Agenda Memo

City of Boulder City Council Agenda Item Meeting Date: March 5, 2026 Agenda Title Consideration of a motion to approve the 2026 Board and Commission Appointments as noted effective April 1, 2026

Staff Contact  

Elesha Johnson, City Clerk, City Manager’s Office John Morse, Elections Administrator, City Manager's Office

Draft Motion Language Staff requests council consideration of this matter and action in the form of the following motion: Motion to approve the 2026 Boards and Commissions appointments as noted.

Executive Summary The purpose of this item is for city council to make their 2026 board and commission appointments. Please see Attachment B for a detailed description of the public hearing, nomination, and appointment process. This year’s cycle resulted in a higher-than-average number of candidates across all open seats. We received 122 applications in 2025, 100 applications in 2024 and 59 applications in 2023. For this recruitment period, there were 38 open seats and 171 applications submitted.

Council Action Options Option

Outcome

Approve motion language as drafted

If the motion is approved, newly appointed board and commission members will be invited to participate in onboarding training and will assume their respective appointed seats.

Deny the motion or take no action

If this motion is denied, existing board and commission vacancies will remain vacant until council takes further action.

Refer back to staff

Council would need to identify desired next steps for staff.

City Council History City council conducts boards and commission appointments annually at a regular meeting before April as directed by city charter.

Analysis For this recruitment period, there were 38 open seats, 171 applications submitted and 21 applications that were deemed ineligible or were withdrawn prior to the interviews. 23 applicants chose not to conduct interviews. Recruitment for all boards and commissions opened on December 8th, 2025, and ran through midnight, January 25th, 2026. The 2026 boards and commissions online application was redesigned to be a more uniform, user-friendly experience with less technocratic questions and more emphasis on reaching a wider public audience. The following boards and commissions did not receive any applications. Board / Commission Boulder Junction Access District - Parking Commission Boulder Junction Access District – Travel Demand Management Commission Cannabis Licensing Advisory Board University Hill Commercial Area Management Commission

Number of Vacancies 2 2 1 1

Boards and commissions interviews were conducted via Zoom from February 2nd – February 13th 2026: •

• • • •

•

Interviews were conducted with one council member and one or more staff member(s) who directly support the board being applied to with a 15-minute duration. Council Members were provided with the interview schedules and asked to sign up for four (4) interview time slots. The City Clerk’s team acted as zoom facilitators and provided technical support, generated links, and managed appointments. Staff liaisons and secretaries provided board specific questions to be asked of the applicant and were provided to applicants in advance. Three questions were asked of the candidate with the opportunity for the candidate to ask questions of the interviewers. Two of the three questions were updated to be board specific in nature. Technical assistance for candidates was offered, including providing space for candidates to come to the city and use our technology to participate.

The complete list of board and commission applicants can be found in Attachment A and application materials including interview recordings can be found in Attachment C linked at the end of this memo. In addition to the comprehensive materials, Council may want to consider applicants who are seeking reappointment or those who applied to multiple boards, so that information has been summarized here. The below current board members are seeking reappointment to the same seat.

Applicant

Board

Yrs on Board

Sheryl Cardoza

Arts Commission

3

Leah Roberts

Beverage Licensing Authority

4

David Biek

Boulder Urban Renewal Authority

3

Don Poe

Downtown Management Commission

5

Michael Block

Housing Authority

5

Ann Cooper

Housing Authority

5

Michael Mills

Transportation Advisory Board

2

The following applicants submitted applications for multiple boards. Schuyler Bailey Natalie Bennett

Chloe Reign Bowie

Carol Brewer Andrew Burwick Gregory Butler Stephanie Chen Monica Crosby Chris Evans Andrew Gettelman Thomas Gibb Carla Graubard

Samantha Lane Morgan Lommele Max Lord Ann Mahon Alejandra Nieland Zavala Brendan Selby

Arts Commission Boulder Urban Renewal Authority Housing Advisory Board Landmarks Board Parks and Recreating Advisory Board Arts Commission Boulder Urban Renewal Authority Downtown Management Commission Arts Commission Downtown Management Commission Boulder Urban Renewal Authority Housing Authority-BHP Planning Board Transportation Advisory Board Arts Commission Boulder Urban Renewal Authority Environmental Advisory Board Water Resources Advisory Board Arts Commission Housing Advisory Board Boulder Urban Renewal Authority Planning Board Boulder Urban Renewal Authority Housing Advisory Board Boulder Urban Renewal Authority Open Space Board of Trustees Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Planning Board Human Relations Commission Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Open Space Board of Trustees Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Open Space Board of Trustees Planning Board Boulder Urban Renewal Authority Housing Advisory Board Human Relations Commission Planning Board Housing Advisory Board Transportation Advisory Board

Community Engagement The city’s Communications and Engagement Department collaborated with the City Clerk’s Office to facilitate outreach to Boulder residents by posting multiple advertisements before, during, and towards the end of recruitment on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Nextdoor. On January 5, 2026, the City Clerk’s Staff conducted the second ever Boards and Commissions Open House at the East Boulder Community Center. This event was well received by the public with estimates of around 60 members of the public in attendance. The open house provided attendees with information on boards and commissions and provided the opportunity to speak to staff and members of boards/commissions regarding their experiences and to answer any questions. In addition to the outreach on Social Media platforms and the open-house event, the following measures were taken to advertise and communicate open positions and promote recruitment: • • •

• • • •

The city’s communications team published an online news article advertising recruitment. Advertisements were included in both the city’s e-newsletter and mailed newsletters. Temporary “ribbons” were placed on the top of the Boulder City Council website, City Clerk website, and Boards and Commissions website for the entirety of recruitment. Channel 8 maintained a running billboard advertising recruitment in between shows. Flyers were posted on the front doors of the North, East, and South Boulder Recreation Centers as well as the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building. Boards and Commission staff liaisons, secretaries, and board members conducted outreach based on their specific needs. Advertisements for recruitment appeared in the Daily Camera.

Next Steps for City Council Any vacancies that remain following the March 5th, 2026 appointments will be considered by the Council Boards and Commissions Committee for next steps.

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Attachments Attachment A – 2026 Applicant List by Board Attachment B – Nominations and Elections Meeting Procedure Attachment C – Application Packet and Interviews Link