Transcript

0:00:21Commissioners. Are you ready? Yes, we are. Thank you. Thank you. And we are recording. When is the. Yes, we're here for a meeting of the board of county Commissioners in Boulder county today's Tuesday, October 14, 2025 and. We're at the third floor hearing over the county courthouse at 1325 Pearl street in Boulder, Colorado. I'm going to go ahead and call our meeting to order all three county commissioners are present. And that'll take us to our 09:30 a.m. business meeting and move us to number three, which is items to note for the record. Item three. A from the commissioner. 's office is the El Dorado Springs local Improvement District. Resignations. We have a resignation. From Kurt Arino and Virginia Gurley, who served as members at large on the El Dorado Springs local improvement district. And then that'll take us to item number four. So we will not be sitting as the boulder count. County Housing Authority board of directors and. Before I move towards consent there, I had asked, or I would like to ask that we move. Item four, a to a discussion item. And I apologize. Matt. Oh, I'm saying, where's Matt? I apologize to Matt because. I had sent that email separately and didn't get that, and I've been in a meeting this morning because I haven't seen any resolution, so my ask

0:01:45would be board if we could move four a, two discussion and four b to consent. Okay, so I'll move approval of four b as it appears in the agenda. That's ward recommendation RFPA 197 25. Just for clarification. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. And then that would take us to item four. The housing 2025. Resolution. For discussion. Item sitting as the Boulder County Housing Authority board of directors. Good morning, commissioners. I'm April Gatesman. In an assistant county attorney and the county attorney's office, and I am here on behalf of the Boulder County Housing Authority. Seeking approval for the resolution to approve. BC AJ's participation and a special limited partnership. To own an affordable housing complex in gun barrel. Thank you, April. And maybe I'll just start with the question that I have. If we. Could, and I'm looking at if it's helpful for folks. In the resolution, which in the original packet. Was. Whoops. Wrong package. Hang on. Or I should say, wrong document in the package. Was in the original agenda. It was page five of 39. The resolution 2020 512. And connected to that is an exhibit. Exhibit a, which is special limited member terms. And so the question I had was on item twelve. Or number twelve that talks about any changes in the project's management, I. E. Any change. In the

0:03:40general partner, manager or managing member of the property owning entity will require Bcha's. Consent. So my question around. That was. What happens if there is a change in management for financial reasons or partnership agreements? Anything else? That, that management team, the changes that are listed in there. What happens if the board isn't in consent, but that management team is in a financial situation. And I'm just thinking back to 2006. Seven, eight. Those types of unexpected. Incidents that really do require a change. And I see something that's kind of like, this is what would have to happen. But I don't see that. And if it doesn't, here's how we would come to resolution. And so I looked at the resolution, but I saw this described in the exhibit and just wanted to have a little more understanding. And if it's an item that you think we need to talk about separately, in a different place, that's totally fine. But that was the question. I appreciate that question. You understand the process that. They need our consent before they make any changes. And you're saying yes, I get that. What happens if. We know a change has to happen, but we don't want to consent? To that particular change. What happens then? We can talk about that more. In a different venue. But I

0:05:18will try to answer now. That. It's hard to predict or speculate. On what we would do. Because it would depend on the circumstances. And why the managing member would have to withdraw. We would be in a position where. We could pull out for sure. I mean, if we're unhappy with, if it's not a good situation for bcha. To be in a weakened withdrawal. But I'm sure I can appreciate that that might not be. The answer. Given. The affordable housing complex we want to keep. It. We could talk more about. What would. Sorry. There's not much I can do to speculate from this point. Yeah, and I'm not asking for speculation. I was just trying to give some examples to help the board. Understand why I was having a question on number twelve, so I apologize.

0:06:22My intent wasn't. To speculate per se, but it was just to bring the conversation up. But Commissioner Solseman just on the same point. Can I follow up? With just perhaps a different question. If the board doesn't consent and a change has happened, like foreclosure, bankruptcy. Whatever it may be. Where in the agreement does it give us the authority to remove their tax exempt status? So we have right now a draft agreement. We haven't signed it yet. But in the draft agreement, and this is what we would insist on, we have the leverage here. To require it. There's a list. Of circumstances where we can withdraw, and they're called permitted withdraws, and we're just out. There's also built into the agreement the ability for BCHA to get to withdraw from the partnership at any time. So.

0:07:17One of the reasons we could withdraw. Is failure to adhere to any of the special limited partner member terms. Yes. And so we just. Don't have that document that describes the recourse that Commissioner Losheman is. Asking about? True. That's correct. Because it's a draft. And you all may. Certainly we can change. This structure here. We can remove this resolution if you're interested. We can remove this resolution and come back when the final documents are ready. And add those as an item to the agenda so that you can see the final resolution. The final agreements before they're signed. This was just a mechanism to allow some flexibility. This resolution approving the terms on a higher level, I think you might need to move your microphone. Just because it's a little hard to hear. You aren't close enough. Thank you. Okay. No, it's all right. I just want to make sure. I'm hoping you heard me say we could remove this resolution. From this particular resolution, from the agenda today, which we put on the agenda. So the BCHA. Staff would have the flexibility, ability to. Just take the deal from these high level terms. Negotiate them.

0:08:44With the. Well, they're pretty much negotiated. But the final points in the final agreement. With copel. If you have questions remaining or you're at all uncomfortable. With approving these terms on a higher level. We'll just remove. We can remove the resolution, and when the final documents are ready, we can come back and put them on the agenda for you to see. In their full form and. If that's helpful. I just want you to know that's an option. Okay. And thank you. The resolution and the goals of the resolution I don't have a concern with. It was more of just specifically in that line item. And the resolution, of course, addresses and includes exhibit a. And so I. Wonder. I can try and create an option here, an alternative to the language in item twelve, or if this is not a time pressing piece, and we want to have a separate. Meeting and I'd have to look at my calendar and know when we're going. To have our next board meeting with BCHa. I don't want to hold up exactly what you're talking about. The ability for. The high level pieces and the ask for the executive director to be able to move forward on any transaction details. So maybe that's my first question is when is the next BCHA specific meeting? I don't know the

0:10:08answer. Natalie. Commissioner's deputy. For the record, the next BchA. Meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, I believe. October 21. The 21st change any or cause any issues with this? No, that's fine. Okay. The other question just for the conversation, and I think maybe board, if we could just decide if we want to move this item to that meeting so we can have a little more conversation with. Our BCHA director. A suggestion might be looking at twelve and where it says will require BCHA's consent. Something like, and I'm not saying this is the language, but I'll give it to you as the attorney who can consider it and maybe bring us back another suggestion will require. BcHa's consent. Or agreement of terms between both parties. There's, like, a final here, but there's not the what. How do we address. Something else that doesn't meet the terms that we're needing, and it may be. In the document that commissioner Salzman brought up. I just don't have that in front. Of me as part of the packet to review and approve. Can I ask a question, too? Can I share? Leave it. Yeah, thanks. Actually, the way this was worded really gave me some pause, and I thought maybe perhaps it was mistitled in the agenda. And then I read the resolution, because I wasn't. Expecting it to

0:11:30say that we're purchasing. A special limited member interest. I sort of have always thought of this as we are entering into. A special limited partnership agreement. That's just semantics. It. Doesn't really affect the substance. But. I assumed that we had already completed our due diligence, and that's why this is in front of us. And it says that we are still doing due diligence and. If that all you know, if. Due diligence does not reveal anything unexpected. Then we would go forward with a whole nother. Set of documents. So I guess what I'm kind of wondering and commissioner Lo Tuman's questions have brought this up. Is. This customary? To. Have the commissioners, the housing authority commissioners, go ahead and approve a resolution entering into this partnership. Before we have all the transaction documents. I'm just wondering.

0:12:34How this is ordinarily done. And I recognize there's really no ordinary, because we don't do these very regularly. Yes. It is customary, but it doesn't mean it's always that way. I don't want to communicate that. This is how it's always done. If this is not a comfortable process and you'd prefer to see more final terms, we can do it that way. May I speak to your point about the due diligence? I can see why that would be a surprising. And the reason the resolution is drafted in this way. I drafted it to. Be. The record of this approval. We don't have a record. This is the only formal record we would have so far. Of the approval, so I wanted it to be comprehensive. And it is true that due diligence has been completed. And.

0:13:34We're comfortable with what we've found, so I apologize for that confusion. Yeah, it just seems like there are a lot of from just reading what's here in black and white. Loose ends that haven't been tied up, but maybe in reality they have. I think generally I was comfortable with this. As it's presented, even though there did seem to be. A lot of things hanging out there to be finalized. The way. I read paragraph twelve in exhibit a. I assumed it would require. That there would be some conversation and negotiation, and this is who we're thinking of bringing. In as a general partner. Is this acceptable to you? Oh, no. We don't like them. They have a bad track record. Could you find someone else? That kind of thing? And. It would be negotiated process. As commissioner, losing was thinking about language. I was thinking typically.

0:14:37What I would see in something like this would be if it requires consent, which shall not be. Unreasonably withheld. Usually it says, Just to indicate that. We're trying to make this thing work. But I don't know. I was happy with it going forward. I'm amenable to waiting. Whatever. Thank you, Commissioner Salzman, if I can just ask you. On that paragraph twelve. If you have what your thoughts are in regards to the ask on the table. And maybe just the clarification is helpful. So I am kind of in a funny place. I am voting against this in any case, regardless. Of how it comes back, because I don't think entering into the special limited partnership is a good idea. But just removing that for a moment, I think it makes sense. It could work either way.

0:15:30I don't feel like either way as folly, like making sure. We've made a clear record this morning. It gives staff the ability to carry out the wishes of the board of county commissioners. And I think they've heard that in the contract. There needs to be clear language about the recourse, so I would be comfortable if I was voting for it moving forward, and I also think it's completely reasonable to see final documents as a board of county commissioners, and if we would rather review those, it doesn't. Cause any harm. To just wait to have the final document. So I think waiting would be fine if I were on that side of the dias and where you're both wanting to approve this, I would just make sure it was scheduled for a meeting where you'll both be present. Commissioners. Just to clarify on the record, I apologize. I misspoke of the date previously, so. That date would be October 28. Two Tuesdays from now. Okay. May I ask a question to clarify? I want to make sure I understand your concern. With the hope that maybe I can save you time. If not, we'll just proceed.

0:16:30I may have misunderstood your concern about item twelve. And your question about what would happen then, and I'm thinking, I don't know. What would happen then? Let me think about all the possibilities. Now I think I hear you say, I think I'm understanding. That you would like to see more around. Perhaps the process that would happen. What kind of information would we be receiving? If. This circumstance arose where the managing. Member was failing and. They were being replaced or they wanted to transfer their ownership. Is it that. We would want to see more information about who's the new partner, what are their finances? What's the plan? Is that more what you're looking for? Something around. A process standpoint happens. In this situation. Thank you. And I'm just thinking because. I don't need to have the entire process. I understand that. Yeah. So I don't want to say yes, exactly. And I'm looking at the wording to see if there might be something to add.

0:17:46Into that. I agree, commissioner Solomon, with what you're saying. Based on the conversation that I feel like maybe staff has a little more direction. And it's on the record about having some type of negotiation, some type of. Ability for us. In an example. That the journal partner or the manager or the managing member was just completely outside of the original. Agreement and those terms, it sounds like that would be enough for us to say we were not. In consent. We were not in agreement. Maybe it's just the word consent. That seems like. The consent versus actual negotiation. I see. Yes. Sorry, I think. I'm under. Sorry. That's okay. Go ahead. It seems a little too there's. Something missing there for me, there's something missing there in regards to having a good understanding. And knowing that in some of these cases, and just thinking of. What has happened. In development agreements, construction agreements around the state of Colorado since 2006. There's a whole lot of different ways. That. A partnership could change. And so I'm just trying to think from that perspective for BCHA. How do we protect ourselves and make sure that. We are still in mission driven partnership with this goal of what I believe is the SLP. So if you feel like all of this would be captured in the language that's in.

0:19:16Number twelve. And then I'm going to move forward and not wait till the October 20 eigth. Meeting. I think from a legal standpoint, I'm rolling my eyes because. That's not a normal person. I think it's sufficient. I also want to, but I defer to the board. I also want to offer to you. That as we're working through the final language. We can be sure. To Susanna. The executive director can bring it to you. So that you can see more language to get a better sense of it and see if you're comfortable. I know that's just speaking to you. And I don't mean to cut out the rest of the board, but if you have. Specific concerns that we can keep addressing outside. Of meetings. We're happy to do that. Yeah, but we'll do whichever. I appreciate that, and. I think just given, and I'm thinking of the collective. Boulder County Housing Authority Board of directors.

0:20:22And it sounds like. There's not the same similar concerns on that particular language. On number twelve, I think we do have some record here establishing what we're trying to do. And I'm hearing. Your legal commentary that the wording in there is sufficient. So I appreciate the conversation and just the ability to talk about. What exhibit a means in connection to the resolution. So I don't have further questions. And I can move forward. Is there a motion on item four? In front of me. Well. I'm going to just sitting as a board of the. Housing authority. I move that we approve resolution 2020 512. And I'll second that. All in favor? Aye. In opposition? No, thank you. And thanks for. That extra time board. So then we'll move to item five, which. Is back sitting as board of county commissioners. Commissioners consent items. Move approval of five a through five e second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Thank you. And then that'll take us to item six, which is commissioner's discussion items. And that will be item six, a community services contract amendment with Rocky Mountain Equality for ARPa. Funds task 41, date extension.

0:21:59And I'm happy to just bring up the question that I had. I thought I saw motion there in the back, but I don't know if that means. Someone's moving forward. Okay, maybe I'll just bring it up for the discussion of board members you all have. Read item six a. Well, it's now six a, but I think it was listed as a different number in the packet. The question. I had. And my concern just in regards to the extension has nothing to do with the entity. Or the reality that we had $63.3 million of ArPa funding. But I am concerned about extending just from the sense of claw back and what is sitting in front of us with the federal government. Who's trying to eliminate programs. And so the question I had is if there was a way for us to. The number in there was like 522. 522,000 and some change. In the past with some of the ARPA funding. We just did a straight allocation. Both. To our family resource centers and to some other organizations. And so that was my curiosity about just having the funding done that way, so. We can not just allocate, but just go ahead and spend that funding so it's, not sitting out until December 2026 and. It's simply just based on being in conversations with our congressmen

0:23:21and their team. Over the last couple of years, encouraging us to spend the ArPA funding and quote, unquote get it up the door. So that was just when I saw that it was the extension. Concerned me a little bit. So that was the question that I had and would love to have. Some conversation. And if there is somebody with the ARPA team that could let us know how that would happen or not happen. If that's helpful, we can try. And get somebody. Go ahead. This was the item in the packet I spent the most time on and on the same vein. Of just understanding what would happen if it was spent sooner or could it be spent sooner or. What if we said no? Could it go to a different project? Why hasn't this money?

0:23:58Been spent. And essentially, I can tell you the whole version if you want. But the end conclusion of the whole thing is essentially, if we don't change the end. To date that it goes back to the federal government. So it's extend this date or the money goes back. And so this is probably the best path forward, but I did spend a bunch of time on the exact same. Train of thought, school of thought. And it is clear to me that staff is communicating with our partners that they need to expend the funds. And they have put that message across really clearly. Okay, that's super helpful. That's different than the email that I got back. This. Morning. That was what I learned from the office of Financial Management and our commissioner's deputy. In working to see if I wanted to remove this from consent or not.

0:24:46Okay. That's great. I'm not questioning whether or not what you said is true. I'm just letting you know that's helpful, because that's different than what I was hearing. Go ahead. I think you said had a question. I can't say I did a ton of work. On this. My understanding. Of it is that. I think from your concern about clawback, that we have already provided this money to rocky mountain. Equality and. Instead of having to spend it all. By forget the date, because now. I'm on the agenda page and not the page 28. But anyway, instead of having to spend it all by whatever the previous date is. They have just have longer to actually spend it. But I think we've already transferred this money to them so they have it. So I don't think the federal government can clot back. It looks like maybe Marty is here. There we go. There's the person who might know. Go ahead, Marie. I don't know if. You had, if you were listening and if you have comments otherwise, we'll just. Come to a resolution, maybe. I apologize, commissioners.

