Budget

Boulder's budget has to go further every year. Sales tax revenue is flattening, pandemic-era federal funds are running out, and climate-related costs aren't going away. On top of that, the city is sitting on a backlog of more than $500 million in deferred maintenance across 75 public buildings, rec centers, firehouses, and the police station among them. Residents deserve a budget that plans for all of this honestly, not one that hopes it sorts itself out.

What I'm Working On

I've focused on building a real long-term strategy, securing durable funding for specific priorities, and getting the deferred maintenance problem in front of the public.

✓ Building a long-term financial strategy. I serve on the city's Long-Term Financial Strategies Committee, working from Blue Ribbon Commission recommendations to build a more durable, diversified financial foundation, one that held up relatively well through the economic softening of 2025-26 that forced other local governments to make deep cuts.

✓ Securing durable funding. I helped make the Community, Culture, Resilience, and Safety tax permanent, winning 70 percent voter approval and securing roughly $15 million a year for the city. I also championed the transportation maintenance fee, now raising $73 million over ten years for pavement (ordinance 8719).

✓ Getting deferred maintenance in front of the public. I helped elevate the $500 million-plus facilities backlog into a real public conversation, including through a published op-ed, and pushed for a ballot option to fund critical work in 15 buildings.

What's Next

I'm working to:

☐ Build a fuller long-term financial strategy so major costs are visible years ahead, not discovered mid-crisis

☐ Hold every dollar to a real sustainability, equity, and resilience standard

☐ Evaluate major long-term commitments, including airport obligations and a potential downtown development authority, for their full financial impact before Boulder commits. Both are live, unresolved questions right now, not settled decisions, and I'll continue treating them that way until they actually are

☐ Gradually rebalance revenue away from heavy sales tax reliance toward a greater share of property tax. Done right, this is revenue-neutral for typical cost-sensitive households, with guardrails like relief for seniors and lower-income homeowners, not a tax increase in disguise. The exact ratio, timeline, and equity protections are still being worked out

☐ Push to repeal TABOR so Colorado communities can invest in what residents actually need

☐ Make budget documents genuinely readable for residents, not just finance staff

What We Stand to Gain

Cut the costs of living. A revenue mix rebalanced toward property tax, done with real guardrails, protects cost-sensitive households rather than burdening them, and durable funding for things like pavement means residents aren't hit later with bigger, deferred costs.

Adapting to a changing world. A budget built to see major costs years in advance, not react to them in a crisis, is exactly what financial adaptation looks like as revenue sources shift and climate-related costs grow.

Creating a trustworthy, effective government. Holding every dollar to a real evaluation standard, and giving voters an honest, public choice on deferred maintenance instead of letting it grow quietly, is what earns trust in how the city handles money.

Climate-aligned decisions. Making sure climate, resilience, and sustainability impacts are a standard part of every budget decision means the true long-term cost, not just the sticker price, is visible before Boulder commits.