Boulder City Council · Document
Attachment A - Ballot Measures Options Matrix
Study Session, May 14, 2026 · item Study Session Items2: Ballot Measures Staff Time: 30 Min Council Time: 60 Min · 1 page
This is the text extracted from the file, without its layout, tables, or images. Use the original for anything that matters.
Tax Ballot Item
Increase Property Tax Cap (15 mills)
Increase Property Tax, Decrease Sales Tax
Potential 2025 Ballot Items
Estimated Revenue
~10.0-11.0M Potential
Net Zero (1 mill = ~0.1%)
Program or Service Focus Area
Who Benefits/Burden? Outcomes?
LTFS Guiding Principles
Issues to Consider
General Purposes
• Increased support for general purposes • Potential future increase to property owners
General Purposes
• Increase to property owners • Decrease to taxpayers
• Equity • Fiscal SustainabilitySufficiency • Resiliency
• Benefits: More stable city revenues • Challenges: Future property tax legislation and opposition from property owners
• Fiscal SustainabilitySufficiency • Resiliency
• Benefits: Increased tax base and city revenues • Challenges: Opposition from business community
• Fiscal SustainabilitySufficiency
• Benefits: Increasing potential property tax revenue • Challenges: Future property tax legislation and opposition from property owners
~50.0M Ranges widely
General/Dedicated
Public Realm Sales Tax (expansion of existing capital funds)
~15.0-25.0M
General/Dedicated
• Maintains current tax levels by combining existing dedicated funds
• Funding Flexibility
• Benefits: Maintains same tax burden for taxpayers, increases flexibility across existing funds • Challenges: Potential community concerns with combining existing dedicated funds
General Purposes Mill Levy (1.352 mills)
~5.0-7.0M
General Purposes
• Increased taxes for property owners • Increased support for general/dedicated purposes
• Fiscal SustainabilitySufficiency
• Benefits: Increased tax revenue • Challenges: Future property tax legislation and opposition from property owners
~5.0-7.0M
Dedicated, Capital Infrastructure and O&M
• Increased support for public spaces and infrastructure, ROW, parks, open spaces, civic buildings
General Purposes
• Contributions to general purposes; tax burden for second homeowners
• Revenue diversification • Revenue sufficiency • Funding flexibility • Equity
• Benefits: Applies to narrow taxing base, Contributes to general purposes • Challenges: Difficulty in administering, Need to define "vacant” – no current category for owner-occupied home, Self-reporting and enforcement considerations, Tax estimates margin of error
• Support for future capital projects
• Funding flexibility • Contingency planning
• Benefits: Setting up pathway for future infrastructure and financial planning, Utilizes existing revenues - no tax increase or expansion • Challenges: Limited General Fund capacity on short-term horizon, No direct immediate benefits
Public Realm Mill Levy (1.352 mills) or Expansion Only
Second Homes (Vacancy) Excise Tax
General Fund Debt Capacity (No tax increase)
~$1.0-2.0M
~$75.0-100.0M Debt Capacity
General Purposes/Capital Flexibility
• Fiscal SustainabilitySufficiency • Funding Flexibility
City of Boulder
Sales Tax on Services
• Shift tax base to match economy • Increased support for general/dedicated purposes • Potential increase in prices for services
• Benefits: Expanding and increasing existing funding, more stable revenue for capital and O&M needs, ability to leverage financing • Challenges: Opposition to adjusting dedicated revenue sources, continuation of dedicated revenue, future property tax legislation and opposition from property owners