0:25:59I think I misunderstood. It was at twelve. But please. How can I help? Answer any questions you have. If I can just get you to put your. Name on the record. That would be great. First. This is Marnie Huffman Green from community services. I'm the American Rescue Plan. Act mental health and social resilience program manager. I apologize for the lengthy title. That's fine. Thank you. Thanks for joining. And don't worry about being late. We understand. Because it was unexpected that you were going to join us this morning, so I appreciate you showing up the question really quickly, and I think it can be very brief statement. The question that I had was simply around. If there was a way for us. To. Finish using the funds, not allocation. But if the money's already gone out the door, I. Think that was one of the questions.

0:26:46And then how the extension may or may not create potential clawback for us from the federal government in regards to this funding, and I think we've all heard a little bit and had different conversations, so just a little bit of clarity might be helpful. Sure. And I think Leslie might be jumping on, too. I just shared with her in chat. So, as you all know, ARPA funding needs to be spent down by December 2026, Rocky Mountain equality got approximately $522,000 to be dispersed over three years. If you want me to get weedy, I can dial in more around how they've spent on the funds, but essentially, this is just asking for about $15,000 in their emergency fund. Aspect of their work to support. Some more innovative funding support services for our community. We don't foresee this being an issue. And I'm not sure. Commissioner Lo Chi min, if you sell Leslie's email, this morning, but we spent a lot of time together talking about how this extension would actually support. And ameliorate any potential concerns around clawbacks. Thank you. No, I hadn't seen the email from 925. I was in a meeting. Before this. So I think the question. I just heard you say that.

0:28:08There was an additional amount. And the way that we were interpreting was just an extension of date. Go ahead. Exactly. No additional. Amount. Just for the record, it's approximately $15,000 that they're looking to continue to spend and just wanted to roll over to the first couple of months of 2026. Okay. And that was just my question. I was just concerned from the federal lens and the encouragement from the congressman Nagus and his team over the last two years for us to finish this money. Sooner than later, and so. I wasn't. And I've shared that previously. I wasn't expecting us to. Be still holding on to funds or not having funds spent at December 2026. I just didn't hear that as the mandate, the ask, or the need from community members. When we agreed to take on funding from the federal government for Covid-19 and I hear what you're saying about the need for an extension.

0:29:08And I just would support and underscore the message that you're conveying and that the board has previously conveyed that it's really important to wrap this project and program. Up and be able to put a conclusion to it. Thank you, Commissioner Salzman. Okay, so we've got, let's see here. This is thank you, Marnie. Discussion item six a. That helps me. I appreciate the conversation. I just want. To make sure that we're clear, an understanding of where we're at. A motion on item six a. I move approval of six a second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Thank you. And then that will move us. To. Item seven, which is confirmation of executive session topics. I'm here to confirm that the executive session, topics that were noticed on the record both at the October 7, 2025 regular business meeting of the board were discussed as scheduled, as well as. The notice of a personnel executive session at the September 30, 2025 regular business meeting of the board were discussed as scheduled, since that hadn't occurred at our last business meeting and I'm happy to take us to item eight, which is a request for authorization of executive session.

0:30:26Commissioners. I'm here to request. Authorization for the board of county commissioners to go into executive session with county attorney Ben Perlman. On Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at 01:00 p.m. pursuant to Crs. 24 6402, subsection four e instructions to negotiators regarding collective bargaining agreement with the Boulder county employees uni. Union. So moved. Second. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Thank you for that. And then that takes us. To what? We'll be back. So we're going to go into recess until. Commissioners. Are you ready? Yes, we are. Thank you so much. And we are recording. Thank you. And we're returning from recess now for item number nine. Which is a 01:00 public hearing on 2026 recommended budget and then also number ten. Which is local minimum wage proposals for 2026. So all of us. And all three county commissioners are still present today. Move us to item number nine a.

0:32:10And that's our public hearing on 2026 recommended. Budget. And we've got office of Financial Management and then statement from the board as well before. We move into the public. Comments section. And I'm getting a signal. Go ahead. Oh, I was just going to say we'll. Open it up to the commissioners first and turn it over to Allie, okay? And I've got here. Just to clarify here, we're not. Doing any decision making. We're just listening to public testimony today, and so we'll have folks here in the room and then also virtual. Providing information specific to the 2026 recommended budget. So we've got a statement as far as the board in regards to. This item. Nine here. So let me start here. Developing Boulder County's annual budget is a process that starts in May every year and involves hundreds of hours of work from county staff, elected officials in Boulder county residents. The result is a balanced budget adopted by the Balder county commissioners in December ahead of the new financial year. Today is the public hearing for Boulder county is 2026. Recommend. Recommended budget members of the public are invited to share their comments. As we just discussed with the board today by registering a speak in person online and by phone, and otherwise written comments can continue. To be

0:33:34shared through the online form@boco.org. budget and. We're also accepting. Comments through the commissioners at Bouldercounty. Gov email box. So just so folks have that information on hand on September 29, we announced to Boulder county employees and the wider community that as part of our 2026 budget due to a structural deficit of Boulder county government. Around 60 vacant positions. And that just means that these are jobs that had not been hired after one year of showing vacant. Will not be filled in 2026 and the 31 county employees will lose their jobs. So just continuing the explanation of what has brought us here today and the kind of the background information. That has gone into the budget decisions that we have made and will be making. We've just seen that despite budget reductions in 2026, our expenses will continue to rise. Everyone's expenses will continue to rise with inflation. But it's also a year for us to fulfill. Longtime commitments, such as offering alternative sentencing options for people involved in the criminal justice system and building out a boulder based community hub for health and human services here in the city of Boulder. Similar to what we have in Longmont and Lafayette. Getting to this point in our budget process has been difficult for everyone involved, but as stewards of the county's finances. It is our duty

0:35:11to make difficult decisions to ensure the county follows the principles of good governance. The burden of budget reductions impacts all of us, although by the nature of budgeting, it never feels like. It's impacting everyone equally. A structural deficit is a long term problem created by such factors as the economy, as well as state and federal decisions that are beyond anyone's local control. What we can control is how we assess those impacts and make strategic, thoughtful decisions to respond to them. Rather than taking broad brush across the board reductions. An equal approach. We asked for assessments to identify reductions in non mandated programs that have higher costs and lower impacts. That doesn't mean these programs or the staff who provided them have zero impact. In fact, this process has been difficult precisely because Boulder County. Historically has had funding to offer small, innovative programs to address.

0:36:13Unique community needs. Our work here at the county supports thousands of people living in Boulder county. The work of the county matters. It makes a real impact in people's day to day lives. We want Boulder. County staff delivering those services to be able to live in the community they serve, and that's why we are embarking on a three year plan to ensure that our expense. Expenses don't continue to rise faster than our revenue. One thing we know we can control is how we compensate our county staff who continue to do the hard work of public service. In considering what's possible within our revenue limitations, we're facing the commissioner's remain committed to a competitive compensation and benefits package. In our presentation today, you'll see that the minimum. County annual salary will increase from 50,000 a year to 52,000 a year or over $25 an hour for 2026. You'll also see the Office of Financial Management's recommended budget includes a 4.3% staff compensation increase, which includes a standard pay increase on top of a cost of living.

0:37:15Adjustment. This equates to about a 10.6% increase for the lowest paid employees. We're also committed to continuing to negotiate with our Boulder county employees Union in good faith. Our negotiating team has met with BCEU for negotiations on several different occasions so far to bargain over wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment. Based on these negotiations, we as commissioners have authorized the negotiating team to offer an average of four and a half percent staff compensation increase to BCEU this would add over half a million dollars to. What's presented in the county's 2026 budget. When we adopt the budget in December over what's been presented so far. This is at the high end of what other local public employers are offering in our region and is as high as we believe we can go. We based this increase on our analysis of the important public services Boulder county must provide. The budget shortfall. The structural deficit. We want to minimize the impact of the county's budget deficit on employees. That serve the community to the greatest extent possible while still ensuring fair wages for employees in the difficult economic environment. We remain committed to our compensation policy, which reflects the importance of public service in attracting, retaining and rewarding racially diverse, highly skilled work. Workforce.

0:38:28Within the boundaries of fiscal responsibility, compensation shall be externally competitive and internally equitable. Now, we'll hand it over to Emily Beam, our budget officer, for an overview of the budget process. Before we open the hearing for public comment. Thank you, Emily. Yeah. Thank you, commissioner. Emily beam with the Office of Financial Management. Today we will hear input. From the community members on the recommended budget and budget requests that have previously been presented to the commissioners by Boulder county elected officials and departments. I will be providing a high level summary on where we are in the budget process to date. So here's our 2026 budget timeline. And today we are at the October 14 public hearing, and the commissioners will give direction to staff. On November 6 for the formal budget that will be adopted on December 9. In May of 2026, we did release our budget goals as part of the budget instructions. And as previously noted, our first goal was to cut the 2026 general fund budget by $13.2. Million over the next three years. We are also looking to seek reductions in ongoing operating expenses by making. Careful reductions to programs within our organizations. And we did ask that all budget requests include language demonstrating alignment with Boulder county strategic priorities and equity initiatives. For the 2026 budget process. The Board of county

0:40:07commissioners will not be considering new FTE requests during this process. They will support previous staffing commitments that they have already discussed previously, including the alternative sentencing facility. And the jail expansion. They will look to realign functions, reducing duplicative work, and contain expenses across the county. Additionally, we will evaluate the county's role and expenses in non core services. Function and functions to determine if their functions are provided by other entities. We will look at all of our funds within the organization to ensure that they are balanced and make sure our budget versus actual spending keeps us in line with our fund balance policies and remain sustainable and all capital requests, including computer, capital expenditure fund and fleet, will be ranked caddy wide. With the assist. Assistance of the county administrator. So this is what we're utilizing throughout our budget process. As previously mentioned, Boulder county is struggling with a structural deficit within our organization. This is specific to our general fund. So if you look at the graph listed below, this does include the 2026 recommended budget, but as you'll note, our revenues are lower than our expenditures, which is creating. The Boulder county to utilize fund balance every year. Which is not a sustainable approach for our organization. And if we do not continue to make any changes. We will be unable to sustain this

0:41:43long term. So just a high level overview of our recommended budget that was previously. Presented on September 30. This is broken out by fund. The base budget is identified here, which does include all personnel costs as well as operating costs. Identified reductions and increases are included, and then the total recommended budget is identified in the final column. There are other departmental requests that are for board consideration that were previously discussed. Elected officials and county departments brought forward additional budget requests for 2026 that total $52.7 million. On October 7, we did hear from human services regarding some general fund expenditure increases. It provided detail on capital requests for modernization, public works, and planning had transportation and infrastructure projects to consider. We did look at fleet recycling and road maintenance capital requests as well. On October 9, we did hear from the sheriff, the treasurer, parks and open space department. Housing, the public health budget requests as well, and all these will be considered by the board prior to our decision making process. So, as noted, Boulder county does strive to maintain a competitive total compensation package aligned with the current labor markets, and our recommended budget did include a 4.3% compensation increase built into the current recommended budget to both reflect the standard pay incre. Increase as well as a monthly cola. Furthermore, county employees who

0:43:32are earning $50,000 annually in 2025 will now be bumped up to $52,000. And just a note that compensation is still being discussed in collaboration with the Boulder county Employees union. And we will formally announce the decision on compensation at a later date. We will now move on to public comment. Thank you very much. Thank you, Emily, for the presentation. And we'll go for folks here who are in the room first and. There'll be a timer. I'm waiting to see the list that's going. To come here. Thank you. Staff in the background. So I'll just ask folks to kind. Of pay attention to this screen while you're here in the room. Reminder here in Boulder. County. If we can just state your name and your city or town of Residence. We don't. Need your address. We don't ask for that information here at Boulder county. You'll?

0:44:26See that some folks have. Pooled time, which just means they have more than three minutes, and that means the hooks are. Here in the room and. Given their words and opinions to that other person to speak. So another reminder is close to the microphone as you can. It's not just so we can hear you in the room, but it's also to archive, and so if I have. To interrupt you. It's because either I can't hear you or I'm. Worried that they can't hear you in the back or I can see some motion coming. Forward to tell you the same thing. So I'm just trying to assist and help you. We're all in this room to have civil discourse. That's the beauty about Boulder. County and opportunity to be heard. And we try to encourage that here in our hearing room as well, so instead of cheering or. I think it's called cheering or making people feel very. Excited and are very uncomfortable. Let's try. And welcome everybody to share their opinions and their ideas. So with that, I'm going to go ahead and start in.

0:45:18Melanie Naiman is first. Thank you, commissioner. Thanks for having us here today. And thank you in advance for actively listening to us instead of listening to prepare a response. Did I say my name already? No. Thank you. Melanie Neiman, public health. Thank you. I live in Longmont. We know you may want to distance yourself from what's happening at the bargaining table, but. You are the commissioners and you are responsible for it. We are saddened and distressed that you are not coming to the table in good faith, so. What is good faith in bargaining. A good faith effort means both sides show a sincere willingness to agree on wages, benefits and working conditions. Can you hear me okay? It means negotiating seriously, not just going through the motions. Employers must avoid delays, resolve differences, and seek real consensus, not simply show up and say no to everything. All of you, when you're running for office, claim to be progressives. Labor unions are progressive. They advance workers rights, social justice and economic equality. You've spoken publicly about caring for working families, housing, cost of living and racial equity. Commissioner Lochamine, you are elected to represent racially underrepresented voices the best way. To do that is to support unions. You've spoken about economic opportunity to being available to everyone. Does that include county staff? Housing affordability was a

0:46:54big part of your campaign platform, but many county employees can't. Afford to live in the community they serve. Commissioner Stoltzman, you have said that you want everyone in the community to thrive. When you visited the BCEU organizing committee right after you were SPrN in, you claimed you would be the biggest ally of the union. I'm not sure what happened to that support. It feels like it was an empty promise. Commissioner Levy, you've spoken about the cost of childcare and the importance of mental health, but it's hard to stay mentally healthy. In a toxic work environment, and employees face the same childcare access hurdles as the rest of the community. Commissioners serve a maximum of eight years. Many of us have been here three or four times that. Long, but you have the power to make things better for Boulder county as a workplace for those of us who are career employees. Boulder county calls itself a caring government with inclusive culture and comprehensive benefits. But what does caring mean? How do you define it? How do you measure it? Your comprehensive benefits. Don't reach everyone.

0:48:02Seasonal parks workers don't have benefits, which is sickening. Why would we employ skilled full time workers and not give them benefits just because. They're seasonal does not mean they don't deserve health care. Your stated goal, this is on your website, is transformational racial equity. Ask the employees of color at Boulder county if they feel that's an accurate description of what's currently happening. Labor unions are actually proven to do this. The Human Resources website says that it exists to attract, develop, motivate and retain. A diverse workforce. That sounds lovely, but after years of resistance and legal fights, it rings hollow. Unions benefit everyone, not just workers. They promote racial equity in pay and promotion. They reduce turnover, create safer workplaces and improve engagement and productivity. Union busting is illegal. And sometimes it's always unethical, sometimes illegal.

0:49:11It weakens workers power, and it contradicts the values this county claims to stand for. Unfair labor practices violate state and federal law. They are illegal. Employers cannot interfere with employees rights to organize or bargain in good faith. So what's going to be your legacy? As a leader. You will be remembered. Either as commissioners who fought workers at a return, or as the ones who finally upheld our right. To a fair contract. Right now, your actions resemble corporate CEOs more than public servants think of. Amazon, Starbucks and Tesla, companies that spent millions fighting unions instead of simply listening to their employees. How much. Have you spent? On consultants and attorneys doing the same here. Yes, we understand payroll is a major expense, but people should be the last place you cut. You call employees, county employees, the most valuable asset. Then treat us that way. Since Covid county, buildings have sat nearly empty like ghost towns.

