🚌 Boulder's surprisingly contentious RTD race

Good Monday morning, Boulder.

Leading today: Boulder’s RTD board race has gotten surprisingly personal. Jack Rosenthal, a frequent RTD rider and transit advocate, is facing Audrey DeBarros, a transportation planner with decades of experience, in a contest that has turned contentious. The winner will help steer an agency facing a major budget shortfall, potential service cuts and declining ridership. And with expanded Front Range passenger rail also on the ballot, the stakes for regional transit are high. Brooke Stephenson reports.

Also today: How would you close Boulder’s $6.3 million budget gap? A few weeks ago, we challenged readers to do just that. Since then, the Boulder City Council has passed a $552.6 million budget, closing the gap through cuts, new revenue and shifting expenses. But how would BRL readers have done it? We received 216 responses, and respondents strongly favored spending cuts over new taxes, with police funding emerging as a key dividing line. BRL columnist Brian Keegan breaks down your choices and how they compare with the city’s plan.

Finally: Our 2026 Boulder Voter Guide is up to date with our latest election coverage, including a recording of the full mayoral debate, candidate profiles, side-by-side comparisons of where candidates stand on key issues, and everything you need to know before casting your ballot.

Plus more, Below the Fold:

Fall warmup: Sunny skies and 70-degree days ahead.
Boulder Medical Center: Council to review 223-unit housing proposal.
Health insurance: Enrollment opens Nov. 1 as Cigna exits individual market.
Reservoir cleanup: Divers remove 4,300 cubic feet of invasive plants.
Forestry sort yards: Free disposal sites closing for the season.

Thanks, as always, for reading,

– The BRL team

Support our Boulder journalism

Rachel Rose Isaacson is a working-class renter with a background in political economics and a master’s in public administration and leadership. She’s running for City Council to ensure working people and their families can remain rooted in Boulder for generations. She would be the first Gen Z voice on council.

Meet the candidates in Boulder’s surprisingly contentious RTD board race

Jack Rosenthal is a frequent RTD rider and transit advocate. Audrey DeBarros has decades of transportation planning experience. Both want to represent Boulder on the transit agency’s board. Continue reading…

We asked Boulder readers how they would close the city’s $6.3M budget gap. Here’s what 216 said.

The respondents largely favored spending cuts over new revenue. The biggest difference among their proposed budgets was how deeply they would cut police spending. Continue reading…

Warm days, chilly nights

Boulder is in for a stretch of sunny, unusually warm fall weather. Monday will bring mostly sunny skies and a high near 68 degrees, with temperatures dipping to 45 overnight. Tuesday will be sunny and warmer, with a high near 73 and an overnight low of 48. Wednesday could be warmer still, with a high near 75.

Temperatures are well above normal for this time of year, according to BoulderCAST. Last week’s rain brought some of Boulder County’s most significant precipitation since May, with Boulder seeing 1.65 inches.

Boulder City Council to review plan to replace Boulder Medical Center with 223 housing units

The Boulder City Council voted 7-1 last week to call up a concept plan to replace Boulder Medical Center at 2750 Broadway with 223 housing units across three properties.

The project is still in the concept plan stage. The council will hold a public hearing and provide feedback but will not vote on whether to approve the project. Councilmembers decided to call up the plan in part due to its scale and location. Two councilmembers raised concerns about adding traffic to Broadway, which they said serves as an evacuation route during wildfires. Councilmember Nicole Speer voted against calling it up.

Sopher Sparn Architects, a Boulder-based firm, is proposing three multifamily buildings: a four-story, 160-unit building with ground-floor amenities such as a coworking space and fitness center; a three-story, 30-unit building; and a three-story, 33-unit building. The project would include about one parking space per unit. The applicants are also seeking to rezone part of the property to allow greater density. Read more on BRL.

A sign in Boulder’s Whittier neighborhood opposing the proposed redevelopment of the Boulder Medical Center site into 223 housing units. Credit: Boulder Reporting Lab

Health insurance enrollment opens Nov. 1 as Cigna exits Colorado’s individual market

Open enrollment for 2027 health insurance begins Sunday, Nov. 1, with several changes to financial assistance and coverage options. Residents must enroll by Dec. 15 for coverage beginning Jan. 1.

New federal rules will restrict eligibility for financial assistance through Connect for Health Colorado to U.S. citizens and nationals, green card holders, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and certain Pacific Island residents. Colorado Premium Assistance will return, offering monthly discounts to eligible residents earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level.

Cigna will stop selling individual health plans in Colorado in 2027, meaning current policyholders must choose a new plan.

Residents ineligible for Connect for Health Colorado because of their immigration status can still get coverage through OmniSalud. Existing low-cost plan members must renew by Nov. 30, while new applicants can enter a lottery for remaining spots. Other plans are available through Colorado Connect.

Dive program removing invasive species at Boulder Reservoir to resume in 2027

Boulder Reservoir will continue its effort to remove invasive Eurasian watermilfoil in 2027 after divers removed 4,300 cubic feet of the plant this summer.

The invasive species was first spotted at the reservoir in 2022 and has since spread through shallow areas. After plans to use herbicide stalled, reservoir staff turned to divers to remove the plant by its roots.

Divers worked across roughly 105 acres and 6,000 feet of shoreline this year, according to a Water Resources Advisory Board memo. The removed plants are expected to produce 60 cubic yards of compost for use at the reservoir next spring.

A similar effort is planned for 2027. Left unchecked, Eurasian watermilfoil can harm water quality, entangle swimmers and boaters and clog infrastructure.

Boulder County forestry sort yards closing for the season

Boulder County’s Community Forestry sort yards will soon close for the season. The Meeker Park yard in Allenspark will close Oct. 31, followed by the Nederland yard on Nov. 14. Until then, both yards will accept logs, slash, timber, pine needles and cones for free. Logs and chunks of wood infested with mountain pine beetles are also accepted.

☀️ Explore events in Boulder and use the self-submission form on our events page to reach thousands in our community — for free! To have your event featured in our Thursday Culture Club newsletter, make sure to submit it to our events calendar.

🚌 Boulder’s surprisingly contentious RTD race