn’t increase current rates. It has previously funded projects like the North Boulder Library, a new fire station and renovations to the East Boulder Rec Center.
The proposed property tax — expected to be the more controversial of the two — would bring Boulder’s total property tax rate to the maximum allowed under the city charter. That’s raising concerns among some councilmembers.
“I feel a little uncomfortable reaching the cap of any of our revenue sources as that leaves us no room should we truly need it,” Councilmember Matt Benjamin wrote in a public hotline message on April 2.
In response, City Budget Officer Charlotte Huskey said staff plan to recommend a 2026 ballot measure to raise the property tax cap from 13 to 15 mills — equivalent to moving from $13 to $15 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value. At the April 3 council meeting, Benjamin suggested voters should be asked to raise the cap before increasing the property tax itself.
Together, the measures are intended to tackle a range of overdue projects, including roads, public facilities and basic upgrades at Boulder’s aging rec centers. The city’s three recreation centers alone account for about $130 million in maintenance needs — including a possible rebuild of the South Boulder facility — making them a major portion of the city’s unfunded capital projects.
Officials have not yet specified which projects would be prioritized with the new funding.
At the April 3 city council meeting, Councilmember Tara Winer expressed concern about the timing.
“I’m concerned Trump is tanking the economy. So whether or not this is the year is a big question to me,” she said. “I don’t want it to seem like we’re tone deaf to the people.”
Councilmember Mark Wallach echoed some of those concerns, especially regarding the proposed property tax increase, which he said may be harder to pass than the sales tax extension.
Other councilmembers pushed for a vacancy tax. “I am against any tax that moves around the chairs on the Titanic, and would prefer to start with the people that can afford a second home,” Councilmember Taishya Adams said.
South Boulder repairs move ahead — for now
The South Boulder Recreation Center has been deteriorating for years, and officials warn that if key infrastructure fails, the facility could lose services or shut down entirely. But a full replacement is not currently on the table.
Instead, short-term repairs are planned, including a one-week closure in August for work on the pool fans, HVAC system and other core infrastructure. That marks a shift from last fall, when the city said repairs were “not feasible.”
The reversal followed advocacy from South Boulder residents and a new city assessment, which led to a reallocation of funds for interim repairs.
“You don’t put a new engine in a very old car since it would have diminishing returns and is not a good taxpayer investment,” said Jonathan Thornton, a Parks and Rec spokesperson, prior to the shift in approach.
Funding for long-term solutions could come in a 2026 ballot measure, Huntley said, depending on public input gathered during a year-long community engagement process launching later this spring.
Voter survey and ballot timeline
Before putting either tax measure on the ballot, the city is conducting a statistically valid voter survey this spring to gauge support. Results will be shared with city council at its June 26 meeting.
Here’s the full timeline leading up to the November 2025 election:
- April 3: Council receives analysis of the city’s long-term financial strategy and potential ballot measures.
- May 8: Council holds discussion and gives feedback.
- June 26: Voter survey results shared with council.
- July 24: First reading and vote on the 2025 ballot items
- Aug. 7: Second reading and public hearing.
- Aug 21: Final reading and vote
- Nov 4, 2025: Election Day
Those interested in weighing in on the future of Boulder’s rec centers can attend a city drop-in information session on April 8, from 4:30–6:30 p.m. at the East Boulder Community Center Age Well Ballroom.
Correction, April 4, 2025 9:28 am: An earlier version of this story misstated the estimated annual cost of the proposed 1.352 mill property tax increase for a $1 million home. The correct amount is approximately $90 per year, after accounting for the state’s assessment rate and local value adjustment — not $1,350. The story has been updated to reflect this. The estimated citywide revenue from the proposed tax remains about $7 million annually.
No, the focus was never on taking care of what we have, or we wouldn’t be carrying a $380M deficit.
Boulder isn’t alone in neglecting the maintenance of infrastructure but it seems to be in the forefront of diverting funds to programs and projects that are a result of Council micromanagement or pursuit of some some supposedly important goals that turn out to be unattainable or not that important after all. Boulder’s strategy to deal with these programs/projects has been to throw more people at them without evaluating to see if they are actually needed and whether or not they benefit the community as a whole. The result is departments that are overstaffed doing essentially busy work and wasting money that could be used to fund core services and infrastructure. There is also a lack of defining what metrics indicate success or failure and followup measurement of those metrics. Instead of fretting about raising taxes, the City Council should be providing some policy direction to staff to do some serious strategic planning to see where money can be saved through reductions in unproductive staff and programs, eliminating duplication in services or equipment, focusing on the costs of the activities that are actually essential, etc. Considering the City’s current budget, taking a strategic approach like this should find enough money to fund at least half of what they are proposing to raise through increased taxes.
I propose we start taxing people who own more than one rental property. I would love to see some data on this. When I was canvassing for the election last year, I heard of someone who owned 20 rental properties in Martin Acres alone.
Something appears to be off in the math regarding the property tax. The article says: ” For a $1 million home, it would cost about $1,352 per year. Estimated revenue: $7 million/year”. Divide $7m by $1,352 and that implies there are only 5000 homes in Boulder. In reality there are approximately 46,000 housing units in Boulder with a median cost of just shy of $1M. I think the article has a misplaced decimal point somewhere – either the tax impact would be $135 per household, or the revenue would be $7M per year. I’m hoping this is the former because the latter seems to be a non-starter at least as far as this voter is concerned.
Thank you, Jeff — you are correct. This was an error, and the story has been corrected.
Phew! That’s much less worrisome thanks for the correction
If this is the correction, it is still either wrong or equally confusing.
“In response, City Budget Officer Charlotte Huskey said staff plan to recommend a 2026 ballot measure to raise the property tax cap from 13 to 15 mills — equivalent to an additional $13 to $15 per $1,000 of a home’s assessed value.”
The words “equivalent to and ADDITIONAL $13 to $15 per $1,000.00” is wrong. Should be additional $2.00 per $1,000.00?
Thanks, Mark. It should be clearer now.
Choices! My home is 49 years old and works just fine. Why? Because maintenance has been done to maintain it in at least its original shape. With so much construction going on with our bike lanes and apartments literally taking up every inch of the town, deferring maintenance to the point where a building needs replacing (SOBO rec) seems like a failure of proper planning and budgeting. Get with the program, Council!
No new taxes-we are struggling to buy eggs! Let the new administration work through things to see where we are going. Hoping for better times, please No new taxes.
No SBRC, no vote on any and all taxes this CC asks for. Ad infinitum. You read this, staff and CC… please take note.
I’m with you @rmutt – If SBRC is not addressed, no vote from me on increased funding. It’s astounding the wasted tax dollars by CC. The amount spent on “studies” fighting with Xcel could have bought a new SBRC already, with nothing to show for it.
The article says the property tax would not rebuild the South Boulder Rec Center. But what would it actually pay for? The article only says, “a range of overdue projects, including roads, public facilities and basic upgrades at Boulder’s aging rec centers. ”
BTW, where is the money for building the infrastructure and services needed to help us transcend our automobile dependency? This is necessary to achieve our climate goals. Without it, we are hypocrites, with grand goals for achieve carbon neutrality but not willing to put our money where our mouths are.
Why is $$ being spent in Iris? Why not resurface 19th which is used by many cyclists? Where is the $$ coming from for the new, centralized city building at old BCH site? And vote to raise the cap? That just gives CC more wiggle room to raise taxes