0:50:21While we continue to heat them, cool them and maintain them. The southeast Hub, Longmat Hub and North Broadway campus. Are largely unused. They're very empty. And it sounds like maybe there's going to be a new building in Boulder. If you truly valued economic security and climate action, two of your stated priorities, you would allow more remote work and reduce unnecessary commuting and energy use. You'd save a lot of money. Since you mentioned good governance, let's talk about that a little. Good governance isn't a slogan. It's demonstrated through transparency, data and trust. Right now your workforce feels neither trusted nor heard. So how do we make this right? You guys have the power to fix this. Stop fighting your own workers for their basic rights. Come to the table ready to negotiate in good faith. Be willing. To compromise. The county attorney may have told you that you must resist us, but that's not true. You do not need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on outside law firms to delay a contract. The sheriff's office filed for an election right around the same time as we did, and. They didn't face these hurdles. They already secured a contract, raises and new positions. Why are the rest of us treated differently. So again, what will your legacy be? Will you be remembered as the antiunion

0:51:49commissioners who undermine their workers, who were just. Seeking basic rights? Or will you be the leaders who finally choose to honor Boulder County's progressive values and stand with your employees. This could either be a feather in your cap or a stain on your reputation. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Brianna Barber. Thanks for your patience. My name is Brianna Barber. I live in Longmont and work for Boulder. County in the commissioner's office. I am also a member of the Boulder County Employees Union Bargaining Committee. Thanks for giving us this. Opportunity today. I am coming to you today to share suggestions for and questions about the 2026 budget and advocate for members of our bargaining unit, the employees who help to make this organization run. In partnership with. You all. At last week's budget meeting. I heard Commissioner Stolzman say that she was ready. To make choices on the budget request prior to hearing our public comments. So I please ask that you take our comments into consideration before making your decisions. I am advocating for the county to prioritize and budget for the immediate shift to just cause employment for all employees. This change is nonnegotiable for our bargaining committee and is a necessary step to ensure fair treatment and accountability across all departments. Why is this essential? Just

0:53:29cause. Employment is a standard that requires the employer, the county, to have a fair, documentable and consistent reason for discharging an employee. Our current system, which relies on inconsistent application of progressive discipline, is failing employees because of a few reasons. Like I mentioned, inconsistent application. While the county claims to use progressive discipline, it is applied differently. By every department and every manager, leading to an equitable outcomes. There is an. Unfair burden of proof. In the event of a post termination hearing, the entire burden of proof falls on the employee to demonstrate they were wrongfully terminated under just cause. The burden of proof shifts to the county where it rightfully belongs to demonstrate a good reason for the discharge. Lack of accountability for managers. Just cause protections will hold county managers accountable, ensuring they are training, coaching and supporting their staff equitably and sufficiently before moving to disciplinary action. We understand that the county's contracted union avoidance attorney Fischer Phillips, has claimed that implementing just cause.

0:54:38Will be a massive, time consuming and expensive undertaking. We reject this assessment if the county's progressive discipline policy is truly being used as outlined. Then the shift to just cause should not be an excessive or expensive change. It simply enforces the principles the county already claims to uphold. Demonstrating a good reason for discharge performance or economic hardship. Providing fair warning, adequate training and a chance to improve. All goals should be. Specific, measurable and attainable, and applying disciplinary policies fairly and consistently. Our bargaining committee will not agree to a contract without just cause protections. Therefore, we urge the commissioners to take immediate steps to address the following in the 2026 budget acknowledge and budget for the necessary resources to implement. Just cause employment for the BCEU bargaining unit and ideally for all county employees. Ensure a timely transition to just cause as we cannot wait months.

0:55:40For months or a year for this essential protection to be in place. Furthermore, adopting just cause would proactively align with the county with future state requirements. Potential state requirements as union backed ballot initiative initiative 43 aims to require just cause for most Colorado employers and is expected to be on the 2026 ballot. Moving to just cause now demonstrates the county's commitment to its workforce and being the best in public service. I'm going to shift a little bit and talk about cost of living requests. I'm also here to advocate for an increase to the proposed 2026 cost of living. Adjustment for employees. The current proposal, as you've all stated, is the 152 per month we believe this is inadequate to cover the extreme cost of living increases we anticipate our bargaining. Committee has not agreed to the proposed 152 col. Cola for several reasons. We believe the data that's being used. For this cola calculation is inaccurate. The proposed Cola relies on consumer price index from Lakewood, Aurora and Denver, which does not accurately reflect the higher inflation we are experiencing. In Boulder, Longmont, Lafayette, Superior, Lewisville and our mountain communities. We, like the county, anticipate significant cost increases in 2026. The county itself is acknowledging significant future cost increases. We heard it the September 25 quarterly budget amendment hearing that the county needed to expedite

0:57:11the purchase of $7 million in vehicles and equipment using the road and bridges fund to avoid. Higher tariffs next year. If the county is accounting for these rising costs, it must do the same. For its workers. Employees are already grappling with growing costs for groceries, insurance, rent, transportation, clothing and medical supplies. New significant tariffs, such as a potential 100% tariff on international medications and other goods, are conservatively estimated to increase household costs by about one $600 per year in 2026. Experts like the budget lab at Yale project. These tariffs will push hundreds of thousands of Americans into poverty. I think the last estimate was about 900,000 Americans. We recognize that the county is budgeting to account for these rising costs and believe it is only fair to do so for the employees. Therefore, we are asking the commissioners to increase our cola. By an additional $130 per month, equaling $282 per month. This increase is essential to help employees keep up with the severe cost of living pressures they will sustain. In 2026 and to ensure they receive fair and just compensation, we urge you to raise the cola to meet the economic reality of this moment. Switching gears again. I want to talk about.

0:58:30Our seasonal benefits or our seasonal workers and the lack of benefits that they receive and the lack of paid time off. Another concerning aspect, as Mel had mentioned of Boulder county employment is that seasonal employees do not receive any benefits, and they do not receive any paid time off. These employees, many who of whom come back diligently every season for parks in open space or elections, for example, do not receive pay when the rest of the county has a paid holiday such as the. 4 July. Not only do they lose a day of work, but they are not paid for that. Day. These employees are working physically demanding and dangerous jobs. And these are not just teens working a summer job. These are college educated, highly trained and long term county employees. Our bargaining committee has asked for these workers to receive benefits or a stipend to buy their own benefits and paid time off.

0:59:20The county has rejected this proposal outright. When we say that you are bargaining in bad faith. This is an example of what we mean. You could counter and say that you could provide $100 per season for a health benefit or even 5 hours. Of a holiday pay, but instead you gave them nothing. And this is supposed to be a negotiation? I have some ideas. How about people at the county who make over maybe 100 and 5180 thousand dollars a year? Take a furlough day once per month next year, once per quarter next year, and use that money to fund benefits typhoons for seasonal staff. Or you could establish another revenue stream by renting out parts of the southeast hub. Or you could use. Some of the proceeds from the sale of the North Broadway campus to fund this. Another topic I want to bring up with my remaining time is the fraternal art of police has a separate union with the sheriff's office. They'll be receiving at least 5% pay increases, and we believe our unit should also receive an average of 5% pay increases for our employees. You have also agreed to give FOP employees an additional three to 5% if they work in specialized assignments or trainers and up to an additional 10% for those working multiple assignments. I've trained coworkers for many

1:00:38hours here at the county while taking on additional roles and I have never received additional pay. Where is the equity when it comes to the FoP and BCEU. As an organizing director, said today in a bargaining meeting, we need to rethink. And prioritize what community safety means. It's not just law enforcement. I'm running out of time, so I wanted to mention. That we proposed an MoU on immigration protections for a unit today. We were informed that you have no intention of bargaining with us on those matters. And we think this is bad faith bargaining. These immigration enforcement officials. Are making our workers fearful to come to work, and then the county is not granting accommodations, so. Thank you for your time today. We ask that you carefully choose which budget request to accept and prioritize your staff. Thanks so much. Thank you. Next is Catherine Layman. Good afternoon, commissioners.

1:01:43Coworkers here. My name is Catherine Lehman. I live in unincorporated Mountain, Boulder County. And I work in community services as the coordinator for the Pearl program. I'm just trying to look behind me real quick here. So it looks like we've got 80 people on the zoom, and I just want to say hello to my coworkers watching, listening on Zoom, who are here with us in solidarity. As well. Many of them couldn't make it in person. They wanted to, but. Were unable because they couldn't leave work. So I'm here today to talk to you largely from my experience as a union steward. With BCeU over the last few months. I have sat in. On layoff notification meetings with numerous coworkers. Some of these have gone. They're all very different. The kind of language, the approach, the number of management or supervisors who are in them. But all around. They are a really difficult experience, a really heartbreaking experience. Honestly, even though. It's kind of the hardest part of Stewart job. I'm glad to be there for them, and I'm glad that we got our union in place before this round of layoffs happens so that people have. That person with them at the table or on the team. Zoom, whatever. And so I've seen the impacts of this sudden budget deficit that came up, I guess.

1:03:25Between 2025 to 2026. Like, I think a lot of people. I'm kind of curious to know a little bit. More about that, about what happened. Why right now? Has been when it happened. And need to take action on it. Another thing, though, that I do as a steward is I work with people and support them through. Disciplinary process through the progressive discipline. When they are fearing they might be terminated or laid off. And I can tell you right now. From that experience. Just causes so incredibly necessary. The standards are applied very differently across. Different parts of the county. I have known workers who have had their probationary period extended. So that they didn't even then have a right to progressive discipline. Oftentimes. People wind up on a performance improvement plan, a Pip without any clear.

1:04:33Expectations for exactly how to get off of the disciplinary process. I have seen supervisors sort of try to backtrack and say that they have done. Verbal and written warnings when it was not clear that that was the intention and. The worker in question then suddenly finds themselves in the middle of this process that I didn't. Even know was happening yet. And people right now. Are really kind of scared to push back on anything like this, and I know a lot of people who were scared to come today because. The layoff thing is happening. And so the way it's been, it feels in county culture as an employee, is that it's this thing looming over our heads, and we don't know when the next wave is coming. We don't know when they're going to stop. It's been rolled out really differently in different departments. And, yeah, it's just created this kind of fear and. Concern among everyone that their job could be next. Another piece about.

1:05:44Just cause that I would emphasize here, it's not just better for workers. Those of us in the bargaining unit. It's better for managers and for supervisors as well. It creates clear standards, clear procedures. Everything in the policy manual and the procedures. Has subject to the discretion of a supervisor. Things are always potentially subject to someone's discretion. That I think is implied, but when it's written like that, I think. It encourages. A practice of taking greater liberties with that language, and that's what I've seen. In my role, supporting employees. And I really thank Brie for giving such a good summary of just cause and the issues that we're facing with it. I think in the long run it will be by far. Cheaper than to have the kind of unclear process that we have now and the hours that people have to put into. Both supervisors and employees. In going through that process. And I think another piece of that, too, is I've heard from so many employees that there is not any kind of. Clear outlet for them, any kind of grievance procedure. When they have a manager or a supervisor who is kind of overly disciplining them or is excessively micromanaging them for no apparent reason. Excuse me. We need workers to have protections from those kinds of things. And we need an outlet.

1:07:28For. Actual hearing about that. And acting on it. When the rules aren't followed. It lies on workers to sit and suffer. And. Not make a big stink because it might just create more problems for them. And I wanted to touch on the last thing that Brie talked about, too, which is immigration. I really urgently urge. The commissioners and the bargaining team. To consider adopting. The MoU proposed by our bargaining team on immigration. Our undocumented. Siblings, our coworkers. Are right now. The most vulnerable among us. I am working. On HR accommodation requests with some coworkers who. Have told me that in the last two months they've been in a position of knowing. There is ice activity. Not far from their work site, having to go to work. Dropping their kids off at school, having to go to work and being absolutely terrified to drive near their workplace, knowing that they may not make it home. And I think that we are in a position to help alleviate that in some way. I think there's got to be flexibility. There's got to be room to respond to a moment. That's an emergency. It might not. Be something that. Continues to be. In policy forever. It might not be currently written out a path to that, but it's urgent. And. Our community members and our coworkers. Are facing

1:09:24the threat of kidnapping, and then if. They don't show up to work, they could be fired. So do they lose their job? Or do they not make it home? And it's heartbreaking. And, yeah, we need to do something about it. Yesterday. But I appreciate the time. I appreciate the opportunity to give some input into the budget, both as a county resident and as an employee and also as a steward and share some of my experience. So far. Supporting my coworkers. It's been a difficult process. I can't wait to have a contract in place. To be able to point to and enforce as a steward. But it's also been a really beautiful experience. Getting to know. The people I work with. And hearing about their struggles and looking for creative ways to support them. So thank you, commissioners, and thanks to everybody. Thank you. Next is Anthony Beck.

1:10:40There we go. Hi, commissioners. My name is Anthony Beck, one of your employees in the parks and open space department. On a rent here in Boulder. I am also a proud member of the Boulder County Employees Union, and I'm here to comment on your 2026 budget, with my main calls being one. Invest in a budget that takes care of your workforce. Two, bargaining good faith with our union. And three, stop wasting public resources on efforts to fight that union. I am a returning seasonal worker for parks performing ecological research and invasive plants management. Before I get into the struggles of my work. I want to say that I am extremely proud to work. As a public servant stewarding our public lands. I bring years of experience in land management, and it has been a pleasure to get to know Boulder county lands, which is why I have decided to return for a second season of this work. And am likely to do so for a third. However. I may other seasonal struggle to find this work sustainable and to live in Boulder county on the pay we receive, and indeed, many seasonal workers must commute from outside the county. I've heard it said in the parks department that. Are returning are gold. That is a direct quote from management. But I do not see these

1:11:51workers. Materially treated as such, even with pay increases that I have received for working a second of season and taking on additional responsibility as a crew leader. I still make under what MIT considers a living wage for this county, which. Is $26.18 per hour. According to the 2025 seasonal pay scale. One would have to be in their fifth season before they earned that single adult living wage. And that living wage. Only increases if you are. Supporting. Children, aging parents, anything like that. I have heard management parks department say again and again that they could not accomplish their land management goals without seasonal workers. Yet we do not receive health care, we do not receive vacation accrual and we do not receive paid time off on county closure days, which are days that we cannot go.

1:12:45To work even if we want to, because our colleagues are out of the office. Many. My seasonal colleagues are highly skilled with specialized knowledge, and they are not easily replaceable. My work requires me to identify hundreds of plant species growing on boulder county properties and. I'm sorry. I carry supervisor level qualifications for a safe pesticide application. In the state of Colorado. I believe the county would do well to budget to retain as many of their seasonal workers as possible, and I believe that investment would easily outweigh. The time and money cost of retraining a new crop of seasonal workers each year and I think retention throughout the county and government is important. I think that's a place where a lot of money and time could be saved. My story speaks to the unique position of a seasonal parks and open space worker, but I am well aware of many other Boulder county workers who struggle to keep up with the cost of living. In this county. Forgive me. These workers need to be invested in so that we can provide the best in public service.

1:13:58That is why I'm calling on you, our elected officials. To pass a budget that. Values your employees appropriately. Offers appropriate compensation for years of service and offer severance packages to our colleagues who are laid off because it is quite hard. I know for a fact that the employees of the Boulder County Sheriff's Department are being offered a minimum of a 5% raise, and I'm asking you to value the rest. Of your employees serving the community. With at least that. I understand that budgets are tight and that you may not be able to provide for every ask. Our union makes. However, I am calling on you to collaborate with us so you can pass a budget that takes care of workers, especially during this time when we cannot count on the federal or state government to do so. In particular, I would like to suggest you save money in our budget by withdrawing the resources being spent to actively resist our union. The county's bargaining team is currently being led by Tammy Kolker, an attorney with Fisher Phillips, which is a law firm specializing in negotiating pro employer employer contracts, which is a euphemistic way. Of saying union busting. Your bargaining team also includes a newly hired labor relations manager making a six figure salary. These two voices who have the least direct experience and time

1:15:20with our county and its employees are often the two loudest voices at the bargaining table and are fighting our bargaining committee on some of the most basic worker protections. I have appeared in front of you before and referred to some of your activities as commissioners, as. Union busing, which, understandably, you did not appreciate at the time. However, if you are willing to shell out potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars to instill a Fisher Phillips, attorney at the head of your bargaining team, and fail to intervene in their bad faith. Bargaining. I think that charge is earned. So instead, I'm asking you to remove Tammy Koker from the head of your bargaining. Team and has said meet directly with our bargaining committee. Come hear our stories, hear about our working conditions and collaborate with us on a budget that both takes care of workers and stays within the county's means. And I believe that with your collaboration rather than your resistance, this is possible. According to a Gallup poll from this year, 68% of Americans support labor unions. I think that is higher here in Boulder county. So I'm asking you to represent your constituents. Bargain.

