Boulder City Council on Thursday voted to place measures on the November 2026 ballot that would raise property taxes to pay for city facilities and recreation centers, tax homes that sit empty most of the year, and guarantee firefighters’ right to bargain collectively in the city charter.
Councilmembers split 4-4 on an ordinance that would have referred a measure creating a downtown development authority to the ballot. A tie vote means the measure fails. The authority would have temporarily redirected revenue growth away from city services and other public agencies toward downtown and University Hill.
Several business owners and groups spoke in favor of the measure during a public hearing ahead of the vote.
“Some of our biggest problems, which is helping the small businesses and doing something about our vacancy spaces, can be helped with the DDA,” Mayor Pro Tem Tara Winer said.
Councilmember Nicole Speer said the vote was a rare instance of Boulder Progressives and PLAN-Boulder County aligning against the same proposal. The two groups, one a progressive political organization, the other historically an advocate for open space preservation, are usually on opposite sides of policy debates in Boulder.
“I’m concerned that pushing this forward over some much united opposition is going to work in opposition to the success of the DDA,” Speer said.
Voting to refer the measure were Mayor Aaron Brockett, Winer and Councilmembers Matt Benjamin and Rob Kaplan. Opposing it were Councilmembers Taishya Adams, Tina Marquis, Ryan Schuchard and Speer.
Councilmembers unanimously referred a separate measure authorizing up to $400 million in debt, repaid through property taxes, to pay for city facilities and recreation centers. The measure, called the Recreation and Safety Bond, would cost about $400 a year for every $1 million in residential property.
Councilmembers acknowledged the measure faces long odds after a recent poll found it lacked majority support. But they argued it is necessary to address a $400 million backlog of unfunded building renovation and replacement projects. The measure would also move the city away from its reliance on sales taxes, which fall hardest on lower-income residents and swing with the economy.
The proceeds can be spent on “community recreation, safety infrastructure, and other capital projects as approved by City Council,” according to the ordinance. A city staff memo lists examples, including replacing the South Boulder Recreation Center, renovating the North Boulder Recreation Center and moving the West Age Well Center into it, building a new police and 911 facility, and renovating fire stations, the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building and the Municipal Service Center. But the list is not binding.
Councilmembers also referred a companion measure changing how the city calculates its debt limit.
The council voted 7-1 to refer the vacancy tax, which would apply to homes occupied 183 days or fewer a year. The goal is to encourage owners to rent or sell vacant homes, increasing the city’s housing supply. Revenue would go toward general city purposes. The tax would take effect Jan. 1, 2028, at $4,000 per unit a year, raising about $4 million annually based on a city estimate of 500 to 1,000 vacant homes. Speer voted against it.
The fourth measure would amend the city charter to guarantee full-time firefighters the right to bargain collectively. It came out of negotiations between the city and International Association of Fire Fighters Local 900, the union representing Boulder Fire-Rescue firefighters. Councilmembers approved it unanimously.
