It’s Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023.
Note: Our newsletter this morning was sent prematurely due to a technical glitch. We’re resending to make sure you don’t miss today’s news.
Good day, Boulder. Here we are at hump day. I hope your week is going well.
For today, John Herrick compiled information about the people running for school board for Boulder Valley School District. Candidates weighed in on issues like how to address the achievement gap and what they would do about the youth mental health crisis. There are four seats open on the seven-member board.
And don’t forget, tonight we’re hosting our City of Boulder mayoral debate at Trident Cafe. For those interested in attending, even if you weren’t able to register in time, please come by. It’s supposed to be a lovely evening and the whole back patio will be open for seating and standing. So there should be plenty of room. The debate will be broadcast live on KGNU at 88.5 FM. Because of that, it will start promptly at 6 p.m.
Also, Jessica Mordacq has a story about the third Illegal Pete’s opening in Boulder, its 13th location overall. Taking the spot where Murphy’s used to be in the Table Mesa Shopping Center, Boulderites will have burritos close at hand after riding NCAR or hiking Bear Peak. Awaiting a demolition permit to do some slight remodels, Pete Turner, Illegal Pete’s owner, hopes to open the South Boulder spot in December.
Finally, we’ll see you back here on Monday as we take some time this week to prep for continued election coverage. Have a great rest of your week.
— Tim
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Join us at the 8th annual World Singing Day Boulder on Saturday, October 21 on Pearl Street from 2-3:30 pm — the community sing-along for all ages and singing abilities. Lyric booklets provided. Just show up and sing songs from The Beatles to Taylor Swift.
Featured stories
Meet the candidates running for BVSD Board of Education in the 2023 election
Boulder Reporting Lab asked the Boulder Valley school board candidates six questions covering topics from declining enrollment to the presence of school resource officers and the youth mental health crisis. Here’s what they said. Continue reading…
Illegal Pete’s 13th location, and third in Boulder, to open in Table Mesa Shopping Center in December
The newest Illegal Pete’s is stepping into the space formerly occupied by Murphy’s South, which closed due to low sales that predated the pandemic. Continue reading…
Boulder Reporting Lab is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization that empowers our community through non-partisan, locally focused journalism that informs and connects.
In other news
Heat to return
That strange warmth we enjoyed yesterday will be back, but not today. Today will be a pleasant day in the low 70s. Tomorrow will be a pleasant day in the low 80s, as will Friday. A week will pass before we return to the 50s and enjoy some precipitation.
Learn more about the election process
The county is hosting several webinars over the coming weeks for those interested in what ranked-choice voting means — the way we’re electing the mayor of Boulder for the first time. Another series of webinars will cover basic information for how the county completes the election process. The first session on ranked-choice voting is today at 12:30 p.m.
If you’d rather read a fabulous story on the topic, might I recommend BRL’s very own, written by the diligent John Herrick.
Comment on the county’s budget
At last week’s meeting, Boulder County’s Office of Financial Management presented county commissioners with a recommended budget of $578 million for 2024. Last year, commissioners adopted a budget of $593.5 million for 2023.
Much of the budget is allocated to the general fund, which covers county employees’ compensation packages. One of the goals listed by the finance office was to offer salaries that were in line “with the current labor market.” The finance office also says it wants to look further into the Disaster Reserve Fund to “include yearly contribution amounts, usage, and identify a desired fund balance.” The county is also working on a new Alternative Sentencing Facility. Under one table in the budget, it shows almost $23 million going to an “Offender Management Fund,” which would presumably cover part of that construction.
The public is invited to voice an opinion on this number and its allocation. The way to comment with the least friction is through the county’s online form, though for those more interested in speaking up in person, there’s going to be a public hearing held on Oct. 24 at 12:30 p.m. with a virtual option available.
1A likely to get council’s endorsement
The Boulder City Council this week is expected to endorse a Boulder County ballot measure, 1A, which would extend an existing .05% sales tax for the purpose of “acquiring, improving, managing and maintaining open space lands and other open space property interests.”
Councilmembers already endorsed a separate ballot measure to reauthorize a county-wide sales tax that would dedicate revenue to “affordable and attainable housing.” The move is a gesture of support for Boulder County’s commissioners, who referred the measures to the 2023 ballot. Technically, however, city councilmembers and officials cannot spend taxpayer money campaigning for ballot measures.
More on Police Oversight Panel
The Police Oversight Panel has asked the Boulder City Council to extend a moratorium that allowed the watchdog group to stop its work reviewing internal investigations into officer misconduct, according to Deputy City Attorney Erin Poe.
The purpose of the moratorium, set to expire on Oct. 20, was to give the panel time to revise a 2020 ordinance that created the panel. It followed a politically fraught appointment process earlier this year that resulted in the removal of one panel member and left others worried their work could be jeopardized. That the panel is seeking an extension suggests members want the council to make amendments to a proposed ordinance set for a public hearing this Thursday, Oct. 18.
The proposed ordinance, developed over several months, aims to clarify the panel’s daily operations and help shield it from political disruptions. Some panel members have expressed a desire for relatively minor changes, such as involving community members more in the appointment process for new panelists. Read more about the new ordinance on BRL.
Baseline nearing completion
The project aimed at making one of Boulder’s most dangerous streets safer is nearing the end of its first phase of safety improvements. The last step is set to be completed by early November. One of the main additions will be “tall curbs,” the first of their kind in the U.S., at least according to city officials. Used in Canada, the curbs are more substantial than added striping or bendable “delineator posts.” The curbs will have the added benefit not just of safety, but of satisfaction for the eye as they’ll sport art from a local artist, Talia Swartz Parsell.
Phase 2 will begin design in 2024, and already the priorities include enhanced bike lane protection, pedestrian improvements and transit efficiency. Feedback from residents on what they think of Phase 1 will help inform the design of Phase 2.
Don’t miss Colorado Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson, actor Betty Hart, best-selling authors Michael Connelly and Gillian Flynn — plus many more! — at Boulder Library Foundation’s fundraising gala, Oct. 26. Witness the stories of lives forever changed by library programming. Buy your tickets today!