1:16:25In good faith. And set yourselves apart from some of the most concerning trends that we see happening in this country. And the way that labor is treated. Thank you for your time. Have a good day. Thank you. Next is Aaron Paul. Hello. County commissioner is Levy Lo, Jamine and stolesman. My name is Aaron Paul. I live in Denver, and I stand up here today to talk about the 2026 budget. And also share my experience as both an employee of Boulder county and a member of Boulder county. Employees union. I've worked for the county now at the assessor's office for nearly eight. Years. I am fortunate to hold a full time position that includes health insurance, paid vacation and medical leave. Benefits that have been essential for me to maintain a modest living. I've also grown tremendously through several county sponsored classes over the past couple years. The tools I've gained have helped me grow as a person. And that personal growth has directly strengthened the way I show up in service to this community. These. Supports, along with my partner's income, have made it possible for us to stay afloat. So far. It also helps that we don't have any children or dependence, which would undoubtedly place an even greater strain on our finances. I appreciate the things the county does provide for me, but I have to

1:18:13be honest with you. I'm angry. I'm frustrated that we, the workers of Boulder county, haven't been taken seriously. And I'm disappointed that the values the county strives to uphold for its community aren't being extended to its own employees. There are people working here now, people dedicating their time, their skills and energy to this. County who received no paid vacation. They aren't paid on holidays, even though they're not allowed to work those days, and they have no access to health care coverage. Something every human being needs to survive. I'm angry, but I'm also scared. I'm scared that the rapidly increasing cost of living will start to outpace my wages. I'm scared that the benefits I currently have in my full time position. Could be taken away or made prohibitively expensive. I'm afraid I could be terminated without just cause. I'm worried I could be laid off and left with nothing. Little notice, no severance, no path back. In a job market that becomes increasingly uncertain by the day. This isn't just a distant worry many of our coworkers have already experienced layoffs under these conditions. It's clear that. There's real urgency around addressing this now. We serve our community best when we ourselves feel secure, supported and valued. To do that, we need wages and cost of living adjustments that ease financial stress, not just help

1:19:59us scrape by. We need paid personal time off and access to health care so we can thrive, not just survive. We need just cause protections and fair layoff policies reflected in our budget and written into our contract so that our livelihoods aren't constantly at risk. When Boulder county employees are stable, healthy and treated with dignity. We're able to provide the high quality service our community deserves. As your employee and a member of the union. I am part of boulder county. We are all part of Boulder County. We're not your opposition. We want to work with you. We share a commitment to the same core values which guide our public service. But these values, however honorable they may be, are nothing but pretty words unless they are maintained through policy and funding. It is not your intentions but your actions that are ultimately felt. You have heard from some of us already today and you will hear for more. We are here. Telling you what we, as your employees, need in order to be engaged and empowered to thrive. And to provide the best quality service to our community. Listen to us. And heed what our bargaining committee brings forth to the table. Apologies. I am sharing with you now. The petition signatures we have already collected. It keeps going. The petition signatures we've already collected

1:21:58from my coworkers, who share the same concerns. That we all speak of today. You have some difficult decisions ahead of you. This is an opportunity to model. To the rest of Colorado. In the country that we are an employee. A people for word county and government agency. We are strong in our commitment to our community. And so when you make these difficult budgetary decisions, I urge you to prioritize us. Your employees. Invest in us. So that we may serve our community. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Next is Ben Bowle. We will submit that at a later time. Thanks. Good afternoon, Boulder county commissioners. My name is Ben Bull. I live in Denver, and I'm the organizing director for CWA local seven seven nine, the local union of which the Boulder County Employees Union is an affiliate. In my role. I sit at the bargaining table with BCU. I attend representation and termination hearings. With county workers and speak with a wide swath of Boulder county employees doing the work that makes this county run. On behalf of the CWA local seven seven nine executive board, I'm here to speak. On the 2026 budget for Boulder county. This budget will impact over 2000 CWA 7799 represented workers who live and work in Bouldern County. CWA 77999 is calling on

1:23:49the commissioners to craft a budget that prioritizes the public. Workers who serve the public good. As you have already heard, the employees of this county perform immense tasks for maintaining the roads and transit arteries, preserving our natural resources, protecting our communities. From fire and other destructive natural forces. In serving our children and families through tough times. These are the people behind the budget projections and numbers. It's not just good wages and benefits, although those are important, that demonstrate your commitment to your employees. It's also budget decisions that recognize seniority and length of service. It means a strong severance package and a transparent layoff policy that shows you respect the people who worked for you and will provide them with the dignified exit. A budget that respects and dignify staff, affords everyone health insurance and pay time off. Including seasonal workers who return year after year to serve the people of this county despite no guarantee of full time positions. In this moment of crisis, we invite you to create a budget that incorporates a shorter work week. Just cause practices, remote work accommodations, stronger immigrant worker protections and sees all Boulder county workers from public health to parks, human services to the sheriff's office as deserving equitable paying. A crisis forces us to consider alternatives to the status quo. We know the route of austerity.

1:25:09Is easiest in the short term, but in the long term the damages can be immense to our community. Valuing your employees means valuing the county you serve. And valuing your employees also means valuing your employees union that they organize and elect to join. CWA 7799 has been frustrated by some of the decisions made by the county that seemed to undermine our union from seeking a court injunction to halt bargaining to following a lawsuit seeking to remove hundreds of workers from our bargaining unit to contracting and retaining the services of the antiunion law firm Fisher Phillips, even as you are laying off employees, including. One of our own members of the bargaining team. It has not always felt like Boulder county respects its employees union. But we believe Boulder county can do better. And so, in the spirit of cooperation, and mutual desire to find solutions that work for the public good. We invite each of you to meet with the BCU bargaining team to hear from them directly. About what? County workers need to thrive.

1:26:09As you make decisions to craft your budget, CWA 7799 calls on you to invest. In the workers of Boulder county and stand with all workers, be they county workers. Clinica staff or minimum wage workers. And then let's work together to address state and federal forces acting against our community. We look forward to seeing the commissioners meet with the BCEU and negotiation of a strong first contract. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Laurie Dedic. Okay. Good afternoon, commissions. My name is Laurie Dettick. I live in long. Longma. I've also been a Boulder county employee for eleven years. I'm a proud member of Boulder county employee union and a Stewart and a member of the bargaining team sitting across from the table from you, from the bargaining of this press, from the beginning of this process. It's been clear that Boulder county has not treated bargaining with the respect or the seriousness it. Deserves.

1:27:09Instead of working with employees in good faith, the county tried to slow things down. To illegal maneuvering, even going as far as challenge the results of our union election that sent a message to every worker here that our voices didn't matter. On top of that, the county brought out an outside law firm known for fighting unions and led to its bargaining team. The results had been months of stalling, delay. Delays and approach that feels more like confrontation than collaboration. Which should have been a discussion about fairness and problem solving, has turned into a power struggled, led by people who don't even work for this county. County employees or the people who keep this place running are frustrated and tired. We've shown up in good faith, ready to negotiate. In real good issues. Wages, hours. Tenureity and just cause protections. But what we keep getting in return is avoidance and disrespect that's not the Boulder county standards. And. What I believe leadership should look like. I came to work for this county because I believe in its values, fairness, equality and respect for public service. That during this bargaining process, those values have left distance. Instead of collaboration, I face stalling hostility. And outside interference. And while Boulder county has laid off its own employees, real people with families were still paying an outside contractor, Tammy

1:28:40Cokert, who led negotiation against us. That's not a responsible leadership, that's. A misplaced priority. If this county is truly in a budget crisis, why is the public dollar still going to an outside consultant when you already have Carl, a qualified county professional hired to manage negotiations. Carl knows the work, the job and the culture of the county. He should be at the table leading discussions in good. Faith. So I'm asking directly, why isn't Carl doing his job? We hired him. To do. Remove the consultants, say the taxpayer money and let Carl do his job. Meanwhile, the county continues to talk about being progressive. And community minded. But actions tell a different story. Layoffs with little notice, raising health insurance premiums, wages that don't keep up with boulders cost of living have pushed employees to the breaking point. Some of the coworkers commute long distance between.

1:29:37Because they can't afford to live here anymore. Others are juggling second jobs just to stay afloat. We don't have to be rich, but we want to live in a dignity in the community we serve at the table. We've asked for just cause protections, fairer compensations. Predictable hours and respect for seniority. There's also extravagant demands. These are not extravagant demands. There is the foundation of a stable, fair workplace. But every proposal we submit is met with delay. Deflection or dismissal. That's not negotiation, that's obstruction. And it is costing the county more and moral turnover and public trust than it could ever have. In its short term. And let's be honest, the 30 tower work week is. It's not a radical. Idea. It's a modern solution to burnout, retaliation and fairness. Our neighboring cities and counties are exploring it, and Boulder county should be leading the way, not resisting it. I want to remind. The board. Democracy starts in the workplace, and you cannot champion equality and fairness in the county while ignoring those same values with your own employees. You can't call Boulder county progressive while using union busting consultants to silence workers voices. We need leadership that listens, not lawyers who take away. Account around accountability. We need a progress guided by integrity, not intimidation.

1:31:09So here's what we're asking for clearly and respectfully in the contract with Tammy and stop outsourcing. The relationship with county workers. Empower Carl to lead, bargaining in good faith, commit to just cause protection, fair wages and transparency. On layoffs and budgets. Discretion. Boulder county employees keep this Place running. We show up in the snowstorms, emergencies and late nights. Not because it's easy, but because we care. We're asking you to show that same care and commitment back to us as Mother Jones. Once said, pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living. That's exactly what we're doing here today? Fighting for the living, for every worker who deserves respect, security and a fair contract. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Alejandro Batti. And now we're just for folks watching and prepping in your seats that now we're going to a three minute time clock, so just be prepared, please. And a reminder, just state your name when you get to the microphone. Excellent. There we go. Hello, commissioners. My name is Alejandro Beat Beatty.

1:32:17I am president for your Boulder area. Labor council. Nice to see you. Today I am going to be speaking twice, so I'll talk later. Your workers asked me to speak to the larger picture of what's going on, and I. Had some different material prepped, but as I look around the room, I feel like. Nothing's as bigger picture than what's happening right now on the one side. I have our union folks. And the allies that are supporting them, which are quite a few on the other side. I probably have quite a few small businesses here to speak about minimum wage. Probably getting quite the education about what unions do for workers. And I hope they're paying attention because I think the unions would also benefit them. I think that all of us are fighting. A moment of crisis right now, and I need you all to be the cornerstone of turning Boulder. Around and making us support workers in our community. We've already managed to push out quite a lot of people to where they all have. To commute in into our space. But it's not just about wages. We're fighting for our democracy. You all are cornerstone of what we can do for unions in their space. Everybody will look to you about how to treat their unions. If one starts there, clinica is already

1:33:40taking the clue. And stalling at the bargaining table. I sincerely hope that the library foundation does not follow suit. Other companies, some of them sitting over here. As their workers start to unionize, they will look to you to see what's the pattern. How is this supported? Do these commissioners even support labor standards and other work? We have a lot of work to do. I know it's tough, but the folks in this room, on both sides. Can make a big difference for our democracy and for the key things that we need to do. In order to turn things around for boulder and make this a great place to live and work. And thrive. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Next is Rebecca van Sweden. Hello. Thank you for having us. My name is Rebecca Van Sweden, and I work in the community. Services department.

1:34:39I am a city of Boulder resident and I've been with Boulder county employee. For 21 years. Most of that time with the area agency on aging. I have a master's. Degree in social work, and I'm an elected member of the Boulder county employ. Employees Union bargaining committee. I've been with the union since its founding because I saw firsthand how poor management was harming both staff and services. I'm here today to speak about the budget through the lens of personal experience and to show how leadership decisions come with real, measurable costs to the county and its residents. In my two decades with AAAA, I helped build programs that worked even while holding a second job for most of those years just to stay afloat on a county salary. I launched a successful MSW internship program started as staff led training group and was the first in community services and maybe in the county to hold. An online workshop for vulnerable caregivers after the Covid closures 184 year old caregiver told me that the morning of the call was the first time in six weeks that she'd gotten out of her pajamas. That's the kind of public service I believe. In creative, compassionate and timely. I'm also a subject matter expert. In dementia care, and I teach.

1:35:58A four hour workshop three times a year. That's always full. Just last Thursday, three people. Came to me with complex caregiving crises. One daughter was in tears, her mother had dementia, had lost her vision, and her father, her mom's main caregiver, refused to acknowledge the diagnosis or provide help. Two weeks ago, I was laid off. The family caregiver program, which I helped lead, has been dismantled. The county still has the federal funds from older Americans act to support it. Those dollars have not been cut. And yet no one could explain whether this was considered a program or a service and how the decision was made to eliminate it. The caregivers I served. Haven't gone away. They're now being referred to already overburdened staff. With less training, less time, and no support. The person who made this decision is limited understanding of the many services and activities that fall under this program. She was hired without the required supervisory experience, has a record of high staff turnover, and she has had multiple formal complaints filed against her, including at least two that resulted in legal cost of the county, yet she remains in leadership. While essential, irreplaceable services are being quietly dismantled. And I carry deep sorrow for the people we are meant to serve. This is what poor management costs us experience, staff, federal dollars,

1:37:17public trust and critical care for vulnerable residents. So I imagine that as you go through the budget process, I urge you to limit the number of years department heads and managers can remain in leadership roles. And require 360 degree evaluations throughout. Create transparent, meaningful systems to evaluate not just budgets but impact. Include line staff, the people who do the work and these evaluations. Thank you. And find negotiations. Thank you. Next is Thomas Roth. Hello, commissioners. My name is Tommy Roth from Logmont. I am here to speak on the 2026. Budget and its impact on Boulder county employees. I'm a Boulder county employee working in the Colorado State University extension work team within the Department of Parks and open space. As an extension specialist, I share science based information about agriculture, plant agriculture, and plant science with farmers. Homeowners and citizens of Boulder County.

1:38:17I believe that good governance relies on trust. When a resident brings me a sick tomato plant, they trust that I'll be able to accurately diagnose. It. When a homeowner's association needs to lower their water bill, they know they can trust. Me to give them ways to reduce turf coverage. We cannot build this trust with the public when positions are turning over as rapidly as they do within Boulder County. This turnover is due to the fact that wages for employees are too low. Boulder county is one of the most expensive places in the world to live if we want to have the world class. Government services that have historically made Boulder County a great place to live. We need to prioritize acquiring and retaining world class staff. I know the budget is tight and that there is a structural deficit, but I ask you to consider the amount of hours it takes for us to retrain a new person in a role. Or the amount of time it takes for a new employee to rebuild partnerships and trust. These things are incredibly time consuming and expensive.

