Boulder City Council · Document
Agenda Memo
Special Meeting, July 23, 2026 · item 2C: Consideration of a motion to approve the city manager entering into a intergovernmental agreement with Boulder County and the City of Louisv… · 5 pages
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City of Boulder City Council Agenda Item Meeting Date: July 23, 2026 Agenda Title Consideration of a motion to approve the city manager entering into a intergovernmental agreement with Boulder County and the City of Louisville regarding the agreement to operate a joint office of disaster management
Staff Contact • •
Chris Meschuk, Deputy City Manager Carolyn Wolf, Legal Advisor
Draft Motion Language Staff requests council consideration of this matter and action in the form of the following motion: Consideration of a motion to authorize the city manager to enter into an intergovernmental agreement establishing the Boulder Office of Disaster Management.
Executive Summary The purpose of this item is for city council to consider authorizing the city manager to sign an updated intergovernmental agreement related to the Office of Disaster Management. Since 1993, the city and county have jointly established and operated an office of disaster management through an intergovernmental agreement. It was last updated in 2021. This inter-jurisdictional agreement is pursuant to the provisions of the Colorado Disaster Emergency Act, for the purpose of establishing an Office of Disaster
Management to serve the people of the City and the unincorporated County in case of a natural or human-made disaster. This updated agreement adds the City of Louisville to the partnership, changes the board structure and establishes several operating committees to reflect current practices. The ODM Board of Directors unanimously supports these changes. The city’s annual cost does not change with the change to add Louisville.
Council Action Options Option
Outcome
Approve motion language as drafted
If the motion is approved the city manager will execute the agreement.
Define and adopt a modified motion
Council would need to define any modifications or amendments to the draft motion language. This will likely require staff to bring back an amended version of the IGA.
Deny the motion or take no action
If this motion is denied the revised IGA would not be signed by the city and additional negotiations with Louisville and the County would need to occur.
Refer back to staff
If council refers this item back to staff it would need direction from council on what further analysis is needed.
Alignment with City Plans and City Council History Sustainability, Equity and Resilience (SER) Framework and Citywide Strategic Plan Alignment SER Framework Goal Area Safe Community
Citywide Strategic Plan Strategy 2 - Advance efforts to enhance regional disaster prevention, preparedness, and response that leverage existing partnerships and prioritize city investments.
Staff Notes Expansion of the Office of Disaster Management to include the community of Louisville supports this strategic plan goal of enhancing regional disaster prevention, preparedness, and response.
Alignment with Additional City Plans N/A
City Council History City council last considered revisions to the ODM IGA in 2021.
Analysis Since the last update to the IGA in 2021, there has been additional analysis and clarification on what services the city and county’s Office of Disaster Management provides to cities and towns outside the City of Boulder and the unincorporated county. Through those conversations, the City of Louisville approached the city and county to explore joining the partnership. The agreement modifies the board of directors to be the city managers and county administrator in addition to the Sheriff and outlines additional operational councils to ensure regional public safety and administration coordination occurs. These operational groups already coordinate, and this IGA formalizes those structures with the expansion of the partnership. The financial structure allows Louisville to provide staffing and resources to the partnership with direct operational supervision by ODM. The ODM Board of Directors (City Manager, County Administrator, Sheriff, Fire Chief and Police Chief) unanimously support these changes. The Louisville City Council is scheduled to consider the IGA on July 21. The Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to consider the IGA on August 4.
Equity Analysis There is no change in the benefits or burdens of city residents.
Fiscal Note Estimated Fiscal Impact Narrative None. Current Year Estimated Fiscal Impact Fund(s): General Fund 1100FD Department(s): City Manager’s Office Program(s): Office of Disaster Management
Item
FY 2026 Budget
FY 2026 Estimated Impact
Beginning Fund Balance
$43.5M
0
$43.5M
Total Forecasted Revenue
$198.7M
0
$198.7M
Total Estimated Expenses
$194.4M
0
$194.4M
Ending Fund Balance(s) After Reserves
$1.8M
0
$1.8M
801
0
FY 2026 Net Change
FTE 801
Three-Year Estimated Fiscal Impact
Item
FY 2026
FY 2027
FY 2028
Total Forecasted Revenue
$0
$0
$0
Total Estimated Expenses
$0
$0
$0
Net Estimated Impact
$0
$0
$0
Climate, Resilience, and Sustainability Considerations Adding additional communities to our disaster management partnership enhances regional collaboration, response and preparedness and community resilience.
Community Engagement None.
Workplan Considerations This IGA amendment is within staff’s workplan.
Next Steps for City Council None, if council approves this motion staff will execute the agreement.
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Attachments Attachment A – Intergovernmental Agreement for the Office of Disaster Management