1:39:13Raising wages to increase retention will not only allow us to provide the services residents are telling us that they want. It will also free up time that will otherwise be spent on retraining and relationship building. Lastly, on a personal note, I would like to add that the employees of Boulder county are not only highly. Skilled but also altruistic. We are not driven primarily by money, but from a desire to improve this community. I don't want to have to get a job at an agriculture. Sorry, I don't. Want to have to get a job at an agrochemical company researching pesticides. Just to be able to afford to live a normal life. I want to be able to serve the public and use my skills as a plant scientist for the public good in a job that I love and I'm extremely proud of. I do not get into government work. To become rich. So I want to reiterate, for me, this isn't about the money. But I do need to be able to afford to live and raise a family in this. County, and that is not something I can afford to do right now. Boulder county employees should never be put in a position where they need to choose between serving the public or being able to afford the basic necessities of life. Unfortunately, this

1:40:19is a choice. We are faced with, and many people are choosing to leave employment with the county so that they can raise families or afford housing commissioners, I ask you to please come to the. Bargaining table and meet directly with the Boulder County Employees Union. Hear about the conditions we are facing. And why we need a fair contract. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Megan C. Kairos. Hello. My name is megan. You can say sikhairo sigiros. However, you'd like to be able to pronounce it. It's a hispanic name. I live in the Zania apartments. I came here fleeing. I have a degree. A bachelor's degree in psychology. A master's. In social work, I went through griefs and losses. Over in California, I worked with at risk. Youth. And then when I went through grief and losses, I went up to South Dakota, where I was gang stocked. And after being gangstocked, which involved cyber stalking and physical stalking, I came down. Here, and I wasn't able to get help, so I'm not actually here, right.

1:41:22Now to advocate for. Services or to be able to say, we need to develop these systems, especially in cyber technology and that these things aren't being observed. Within the structure. Of the police system because it's not. But we need to have more transparency with that. I do want to speak a little bit more on the budget. I'm worried about the people who are going through financial issues for their benefits and whatnot, and I would like to say that in regards to that, we do need to have a different sort of system. So you can't have a system that's currently designed the way that it is. You need to have one that is not dependent on. Government officials. And that's not to say you aren't doing a good job, but right now, we currently have a very bad administration, which includes President Trump restricting access to our resources. And restricting our resource. And for some reason, thinking that this is about accountability, he did the same.

1:42:07Thing in the 1980s over in New York to his apartment units. That didn't work well. Either because it creates states of emergency and the people that are having it. Happen. So a better solution would be able to establish. An economy that is differently structured, and in order to be able to do that, that you would have to not base. Our monetary expenses on the price of gold, you would have to. Have a three part system is what I've kind of devised. And I think that if. You kind of have a universal or global income. You have an interactive income, and if. You have a skill based income that it would be more effective, especially if they're all taxed. At probably a rate of 50% at every level, leaving approximately like if you give people $5,000 a month. Then that would be taxed all the way down. They'd end up with either 350. Or 650, depending on how you do it. But the fact of the matter is, it isn't. Going to be sustainable. We're not going to have enough money, and we need to be more. We need to be able to think outside the box with what we're doing. And develop a system that's going to be taken to higher levels. It's actually going to be functional and apply to people. So if you

1:43:16tax that, you can then apply it to all not just the necessities but amenities, including workforce and getting moms back into the home, parents back into our homes when we have our children, and then when they're developing skills with their children, having that skill base be grown out of the home into family units. You can already see this happening with some of the growing agencies. Like you'll have people developing their own food stuffs and whatnot and collaborating with other health food professionals. You'll see that with everything, it won't just be one. Thing because it'll take the threat out of working. You won't have employers and. It'll be sustainable and it'll be more collaborative and egalitarian. Thank you. Megan, your time's up. Next is Lynn Siegel. Lynn SIegel, you have a pretty good roadmap here for what you need to do. To start with, we need to have graduated income tax. You're never going to match your budget. It's going to be worse and worse. More and more homeless people, more and more jobs. Housing imbalance.

1:44:21And more and more unhealthy relationships in this community. And you need to vote for Aaron Stone because. He has. The best curiosity and the best ideas for all of this, and he's in the city. But the city's in the county, and it's really important that we get some good leadership. And I think you heard from your constituents today. A lot of problems, and I find it really disturbing to hear all that from them. And why is this happening? Well, it doesn't surprise me. With my retrofit through the county. I got completely screwed. I got $55,000 worth of stuff that was aborted earlier. I've never even had an orientation on it. I've never even been told. How to apply for when you get a new thing, you need to send in your warranty. Stuff. None of that. And all because I was gaslighted by the county.

1:45:28By energy. Smart. Ten years ago. And they gaslighted me on a project that was happening. Now, ten years later, I don't even know where I stand economically after eleven and a half months of this. Being done and a year of waiting just to see if I was eligible for the program. So I know firsthand. Firsthand. And that's not okay. You know our biggest problem if we're not in Gaza? We're going to be in Ukraine for not in Ukraine. We're going to be in Venezuela. And if we're going the way we are. Bolder right here locally is going to be up in an atomic bomb. That's seriously what's going to happen. And I'd rather not. My life. End that way. And all of these people that are just trying to get by and all of this homelessness. And all of this people not being. Able to live in their house or have their basic needs met.

1:46:40That's just like in Gaza. It's going to be right here in Boulder, where we won't even have water. To drink. And. When you're trying to help me out. The county is trying to help me out. How are they doing that? When they're putting up a solar project under adverse conditions. And forcing the vendor to do a job. That they can't. Then your time is up. Thank you. Conscionably do that's. A problem. Want to check in and see if there's anybody else who didn't? Get a chance to sign up. Who's here in the room right now? You. Can go ahead and come up to the microphone. Just reminder to state your name, please, in your town or city of residence, and we'll add that to the record. Hello. I am CK Dominic Mason. I live here in Boulder County. And I would like to speak on behalf of solidarity with the union here. I've traveled and I've lived abroad a lot, specifically Africa. And there's one common formula of autocrats, and that is to cut social services and increase militarism. And police funding. When I hear that. The union members are talking about the increasing of the sheriff and the police budgets, but not increasing. Of their budgets. Effectively forcing them to move out is the same as cutting our social services. These people run our

1:47:58systems. You guys approve the budget? Respectfully, but they are the ones who are. Able. To grant us EBT, give us housing vouchers, give me and my girlfriend ebT. Which we were very dependent on for two months. All my friends, housing vouchers and such, and I would like to see Boulder county do more. Than repeat the actions of what's happening in DC. We have enough military, we have enough. Police. We're good on that front, but our social services is truly what needs help, so. Please don't repeat the misactions of our forefathers. And what's happened to minorities. Throughout. I understand here in Boulder county we don't have many minorities. It's just. Rich and poor. But please do not seek. To keep infringing on the rights of us impoverished people. And I know there's a half million dollars standing right here in front of me with a salary.

1:48:53Your guys'context. Is much different than our context. Living hand to mouth elicits desperation. Desperation is what creates crime. That is the true cause of crime. It's the basic needs, and these people are the people who upkeep the system. Systems that prevent crime. It's not more police. So, please, I would like you guys. To listen to me and many other people on increasing their pay so that they can remain in the county. Thank you. Thank you. Was there anybody else in the room that didn't get an opportunity to sign? Up ahead of time. Go ahead. Hello, council members. Thank you for your time. My name is Len Harris, young worker, community organizer. I used to actually live here in Boulder county, but I was forced out because I could not afford cost of living here. So that's kind of in the general consensus of my testimony today. I just want to say ditto, ditto, ditto to so many of my union siblings. And family members who've already testified about the importance of not balancing the budget on the backs of workers. Workers are the ones who enrich our communities. They're the ones who generate the wealth with which many very wealthy people in Boulder. Depend on or rely on. There's kind of a joke, actually, a meme about I think it's a picture of, like,

1:50:13Elmo and Susie or something, and Elmo says, like. But, Susie, if the landlord needs your rent in order to make his mortgage, then you're. Paying his mortgage anyway. The idea is that many wealthy people across. The state of Colorado and most especially in the, in the county of Boulder. They generate. Much of their wealth is generated by the people who work in labor for them and by cutting the wages of the workers who work here in Boulder. You're effectively cutting the money that's being spent back in the community. Without. Like, whenever this happens, we see it throughout history. Anytime. Workers are the ones who suffer. For hardships like the budget issue that we're facing, money starts to stop circulating through. These locals, these communities, these workers are the ones that enrich these communities. And if you remove wages from workers who are already struggling. They're not going to spend money. They're not going to spend money on fixing their house. They're not going to spend money going out to eat. They're not going to spend money on buying clothes. They're not? Going to spend any money that local small businesses need in order to keep afloat. So the very issue of wanting to keep our businesses afloat in Boulder are going to actively be sabotaged by cutting the wages of workers. It's basically cutting off

1:51:28your nose to spike your face. I know. I understand. We do have an issue with the budget, but balancing the budget, like I said, on the backs of workers, effectively is going to undermine all of the efforts. That we have in order. To keep our communities afloat. And. When time comes to pass and we are out of this dark time, because I hope we will. Be, people will look back to see on the decisions in local areas that were made and those will be the blueprints that we see going forward in creating a better world. So I urge you to please do not balance the budget on the backs of workers. Ensure that workers not only keep their wages as they. Are at the very least, but certainly increasing them as people continue to struggle and prices continue to rise. Thank you for your time.

1:52:12Thank you. Was there anybody else here in the room that hasn't signed up that wanted to participate. I don't see anybody else. Who's in their hand or moving forward. So I'm going to go ahead and close the in person section of public comment in regards to the 2026 recommended budget and next we'll go online to virtual. We have two folks that are on there, so just an invitation in case there's somebody else that was waiting for the in person section to finish. Please do use the phone or your zoom. The phone number is eight. 3356-8864 if anyone is on the phone wanting to participate again in this public hearing about the 2026 recommended budget, please. Hit star nine to raise your hand, and then you'll have to hit star six to unmute to be ready to speak after the two folks that are listed on the screen and so we'll go first to Martha Lugo.

1:53:08And just a reminder for the virtual folks. To state your name before you speak. Thank you. Hello, la tolos. Marta Lugoshi. Her AI I'm an afro indigenous woman. I live in Aurora Arapaho County. I came to a county, Boulder county, in 2021 as a Covid response with adult protective services currently work as an adult. I'm sorry, as a program specialist. The last four years, in addition to my job duties, I've pushed for racial equity and struggled against the resistance for set equity, which led me to then become involved in the labor union. I'm a proud member and a proud elected member of the bargaining committee for our Boulder. County employees union. It's expensive to be poor. It's expensive to be poor or be a part of the middle class. Or and middle class workers are subjected to increased late fees. Interest rates, cost of repairs, the replacement of low cost, money saving items we purchase.

1:54:06Sometimes we just have to go cheaper, so we spend more money. Predatory payday lending is commonplace. Not having assets. To lean on for emergencies. No emergency fund or peace of mind fund as some people are nicely calling it today. Working two jobs to survive. Living paycheck to paycheck, unable to afford healthy foods. Even with insurance, many cannot get medical care, preventive care. Choosing between transportation and other bills. Waiting a month for our next paycheck is a long time when you're broke. We are paralyzed by student loans. We are one emergency away from financial disaster. Higher car insurance premiums are also predatory depending on where we live. Living with the humiliation of going to local food banks that are often only open door workouts. Or imagine that applying for public assistance and having to face coworkers can be a deterrent. Workers are the county's greatest asset.

1:55:03Appreciation breeds productivity and loyalty, as well as dedication to clients we serve. Lack of employee retention and low tenure is expensive to the county. The average cost per hire, according to the Society for Human Resources Management is upwards of $5,000 per person. Law. Morale is expensive and decreases productivity. Show your workers that you value them and they will stay. That's the common place. If anybody knows anything about organizational psychology? That's what we are told. Take care of your workers. They will take care of you. They will stay. This not only saves tax dollars, but it also improves morale and keeps workers for a very long time. Per a Google search. I had to do this calculation of this $52,000 a year for the lower paid. Workers. After taxes, that's $43,542 annually. That's $3,297. Per month.

1:55:52Let me say that again. $3,297 per month, $758 weekly, $151.65 daily and 1890 6 /hour. I don't know. But I can't live with 1896 an hour. Who can live? Off of this salary, increasing wages. Is a significant manner to retain workers, improve productivity, improve morale, and assist an overall better workplace for all. The more workers leave, the more work there is. For the workers who stay. Increasing wages means the difference between putting something in savings on a regular basis and or having a little extra to enjoy some social time with friends and or family. We all deserve to thrive. A little bit. We should not just be living to solely work. We should be able to balance working and thriving. We do our work out of passion for public service. Many of us could be working elsewhere, making two plus times more than what we are making now. Obviously, public service is in our DNA.

1:56:48We deserve to be valued. We deserve to thrive again, not just merely. Survive. We deserve a work life balance. We deserve to have weekends off, not to have to work. A second job unless we want to. We deserve a positive work environment. Ultimately, there is nothing more. Precious than the. Than a dedicated public servant. Side note, as a seasoned human services professional with close to four decades under my belt, I am still working two jobs despite being bilingual. Fluent graduate level credentials. I'd just be a loyal worker. Sometimes it bothers me that I still have to work two jobs, but it's not. A want to. It's a have to. It is disappointing that we have recent, we have had recent hires in the county that are being paid six figure incomes. This is demoralizing. And quite frankly, a blow to many workers who have already been laid off. This is reckless spending. While simultaneously are frontline, lower wage workers could have been retained. Weed out supervisors. This is one idea. Weed out supervisors who are pushing these amazing workers out that would save us a great deal of tax dollars. Furlough the highest paid workers in leadership. Capacity. They can afford a day or two or more without pay for the greater good I did.

1:57:56It during the 2009 recession when I was a state probation officer. That's called univers. Universal responsibility. In all of this, please remember that people of color are disproportionately paid. Lower wages than our white and asian counterparts, no matter how qualified and or overqualified we are, and we usually are, it's time to even out the playing field. Lastly, one of the most important aspects of funding is to protect our immigrant, migrant, and refugee workers. Someone in HR needs to be assigned this task, put. Some money there. Our workers are still fearful about their situation, and some are being targeted by ice. What are we doing to stop the unnecessary harassment by the federal government here at the local level? Thanks for listening. And I hope that you take into consider you take all this into consideration as you change your mind on wage increases for the most amazing public servants that are Boulder county employees? Thank.

1:58:43You. Thank you. Next is Alex. You connov? Hello, everybody. My name is Alex Kennedyv, and I'm a senior data analyst in community justice services and I'm proud member of Boulder County Employees Union. I'm commenting today in regard to the 2026 county budget in relation to our collective bargaining agreement, I've been at the county for about four. Years. I began my career. In public health versus a contractor, and then as a grant funded, full time employee, it came out at a tumultuous time. It was Covid and helped with the data modernization efforts. Eventually, my grant funded position ran out. And yeah, I like Boulder county so much that I applied three more times until I landed a new career over at CJS, even though I like what I do and I like. Where I work, I'm compelled to dispel some myths. I can speak from my own experience. The first myth is about being an inclusive workplace when it comes to disabilities and Ada. Accommodations, among other issues when it comes to inclusivity. And second is that we have a great work life balance while working public health, I had a health issue that necessitated an accommodation. I thought. Hey. Boulder county is an inclusive workplace.

1:59:58I'm sure HR will be sympathetic and would be willing to work with me. I got all my necessary paperwork together. I submitted it and my accommodation request. Was soundly rejected. There was no discussion, nor negotiation, nor willingness to meet me, even 10%. Of the way I was perplexed. I eventually was able to manage this issue properly, but it was a tough year to get through. For a while I thought it was a me issue. Perhaps I didn't get all the documentation needed. Perhaps there was something that fell through the cracks up until I heard my coworkers. Telling about their rejections and how that they have not been able to. Get Ada accommodations that they need. My denial wasn't a fluke. It's part of a pattern. And in terms of work life balance, I'm lucky enough to have good managers. However, over the last two months, I've been working overtime to complete a data migration project, sometimes 80. Hours a week to put in perspective. I've been working every weekend, practically, and especially this last weekend, and I'm not. Saying this to complain particularly. But I just want to clearly express. That my experience. Is not unique. Sorry about the cat. I'm going to have to check out what he wants. I don't. Know if you can hear the cat. Yeah. So I'm coming to you

2:01:17today. Just. To compel to ask you to compel the bargaining committee to meet us halfway and make a budgetary process more democratic on behalf of Boulder County. I'm here today just to let you know that I very much so need this contract. And I know so many people in similar positions as I am that need these protections, that need. To make sure that they can take care of themselves and have a decent work life balance and everything. So I just want to express that my experience. Is not unique, and it's widespread throughout the county, so please implore. The bargaining committee to meet us halfway. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you. And I'm just going to check in. We did our last invitation for folks who joined virtually. But I do want to check in with staff and ask if there's anybody in.

2:02:05The background. That's either on their phone or trying to access the virtual option for the 2026 recommended budget public comments. Hi. Chair loan, this is Brianna Barber. I'll just give one additional prompt to our phone. Attendee. If you do want to speak, please press star nine to raise your hand. And please. Press star six to unmute. And if that person doesn't raise their hand, we have no one else in the virtual queue. Thank you for that. I'm not on my zoom right now. During this public hearing. So I'll give it just a ten second. Thank you. It doesn't look like we have anybody else joining, so we'll go ahead and close the virtual portion of this public hearing. I want to appreciate everybody's input. We've gotten a lot of emails. We also have still some opportunities for folks to weigh in on the budget.

2:03:12As we noted at the beginning. In regards to as boco.org budget. And or folks can always reach out to the commissioners at Bouldercounty, Gov. As an email box that we all get to see. As far as when I say all the board of county commissioners will get to see those comments and suggestions in regards to the budget commissioners I just want to check if there's any comments or response in regards to that part. Of the hearing, and it doesn't look like it. Just appreciation for everybody that came and gave us your testimony. Listening very closely. Thank you. And then I think what I'll ask then from staff. Thank you for being here. I wondered if you might be able to share one more time. Kind of the next steps. I think it was your last slide or one of the maybe second to last slide, just for folks that are wondering how else they can participate. Yes. Let me pull it up.

2:04:25While you're bringing that up, just for the folks who are here in the unit, it sounds like in the room, but also online. I just want to appreciate the comments and the input. That you've given. And I will just say, I'm looking forward to seeing the full proposal and continuing to work in good faith to negotiate in regards to the bargaining unit. So here's the current timeline. Today is October 14, and we're receiving public comment. And November 6, the board will provide direction to the budget office regarding. The 2026 budget. Thank you. Great. So with that, then we'll go ahead and move to our next item so that takes us. To item ten. Which is public hearing. Deputy were you going to say something? We could have a five minute recess for staff changeover. Okay, so we're going to move to item number ten, which is public hearing local minimum wage proposals for 2026. And so. We'll take a five minute recess while staff moves into different positions. And give everyone a quick break. So we'll be back at 240.

2:05:45Thank you, commissioners. Are we ready to begin recording once more? Yes, we are. Thank you. Thank you. And we are recording. Thank you. So we'll continue here and move to item number ten. Which is the public hearing local minimum wage proposal for 2026 and. This is a public hearing, which means we'll have a public comment both here in the room and also virtual who may have folks who have pulled their time. So if it looks like there's extended more than three minutes because folks have pulled their time ahead of time and their speakers are here present. For that to continue. We have received emails and. There's still emails and other conversations and public comments and otherwise, so we'll hear. Some of that from staff. Just a reminder for speakers when we get to that portion, please do. Move as close to the microphone as possible.

2:06:39It's not just so we can hear you. In the room, but it's also for archiving in Boulder county. We don't. Require your physical address, but we would love to hear your town or city of residents just. So we have an understanding of. Who's sharing their opinion, suggestions and ideas with us. And so with that, I'm going to go ahead and turn over to staff the other piece, I should say. It's 245 right now. We have a hard stop at 05:00. So, just so folks are aware, we may, depending on how far we get through in public comment, I haven't seen all the lists right now yet. But we may end up taking public comment and then moving any decision making to an additional hearing. There's also, and I think staff will talk about. This, but there is another time. Potentially set up. On November 20 for people who didn't have a chance to speak to today's hearing, so. We will have a clear direction in regards to public comment depending on how far we get through. Comments today, so more to come on that, but I just wanted to give people at least the awareness.

2:07:44And I'm going to go ahead and turn over the presentation to Stefan. Thank you, commissioners. Good afternoon. My name is Natalie Springt. I'm the commissioner's. Deputy. And today I will be presenting in this public hearing regarding consideration of an amendment to county ordinance 2023. My co presenters this afternoon are Nick Robles and Mark Resin from the commissioner's office. Policy team. Here is a brief outline of the presentation that we plan to give prior to public comment, you will note that representatives from our family resource centers have also joined us this afternoon. And we'll be speaking to local needs and resource needs that they're seen directly. In the Boulder county community. A little bit of background. How did we get here today? So in 2019, HB 19 1210 was passed, which eliminated the state preemption that prohibited local governments from establishing their own local minimum wage ordinances. So for county governments, the local wage ordinance only applies to unincorporated. Areas. And then it does not allow local governments to carve out for any specific. Business types like agriculture needs. In 2022, the Boulder county commissioners gave direction. To do public outreach in accordance with HB 19 1210. To determine. What a local minimum wage for unincorporated Boulder county would be, as well as an appropriate wage schedule. So. Ordinance 2023. Was passed. Which does set a

2:09:35local minimum wage schedule an unincorporated Boulder county to reach $25 an hour. By 2030. We are here today in 2025. To assess an amendment to this ordinance because the commissioners and the commissioner's office have received. Increased emails, public comments, and alternative wage proposals from various community members, and some of those will be shared and discussed today as potential options. And then, as a reminding. Even though we do have a hard stop this afternoon at 05:00 under HB 19. 1210, we would be required. If there were any changes in this ordinance, we would be required. To go to a first reading and a subsequent second reading, which is the November 20 public hearing. That. Commissioner Loacheman referenced in the opening comments. Today's hearing is really an opportunity for the commissioners to evaluate proposals, proposals both prepared by staff, as well as proposals that were submitted by community members and organizations, and then to determine if there is an amendment to the wage ordinance. What? That. Would look like so that we can move forward with our standard process of a first reading and second reading. Thank you, Natalie. Mark Rosen Commissioner's office policy team good afternoon.

2:11:10In addition to eliminating the state preemption on local minimum wages. As Natalie noted, HB 19 1210 requires local governments to consult with key stakeholders as it considers adoption of a local minimum wage, including surrounding local governments, chambers of commerce, small and large businesses, business. Businesses that employ tipped workers, labor unions, workers and community groups. Boulder county stakeholder engagement work began in 2020, when the Boulder county consortium of Cities briefly took up the topic of a local minimum wage in response to the adoption of the 2019 legislation. That happened just as the Covid pandemic was breaking. So the consortium stopped its conversation and then began to revisit the topic in earnest. In 2022. Throughout 2022. The consortium, whose members include Boulder county in the cities and towns of Boulder, Erie Jamestown, Lafayette, Longmont, Lewisville Lions, Netherlands, Superior, Ward and Broomfield as ex officio. The consortium began to explore the policy and economic implications of a local minimum wage at its bimonthly meetings and hosted a local minimum wage webinar in September of 2022. For local elected officials. That webinar included presentations from the Colorado Department of Labor and employment. The national employment. Law project and the colorado center on law and policy. In 2023, county staff participated in the staff led working group that formally explored implementation of a local wage across county local jurisdictions. Membership

2:12:51in this working group eventually grew. To include staff from the cities of Boulder, Longmont, Lewisville, Lafayette and the town of Erie. The working group updated the consortium of cities at its meetings and made presentations to city councils and town boards on the policy opportunity afforded the local governments by HB 19 1210. The information you see on this slide came from the extensive community engagement campaign that the county implemented. In the fall of 2023, as the commissioners considered ordinance 202-3004 these are the results of a five week online survey. Other components of that engagement effort includ. Included five listening sessions. Commissioner, town hall and the November public hearing. Good afternoon, commissioners. Nick Robless, the Balter County Commissioner's office policy team. Based on the feedback Boulder county received in 2023 from our engagement and feedback process. The ask was $25. By 2028, the BOC voted to BOCC voted to implement the current wage schedule, which reaches $25 an hour by 2030. The current schedule for ordinance 2023.

2:14:11Was designed to provide. The county municipalities an opportunity to sync up with the county's wage schedule if they implemented minimum wages beginning in 2025 or 2024 or 2025 to advance the county's main goal of creating a regional minimum wage. Since our wage adoption, only the city of Boulder. Has passed a local minimum wage, which was set lower than the county's ordinance. So why reevaluate Boulder County's minimum wage now? This public hearing was scheduled in an attempt to be responsive to the requests that we've heard from the community members. And also, as Nick just spoke to, there's an opportunity to set a wage schedule. That creates more opportunities for municipalities to align with wages. So you'll see that in the proposals that staff presents to you this afternoon and again. With the goal that the county commissioners have always had, which is moving towards. A regional minimum wage here in Boulder County. In preparing for this hearing, staff modeled five different options for potential amendments to the current wage schedule. The current wage schedule itself is included in your memorandum. And as the memo notes, staff utilized a 3% CPI, or consumer price index for the purpose of forecasting future wage rates. Option one then, as you see on the screen, is proposes to pause the wage schedule at the. 2025 wage rate for 2026. And

2:15:56anticipates a process to engage with county municipalities in 2026 to explore adoption of a regional minimum wage to begin in 2027. And option two, then, is one that's been offered by the community, in this case by the Nawat local improvement District advisory committee, the NLIDAC proposes to pause the wage. The current wage schedule at the 2025 wage rate until the county wage aligns with. The lowest municipal wage in the county, which is currently the state minimum wage. Staff estimates estimates that this alignment would occur in 2030. For option three. This proposal attempts to address concerns expressed by the Nywat business community and the county farming community. In this option. Wages for 2026 remain at the 2025 level, with wages increasing by CPI beginning in 2027. Also in 2027. This option provides minimum wage workers in unincorporated Bolser county with the same annual wage increase as that received by state minimum wage earners. Fourth option for consideration. Is the possible regional alignment. This proposal lines the Boulder county wage with the wage adopted by the city of Boulder by reducing the county's upcoming 2026 wage increase to 1.5% and then increasing the wage by 8% for 2027. And then increasing the wage annually by CPI. Thereafter, this proposal would align two jurisdictions within Boulder county beginning in 2026, which may generate

2:17:52interest by other municipalities to consider a regional minimum wage. And the fifth option for consideration. This proposal reduces the county's upcoming 2026 wage increase to 1.5% to align with the 2026 wage of city of Boulder, with wages increasing by CPI beginning in 2027. This proposal would align two jurisdictions within Boulder county for the duration of 2026, which may generate interest by other municipalities to consider a regional minimum wage. Commissioners. I had previously referenced the amount of community feedback that our office has been receiving. So just to note, the summary of feedback that I have up on this slide here is specifically between September 9 and October 10 at noon. So if we compare this to the feedback previously shared by Mark in the 2022 outreach for the 2023 ordinance. We're seeing a large deviation from the original feedback that our office had received, which was.

2:19:07To reach $25 an hour by 2028. In a high level summary of the feedback that. Our office has received in the past month. It appears that the community who responded is in favor. Of a decrease, a pause or a revert on the current local minimum wage ordinance. And again, Increase in community feedback was one of the reasons that we scheduled this public hearing today. The most commonly noted reason. That was provided in our month long community feedback that was open online. Shared by community members. Was concerned for small businesses in unincorporated Boulder County. When the commissioners implemented. The local minimum wage for unincorporated Boulder county in 2023. Wilder county also initiated a small business grant program. So this is a high level summary of. The businesses that applied and were eligible to receive. Grant support.

2:20:23So the grant support. Was. Up to a one time amount of $5,000. Per small business that applied. Only small businesses that were paying. At or near. The previous local minimum wage were eligible to apply for that. And we did conduct a post grant feedback survey. And 86% of the awardees reported using funds to cover labor costs. I do want to note that funding for this program was eliminated as part of the 2026. Budget reduction planning process as well. And now I would like to hand it over to. Our representatives from our family resource centers here in the community. And I will pull up their slide deck for them. But. Introducing Mark cow. Suzanne Crawford first. Thank you, Suzanne. Good afternoon, commissioners. First, I want to thank you for all you do to lead this community through a difficult conversations. During challenging times. I appreciate all of you very much. Susannah Crawford with sister Carmen Community center, which is the family resource center serving Lafayette Lewisville superior and Erie. And I'm here with my colleagues. I'll let them introduce themselves. Just to give you some background and 2022. And 2023, Emergency Family Assistance association and sister Carmen Community center. Were actively attending and involved in coalitions discussing raising the minimum wage. Our center did not participate.

2:22:12And ultimately did not take a position. Both EPA and sister Karma recommended raising the minimum wage to be in line with Denver. And later, we did support the commissioner's plan to raise the minimum wage. We did so. With the assumption that. Most, if not all of the municipalities in Boulder county would follow suit. That has not happened, and we recognize that this has created in equities for employers within unincorporated Boulder County. This is a complicated discussion and we don't have all the answers we were asked to. Come today to present information on what we're seeing in the community. Something that is important to note is that all of our agencies were formed in order to provide emergency assistance for folks who needed temporary help to get through a hard time. What has happened, though? Over the last few decades is that as the cost of living has risen and wages have not kept pace. People turn to our agencies to fill. The gap between the amount they get paid and the amount they need to pay their bills as you will see in the coming slides. This is unsustainable and we don't. Have the resources to make up the gap for everyone who needs it.

2:23:27Turn it over to mark. Good afternoon, commissioners. My name is Mark Cal. I'm the executive director for the hour center. Located in Longmont. We appreciate the opportunity to be here today and share our insights on the current community needs across the county, and we hope that this data will help you, help you make informed decision. Help inform. The difficult decisions that you're facing here moving forward. We felt that the clearest and most simple way to illustrate at a high level the current trends that we're seeing. Was basically showing you two different data points. The first one is rental assistance requests, and the second is food insecurity. Each slide that you will see. We have four of them coming up. You will see trends dating. Back from 2018 through September of this year. This first slide shows the amount of the amount of households across the entire county that received rental. Assistance over that period of time. Before the pandemic in 2019, we served approximately 1500 households and provided about $1.1 million of rental assistance. We reached a high mark of 4600 households in 2023, and we're predicting that we will have 4200 different households coming to our three family resource centers before the end of this year. That is 100 and 7373 percent increase from 2019 to this year. On the next slide is another

2:24:52way of looking at this same data point. This is the amount of rental assistance that we were able to provide. The communities that we serve. You'll notice a significant decrease in 2023 and you'll see that continuing to 2024 and so far into 2025. What's important to note here is that is not a decrease in the needs in our community. That is, in fact, direct result of a decrease in resources that we have available to support our communities. And if you look all the way to the far right for 2025, you will see that we've provided about $1.7 million worth of rental assistance so far this year. We anticipate that we'll land somewhere between 2,000,002 and a half million. But if you look at the red bar at the very top of that 2025 column we're estimating that. Throughout this entire year of 2025 that will have received over $8.5 million of rental requests. So basically what that equates to is we're meeting about 25% of the community need right now. And that eight point. $5 million. Is six times greater than what we were seeing in 2019. In regards to food insecurity. Next slide. It's the same story, you'll see. That we've seen year over year. An increase in community needs. Again, you'll see a small dip in 24 and 25 that is not an

2:26:16indication of lower. Community need. In fact, what had happened is in late 23 and in 24, each one of our programs had to make the difficult decision to reduce the number of food pantry visits for each household, and so we saw that number start to dive a little bit, but that it recovered as more households were starting to access and new households access our services. By the end of this year, we expect that over 60,000 visits will happen between our three family resource centers in our food banks. And then the last slide. Is total pounds distributed. I think this graph. Is more visually representative of what we're seeing in regards to the needs in our communities. Again. You will see to the right what we're expecting by the end of the year, we expect to eclipse over £4 million of food, which will be a first for us. The two things that I would note on these last two slides is one, neither of the slides take into account any sort of projections. If there are cuts to federal benefits, snap changes in requirements to accessing services. We're guesstimating that could be about a 25% bump for our programs. And the last point that I would also point out is, in 2023, each of our family resource centers started to see kind of a new

2:27:35phenomenon. We saw an uptick of families who were coming and accessing our food pantries as a strategy to save money at the grocery store, so. They could afford their rent, the increase in utilities and their other basic needs, and then I will turn it over to Debbie for our last slide. Thank you. Thank you. Hi, I'm Debbie Pope, and I'm the executive director for AFA for the. Emergency Family Assistance Association. So, really, just in summary, This is a growing complex and strain on families and on the family resource centers. It's complex and intertwined challenges. As you heard Mark talk about, families are facing increasingly intricate issues that are really exceeding the capacity of existing safety net resources. The rising cost of living most. Households are unable to keep up with basic expenses even while working full time or multiple jobs. There's a deepening crisis before we're seeing these families seeking help. Many of the families are coming to us only after exhausting all other options, by which time. Their situations are often too dire for us to be able to fully address, and it's also escalating. Understandably, participant stress that heightened financial pressure and desperation have led to increased agitation and frustration. Directed at our staff. We also recognize that a lot of people are referring. Families and individuals to our centers. Even in many

2:29:03cases, recognizing and knowing we can't provide those services either. And then surging rent assistance requests. Mark talked about this. On average, our requests right now range anywhere from $2,000, with some as high as $8,000 and just that. Increased reliance on food pantries. So many households are relying on us to offset food costs. And we know that with the proposed snap cuts. Again, just reiterate what Mark said. We are anticipating about a 20% to 25% increase in demand and just unprecedented demand and wait. List. As we were seeing, we probably are serving 25% of the needs of the families who are coming to us, and we're operating at historic capacity, which is resulting in long wait lists. And delayed access to critical support. I do want to say we really appreciate being invited and. Engaged to share what we're seeing and experiencing as family resource centers.

2:30:09We hope to continue to be a resource and a partner in finding community solutions right now. Thank you for your time. Thank you all. Apologies. It started me back at slide one. Thank you, Natalie. As noted on this slide, staff is requesting commissioner direction this afternoon on which, if any, local minimum wage schedule ordinance amendments to bring forward to a November 20, 2025 public hearing. Thank you, commissioners. That concludes staff's presentation for today, and we're open to questions. Or public comment. Thank you for the presentations. For everybody who's been speaking so far, commissioners any questions for staff or for FRC prisoners before we go into public comment? Commission levy. Yeah. Thank you. Thanks for the presentation. Thank you to all of you. Suzanne. Debbie, Mark, for making the presentation. And welcome. Debbie, you've been on my list. To get in touch with now that you're at. If you have this prepared and available. The figures for the federal poverty level. Relative to the various wages that are proposed in these options. I know you prepared that information. I just don't know whether you have it in a form that can be shown on the screen. No. Okay. We can pull it up, but it will take just a couple of minutes to. Well, we've. Got a lot of people waiting for testimony. We may come back to that

2:32:15if we have. Time. Great. Thank you. And I am interested in hearing from the public. So why don't we move to public? Comment. And again, we'll hear from folks here in the room first and then go online. And we're asking to hear from folks in regards to the local minimum wage proposals for 2026. And just a reminder. Some of the blue looks like. What's highlighted in blue is the pulled time and Alejandra. Bt are starting first. Thank you. My name is Alejandra Beatty. I serve as your president of the Boulder area. Labor council. Representing thousands of families in your Boulder county area. I'm also speaking on behalf of. The Coalition for self suspicion, she wage, which has been working with many labor unions, nonprofits, faith institutions, community leaders and policy experts. Were last probably four years now that we've been trying to raise minimum wage and help. Workers. In our esteemed county. I want to speak a little bit about. Kind of a little bit of background and a little bit of some concerns that we have on the process. We did send a letter to you all a couple of days ago. I have a copy that. If our opponents wish to see it, I'm happy to share the copy that we printed. For them as well. I want to talk about how our

2:33:54coalition continues to emphasize that it is important that we support workers with livable wages. And minimum wage is one of those key components of that our organizations continue to stay steadfast to that commitment. It's not a poverty wage, it's not survival wages we need for living and thriving wages. The wages that we are currently looking at freezing are nowhere close to that. Even if we want to consider minimum wage and living wage somehow different. They are again, nowhere close to that. When Boulder county first passed the local minimum wage ordinance a few years ago. That showed real leadership, and that was a strong commitment to. Our workers. You made it clear that the people who make our country work every day, our county. Work every day, who staff our classrooms, care for our elders, prepare our food, clean our public spaces. Should earn living wages and be able to live here, and I think this is key and important. To turning things around for Boulder county and making us a place where. Workers can thrive.

2:34:57Most of those workers now have been pushed out of this county and don't feel like they can even come here to advocate for themselves, because while they work here, they don't. Live here so they can't vote for you. This is why today too, we are here to also talk about whether or not we should reconsider. The wage schedule. We understand that these proposals are still preliminary, but even the idea of pausing or reducing the 2026 increase would have real and painful consequences. I think you just heard some of the concerns. That deeply concern me about the impact for families right now. It is hard to put food on the table. And again, we're talking about wages that could make a difference. I'll remind you again. The cost of living hasn't actually paused, so why should we pause wages. In fact, the cost of living has gotten worse. Reducing our delaying wage increases. Now move Boulder county in the wrong direction. It widens the gap. It doesn't reduce that gap. But I also want to share something a little bit personal. And a little bit of my own story. So my mom moved us here to Boulder in 1983. She was a single mom, two kids.

2:36:09In tow because she wanted to make a better life. She went to University of Colorado Boulder to get a better education. She had that ability to get a good education and also work minimum wage jobs at that time. But still actually survive and build something for her family. The reason I'm standing here today. Is because of what my mom was able to do for me. And I'm proud to be an advocate for workers, just as she was. But let's. Fast forward that and picture her trying to do that now. And all the workers I ever run into that try to work these wages will tell you no. You can't survive, you can't build wealth. On even lower wages, let alone minimum wage. The cost of tuition would have priced her out, and she wouldn't have been able to get that education. So if we fast forward that now, I wouldn't be standing here because I wouldn't. Have that family wealth to build off of, and those are the kinds of workers that are looking for help right now. Now, I want to talk a little bit again about the process. We have a lot of concerns from our coalition about how this went down. There was mention that there was lots of comments. And that's what put the concerns on the table. That's great, but

2:37:23I'll remind you that the state law requires you hold a stakeholdering process. This hearing is not bad. You're going to end it at 05:00 when a bunch of people are not going to be able to speak. You need more listening sessions, and you need to actually engage our coalition in this process. You have not done that yet to date, and I have the lack of emails to prove it. So I want to just remind again, the process says stakeholdering. That's not what this is, this is just a public hearing. The fact that, yes, a number of folks have complained that is their right. And the NYWaT businesses should be expressing their concerns, because I agree they need help, and we need to figure it out. But I'll just continue to say it. Don't do it on the back of their workers find a different program and a different way to help them and help them figure out how to do this. And all of us.

2:38:20Let's go over to Longma and Lafayette in Lewisville and. Say, hey, you need to be good neighbors and get with a program and join the regional effort. Because all of us need to support workers, because it improves our economy. It will help these small businesses that need people buying stuff at their stores, that's where. We need to be at not looking at things like freezing wage schedules that are nowhere near helpful. And help do anything for workers. So again, I just want to remind everyone. Things are going to be hard for us. I do not envy you all your job. I appreciate the work that you do. I appreciate the effort that it takes to do this. We are all in this space right now trying to figure out. How do we build this together as a community, and how do we not divide ourselves and figure out who really is our common enemy here, and a lot. Of that are. Larger businesses are still trying to make money off of workers and these small businesses, and this is where I ask all of us.

2:39:25Let's work together. I've shared my contact information. A number of times in my business card. I've not yet gotten contacted. Double check to make sure nothing's getting in the spam filters. But again, I just want to say. Let's work together and let's figure this out. It's a lot of work to happen, and I appreciate all of your time and your support. Thank you. Bye. Thank you. Next is Michael Moss. Good afternoon, commissioners staff and fellow community members. My name is Michael Moss, and I am the owner. Of Kilt farm. I'm also the president of Community Farmers alliance, or Kofa, representing the farmers who grow 90% of vegetables produced in the county, many of whom are here with me today. First. Thank you. Thank you for listening to your constituents and reopening this conversation. It's not easy to revisit a difficult issue, and doing so shows your commitment. To good governance and to this community.

2:40:29I've been farming in Boulder county since 2013. Today, I manage 50 acres of Boulder county. Open space with about eight acres in vegetable production at the height of the season. Kilt Farm employs 14 to 18 people, both full time and part time. Every one of them earns above the minimum wage, starting between 18 and $20 an hour. Many of my former employees have gone on to start their own farms here in Boulder county, and across the country, something I'm deeply proud of. But I also want to be clear about what it takes to keep a farm alive. Produce farming is one of the most expensive. Labor intensive businesses you can run. Labor costs make up 50% to 55% of our total. Revenue far above the national average. Even in good years, most farmers earn less than their employees in hard years. When weather hits us, as it did with hail in 2018, we sometimes earn nothing at all and go. Deep in debt just to keep going. Since the pandemic, every cost has risen. Seed, fuel. Packaging equipment. And now tariffs are driving prices even higher. If this wage ordinance moves forward without moderation the prices we'd have to charge for every product from our CSA shares down to the last bunch of. Radishes would rise 30% to 40%. Here's the reality. Farms in Boulder

2:41:50county don't compete with each other. We compete. With farms. In Weld, Lemmer, Adams County, California, and even internationally. We compete with mainline grocery stores like Whole Foods, Kroger and Walmart. When our costs rise beyond what the market can bear. Customers will buy food grown elsewhere. If that happens, our farms will close. When farms close, we lose. More than just. One business. We lose jobs, we lose people who steward our open space. We lose the next generation. Of farmers, we lose fresh, local, organically grown food right here in Boulder county. Let me tell you a story about one of the next generation farmers. In 2018, a 14 year old came to work on my farm, his first real job. Within weeks he learned to harvest faster and more carefully than some of my adult crew on the very day he was supposed to receive his first paycheck. A devastating hailstorm tore through the fields. And forced us to lay off two thirds of our team on the spot. A month later, he. Came back. He worked through the rest of the season and returned to school in the fall. That experience taught him how to work, how to use the tools of farming, and more importantly, it taught him grit how to stand up stand back up when nature knocks you down without a carve out

2:43:07for unemancipated miners. Experiences like that would vanish. Farms simply can't. Afford. To bring on young people with no experience. Not to profit from them, but to teach them. To teach responsibility, patience and pride in hard days. Work. That's why we're proposing a narrow, responsible carve out allowing unemancipated miners to earn about 85% of the prevailing. Minimum wage for their 1st 90 days of work before moving to a full wage. It's a bridge, not a loophole. A way for small businesses to mentor you fairly while giving young people a chance to learn by doing. This isn't about saving money. This is about saving opportunities for teenagers to gain skills for farms to train the next generation and for our community to keep alive the connection between our youth our land and the work that sustains us all. I want to repeat this because it matters. On my farm, we always pay above minimum wage. We? Do it because our workers deserve it and because the market demands it. I'm not asking. You to lower wages. Anyone working for minimum wage in BouldEr county needs to earn more to live. Here what we are asking and what I'm asking. Is that you slow the rate of increase in a line. Boulder county schedule with the city of boulders plan. That approach raises wages every year, ties them

2:44:31to inflation and gives farms and small businesses a fair chance to adopt. In 2024, every municipality in Boulder county studied this issue. Farmers participated in that process, offering data and lived experience in the end only of the city of Boulder move forward with a minimum wage. Increase, every other community declined. Aligning county wages with boulders plan creates a level playing field. And the beginning of a regional approach that supports both fair pay and the survival of local enterprises. As I've worked alongside farmers, business owners, and you on this issue, one thing has become clear. The community wants fair pay, but it also wants thriving farms, local food, and small businesses that can survive. Farmers are resilient. We weather storms, literally and figuratively, every season, but we can't. Weather this one alone. By choosing a pragmatic, moderate wage path today you will ensure that Boulder county continues to lead with fair pay, strong jobs, a local food system rooted in this community. Let's protect what makes Boulder. County, Boulder county, our workers, our land and our shared future. Thank you. Thank you. I just had a couple of questions. If you have time. Just want to make sure I have. The numbers down as we're considering numbers today. So I think I heard you say the minimum you're paying is over $18 today it's eighteen dollars

2:45:55to twenty dollars. An hour based on experience, and I feel that that's the market rage to really have. Anyone take a look at my farm? To do the real hard work of farming. Thank you. And are you planning for any increases over the next five years. It's really based on the market and based on what the market can bear. We're really compressed by what we can charge for our prices. So if we continue to raise our prices. It will be a very elite product and not for the community. So they have to go hand in hand. And then I heard you saying you're supportive of a program. That ties increases to inflation. Is that sort of how you would think of increases? You'd be looking at. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Nicholas Little. Good afternoon, commissioners. My name is Nicholas Little, and I am an iwhat resident Nywat. Business owner and I have been serving as our leader of our local Niwat minimum wage coalition. First, thank you for holding this hearing and listening to us. And our coalition throughout the summer. I appreciate the chance to speak on behalf of the businesses that have been living with the impact of this ordinance, and I want to begin by placing our official position on the record. After two years

2:47:18of hardship and significant job losses, the Nywat community. Significant losses in the Nywat community due to a higher minimum wage than anywhere else in Boulder. County. The continued increases called for in the current minimum wage ordinance will be devastating to the small businesses that operate. In unincorporated Boulder County. That is the reality that we are living with and the reason that I am here today. When the state authorized counties and municipalities to set their own minimum wage, the intent was to allow regional differences so that wages could move together in step with local economies. Boulder county tried to lead, hoping the cities would follow, but none of them did not. Logmont not Louisville, not Erie, not superior, not lions. And not even Boulder itself, the most progressive city in the county, chose to follow. The county's higher schedule. Now, and I've heard Commissioner Levy explain directly that she reached out to the municipalities looking for cooperation, and she could not get it. And so what that tells us. Is very clear that the regional strategy is not working. The municipalities are not going along and they have very good reasons for why they don't want to go along. Erie's partly in weld county. Longmont competes directly with Frederick Fire, Stone and DeCono, also in Weld County. Weld county is not going to be moving anytime

2:48:48soon on their regional minimum wage, and they're going to remain at the state minimum wage, and I think it's fairly safe to say that they are not going to adopt regional policy dictated by Boulder County. And we just heard it from Michael. He competes with weld county. They're right next. To us, and so. The bordering towns of our community. Are at its extreme disadvantage. This is a small, small region. And so this is why the other municipalities refuse to join, and especially once they saw what happened. To Nawat and they watched. We lost our two restaurants just like that. Both of the restaurants. Attributed the minimum wage increase and. We estimate that to be about 50 jobs that we lost in our community. And so the choice is simple. Raise the minimum wage, lose jobs, or keep the minimum wage at a reasonable level to where we can maintain our jobs. The 50 jobs is a substantial quantity of jobs in our small community because we only have so many small restaurants downtown. One of the restaurants is sitting there open, it's ready to go, and we've had people constantly coming in, and they look at it and they kick the tires on this beautiful.

2:50:00Restaurant. And what happens? And they start looking into it, and they pick up the books and they say, oh, this is what minimum wage is. We can't run this business and then they pass. I just was talking to the current realtor this morning about that, and she said, as of this week the last people who are interested back down. So 1914 house remains empty. And the impact goes beyond restaurants. We've talked to two farms in our local area that have left the state forced to look elsewhere for a chance to remain viable, and we've even heard that one is already deciding not to open next year. And so, looking ahead, the situation only grows worse if nothing changes, Nywat businesses will soon face a nearly three dollar disadvantage compared to restaurants in Longmont, just five minutes away. That means every family breakfast in Nywat is competing against a chain restaurant. In Longmont that operates with a built in labor cost advantage that's not sustainable for our community. And there's another reality that needs to be recognized. This ordinance only applies to a fraction. Of Boulder county. It doesn't apply to the municipalities. These are off limits from your guys'perspective. So the majority of the employers in this community. You're not setting a policy that impacts them. It's the municipalities that do that. And we've already

2:51:24seen how hard it is to find the data on unincorporated Boulder county. But the estimates was maybe 20,000 people employed, and we don't know where it is. And that number seemed high to me. So let me be clear. We're not opposed to fair wages, but fairness requires a level playing field. This policy isolates unincorporated town punishes them for their geography and leaves us disadvantaged against every neighbor around us. And so the NyWat coalition's position is straightforward. Pause further increases until there's a true regional alignment. That means waiting until other municipalities and neighboring counties are prepared to move together. Aligning with only the city of Boulder is not regional, it's a shortcut. And it will continue to harm the very communities that you represent. So I'll close where I began with our official statement. After two years of hardship and significant job losses in the Nywak community. The continued increase is called for in the current ordinance will devastate the small businesses that operate in unincorporated Boulder County. We want thriving businesses, strong farms and vibrant communities. The step. The right step now is to pause and allow surrounding areas to catch up, and only then move forward on a true regional basis. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Next is Lauren Kelso.

2:52:55And just a reminder for folks. On the screen. Signed up already. We're moving to our three minutes, so just keep your eye on the clock to be prepared. Thank you. Hello, everyone. My name is Lauren Kelso. Thank you so much. I really appreciate the board's. Considerable time and attention to this challenging topic. I believe that wages are an important tool in increasing the well being and standard of living for our lowest paid workers. It is also a very blunt tool, and with little nuance and flexibility, it also can't. Be the only tool. Used to alleviate the needs that we have heard so much about today. For me, this is not a question of if we should be pushing for an increase in minimum. Wages. It is a question of how. As our region pursues a higher minimum wage, it should be done holistically with buy in from at least some of our municipalities as our region's economic engines, so that. There can be region wide economic development programs, a shared burden of cost, and a shared ability to pay. The higher prices that wage shifts require businesses to pass along to consumers. I've heard two questions from people on this topic that I think are worth addressing. Why would we push for a race to the bottom? This is not a race to the bottom.

2:54:15The city of boulder's minimum wage. Is progressive and is in the top four highest minimum wage rates in the state. That would be a reasonable alternative. The second question is, why aren't our farmers advocating for programs that would help their businesses? Thrive in a way that they can afford these wages. They have been for decades. This country's small and family farms have been shouting from the rooftops for decades that they cannot survive. And they have been right. They have not been surviving. They have been shrinking by the thousands year over year and have been being replaced by multinational corporations. And billionaires who now own the vast majority of our farm. Farmable land. Our farmers here function in that same reality. We are so fortunate to have them here. Please listen to these people. Please do not disregard their feedback in what they are trying to tell. You their situation is not because of lack of business prowess or lack of creativity or lack of caring for their employees. There is a right way to increase wages for our community, and I believe we will get through this process. A couple of people has mentioned. Problems with the process of making these decisions, and I think the same thing could be said about engaging stakeholders very early in this process in 2022 and 2023. The extensive

2:55:37results of the stakeholder engagement, with less than 400 results. Is not a successful stakeholder engagement on a topic that's this important. So the fact that we're revisiting it right now, I think is important, and I think is the right thing to do. Last thing I'll just say is that it was really interesting seeing the dichotomy. Of the two different groups up here today sort of advocating. Because the wages that the county employees were advocating for and the benefits would be an absolute dream. For a large number of our farmers and farm owners in this county. Lauren, thank you. Next is Alison Steele. Hi. Can you hear me? You may want to speak up just a little bit more. Sure. Thank you. My name is Alison. Steele and my brother and I own a small grocery store in Nywalk, Colorado. I've come here several times to speak on the minimum wage. The minimum wage has definitely been weighing on. He and I for the last two years. Our father owned the store and suddenly passed. Away in August of 2023. So the minimum wage discussions was definitely not on our radar at that time, nor did we know about it. We're here to go with the Nywat community and say that what we would like to happen with the Ordinance for unincorporated Boulder county

2:57:01is a pause in 2026. In a regional approach for the municipalities. Right now, the minimum wage is 1657. Which we can tolerate, we can handle. We can hire. High school kids. We can hire kids that have no experience. We can hire kids with disabilities, however. When it gets to $25 an hour. We cannot sustain that. We'll have to make severe changes like raising prices, high school kids will no longer be able to work for us. Because we can't justify that. We will have to get out of the program that we have with Boulder county, where we do hire kids with disabilities who have to have a coach with them. I just want to say, too, that small towns, the businesses in small towns are needed. I know. In Iowa. We're very needed. I know people support us. They come to us, and I. Think that it would be very unfortunate to lose all of the small businesses in these small communities. Just like in Netherland.

2:57:55They lost their community and it's extremely tragic. They're. All small businesses run by small local people. So just to reiterate, we don't want to lower. The minimum wage we are. For paying our employees. We have great relationship with our employees. We treat them like family. They can come to us, they can ask us for favors. I think it's having a small business. Is extremely different than running a large corporation. You have relationships with these people. They trust you. And I think that just trusting us. As small businesses to take care of our employees and to pay our employees properly is what we're asking for as well. And just pausing the ordinance and coming up with a more regional approach so that. We're competing on a level, at least that level with other cities. Thank you.

2:58:44Thank you. Next is Jim Schaefer. He's gone, but I can read his statement. That's fine. We'll skip over Jim, and then if he does join, if someone's in communication. Maybe let them. Let them know there's a virtual option as well, if we get time. Wise. Next is James Masalo. Good afternoon, commissioners. My name is James Macelo, and I live in unincorporated boulder county. Between Boulder and Longmond. First, I'd like to thank the commissioners for revisiting the issue. Of minimum wage in unincorporated Boulder County. I speak in opposition to allowing minimum wage increases to take effect. The current schedule of wage increases is not viable for our farms and by extension, the county's rural areas. There are multiple second and third order effects that will result. The one I want to focus on is loss of open rural spaces for current and future generations. By open space, I don't mean only public land set aside by visionary elected officials over the past several generations. As I am using the term, open space is also farmland. Our farmers are caretakers of Boulder County's expanses of open rural space. To understand what I'm saying. Just take a drive on Highway 36 between Boulder and lions. Or on Nawa Road between Nawad and Highway 36? Or on Nelson Road between the mountains. And Longmont, you will see vast amounts

3:00:22of beautiful, undeveloped land with animals grazing and crops growing. Our farmers are barely hanging on right now. Recent property tax increases have made it more difficult for farmers to hold onto their land. Raising the minimum wage will push many over the edge and force them to sell their farms. Then it will only be a matter of time before developers come and pave over our open spaces. With tracked houses. Commissioners. Please don't take our open rural space for granted unless we properly manage this precious. Resource. By supporting our farmers, we will become like every other county on the front range with their seas of residential sub developments and strip malls. Allowing the minimum wage to increase might feel good on the surface, but the detrimental effects will be felt long term and will lead to closure of multiple farms. Developers will not be far behind. The most important thing I learned in college. Was this? The key to understanding human behavior is that short term gains outweigh long term consequences. At best. Raising the minimum wage might be a short term gain and feel like a good thing to do. But long term, we will lose forever what our predecessors worked hard to preserve. So ask yourself this. Is the short term gain of increasing the minimum wage worth the loss of our open rural space?

3:01:55And farmland. To protect our open spaces and farms. I urge the commissioners to take the long term view. And vote to pause, or at least moderate in some way. The scheduled increases to the minimum wage. Thank you. Thank you. Next is before. Beforehand. Good afternoon, commissioners. My name is Bruce Warren. I'm a 50 year resident and business owner. In Nywat, Colorado. I'm here today, first of all, to thank you for putting this on a public hearing. I've spoken to you before in the open mic sessions for the last five or six. Months that you have heard from us. A couple of comments about. The process. So it seems to me that the consortium of cities is the place, as several speakers have said. For this discussion to come forward. The statute that enables this. Is really envisioning a regional approach.

3:03:12Nywat was not represented on the consortium of cities back when this ordinance was adopted. It is now. And thank you for that. It has two members who are ex official members. At this time. The other thing I want to talk about briefly is to piggyback on the last comment. That. There are unintended consequences of this. Everybody understands that cost of living. Is an issue. But the biggest component of that is housing. And I would urge you to focus more on how can we address the housing cost in Boulder county for workforce housing, attainable housing and affordable housing? That's how we can make a real difference in allowing people to work. Here and live here and survive. The other thing I wanted to talk about briefly. Is the exception for unimancipated miners. So these are kids that live at home. The statute allows for that. There's a reason for that. It's because. They recognize that unimancipated miners are often employed in their first job. They still live at home. They don't have the same expenses that a family that's trying to survive on a minimum wage does. If we have unemancipated miners who have to be paid the current schedule, what? We're going to find is an unintended consequence that those people are not going to be given jobs. I talked to a business owner in

3:04:49Iowa this morning. They employ five high school kids. We talked about what they're like when they come in. My office employs two of them. They start out at minimum wage, they don't stay there. Very long once they become valued, trained employee. They move up. Same thing I think happens at Nywat market. And other businesses in Nawat. The problem that we have mostly is, and I understand. You tried to lead by enacting this ordinance, but it really needs to back up and. Pause until you can convince the cities in Boulder county to come up with a regional approach that doesn't put all of the unincorporated business. At a significant disadvantage. What we'll end up with in Nawat, we'll still. Have commercial spaces. They'll be filled by offices, not retail. And that's not going to generate any sales tax, which, by the way, funds the NYWAt local improvement district. I also noticed that back when this was first done in the reach out, Was not included. Thank you for the lid. Thank you. Your time ran. I apologize. I was looking at numbers over. Here. Next is Megan. Thank you, steph. Hello.

3:06:19I would like to talk a little bit about that. The younger workers. Is that. That's. Part of a developmental level. They're going to be focusing on their social skills more at that level. So if you're trying to make them work, then it would probably be usually with a mentor, but that's even going to be. Your name? Oh, Megan Sacaros. Thank you. Yes. So that's going to be just. A natural effect if they haven't gotten. The social. Socializing in, and they're going to be focusing on people. So trying to talk to a teenager and tell them about working. You're going to have to, first of all, teach them about that when they're younger and then. Five. I have my children. They were taken by CPS, which I believe is a terrorist organization. But. I had them already cooking and cleaning with me when they were one and two years old. That my son was doing laundry with me when he was three, so you have to start that. Really? Younger by the time they get to being in teenagers. That's their developmental level. They're going to be social, so you just have to expect that they can in a lot of cultures, they go out and they do a challenge, or they go to go and they do something. Like some people do a gap year.

3:07:21After high school. But regarding other things and worth guests, if that'll naturally develop, they'll go back. To their hometowns, hopefully. With regards to the minimum wage, I also do not agree with the increase. I don't. Think that it's sustainable. I think that there does need to be something done about the apartments. I believe I personally live in the Zania apartments. I was homeless for a year after my children were taken after being gangstocked, which was completely traumatizing. And I was very fortunate to get the zenia where I pay 30% of my income. Which I really appreciate. So county funded places like that. They're lucrative, and I think we need to have more of them. But in regards to the housing. We need to have a cap, so. How long do they get charged? For one thousand eight hundred dollars to two thousand four hundred dollars.

3:08:10How much is the expense to be able to build that facility. How much is the work? You can only charge up to 300%. In some places. So where are they getting all of these numbers that they're constantly charging more and more. And then once that's paid off, then how is it that they. Are able to continue to charge that same amount. And why aren't we putting our lower income workers in there, especially with Hud? 30% of the oR. I think they said 62% of people use Effa and can't afford their rent right now, so if it's only at 300% of the price of materials over time. If they have a schedule for how much they're paying, that off for that would dramatically lower the cost of an apartment. Like if your cost of a $2,400 apartment, maybe to $800. A month, maybe to $600. Secondly, the food. If everybody received food stamps, that would be more lucrative, you say? Okay, this is how much it takes. And it isn't 200 or $300. It's about $800 a month to prepare meals, healthy meals. For people, including vegetables, 30 grams of meat. Or 30 grams of protein.

3:09:16And then dairy. So in order to be able to do all of that, You need to be able to look at what the prices are on things and be able to put caps on them. Thank you, Megan. Thank you. Next is Suzanne. Print, I guess. Hello. I'm Suzanne Prendergast. I'm a long term resident, Boulder county. I'm a chef educator at the August Escopia School of Culinary Arts, and I'm also the vice president of Soil Boulder, which is a nonprofit that gives 0% loans to farmers and food producers who are producing locally. Let me make myself very clear. I do believe in a living wage for everybody, but I think it's very dependent on the knowledge that money is circular and circular money within. A community, bolsters that community and uplifts all the small businesses. So we need to be long term thinking, long vision thinking and not. Short sighted. Last week I heard on the news that the federal government is carving out $10 billion.

3:10:28To subsidize the soybean farmers who have a crop with. No. Way to sell it because. Their main. People who buy it are the Chinese who are not buying it because of the tariffs. Well, that's very short sighted. The Flatirons foodshed partnership here in Boulder county released a study a few months ago that said that between the years 2017 and 2022, we lost 149. Farms in Boulder County. 149 farms that were utilizing something like 23,000 acres in cultivation. Well, that's also very short sighted. Something was going wrong. We all remember those empty shelves at the beginning of the pandemic. We couldn't go into the grocery store and buy what we wanted to. Do. We were dependent on the vagaries and the inconsistencies. Of shipping along with its carbon footprint. Instead, we need to be supporting our local farmers who are hard at work producing nutrient dense, very healthy food for us right here in our backyard.

3:11:39The minimum wage ordinance that stands right now. Would have people being paid 37 50 an hour by 2030 in overtime. That makes for a very, very expensive head of lettuce, one that nobody is going to be able to afford. So. We've got to turn that on its head. And while I know that it's not on. The table of discussion right now. I urge you, in fact, I beg you to consider also allowing these farms to place temporary housing or have some sort of. Some sort of roadmap for temporary housing so that we can start. Creating. Wonderful situations for farmers. Let's stop putting roadblocks in their way and let's. Create pathways to success. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Mikhail Browner. I'm Michael Braunner with Harlequins Gardens just outside of Boulder. I live in Longmont. This is our 33rd year. We specialize in. Native, water wise and food plants adapted to Colorado. We grow a lot of the plants we sell and we grow them organically. Growing plants for a living has never been a great way to make money. It's hard physical work outdoors in all weather, food. Is not valued as highly as cars and computers. Climate conditions can reduce production and can be devastating, as with droughts and hail and wind. And yet some of us are bonded

3:13:20to the land, even if we can't afford to. Own it. Some of us have a fundamental love of cultivating the earth and nurturing living. Plants and animals that drives us to keep getting up every morning and going outside and doing this. Farming and plant business. Used to be that 90% of human beings made their living working with the earth. Now it's only a small fraction of the population. And yet the food we eat and the living natural world that we cultivate around us are fundamental to our physical and mental health. And now some of us growers have voluntarily taken on the extra challenge of growing, not just for production, for volume, but for nutritional value, and for environmental and soil health. And we can't do it alone. We have to have help from people who have personal lives and needs, like paying rent and food and computers. And even though we love them and would like to pay them more than $25 an hour, we can. We have to ask you, our Boulder county leaders in community, to understand. The whole system, including the rising costs and limitations of us growers, including our seasonal income.

3:14:35Please keep Boulder county minimum wage no more than boulder cities. After 30 years in business. Two years ago, I gave myself a raise to $25 an hour. But I can't afford to pay myself twelve months out of the year. Small business owners are workers too. If we growers don't survive, our community will be poor. Our food will be produced. By people who don't know us and don't care about our health and well. Being. Our food will not be so fresh and nutritious and delicious if we don't. Survive. Who will be there to take our places? We love our work. Let us keep doing it. Thank you. Next is carl stark. My name is Carl Stark. My wife and I own and manage the golden Hoof. We're a small, diversified operation managing land and livestock regeneratively and have been selling direct to consumer here in unincorporated Boulder county since 2012. In the past, when I've testified in front of the commissioners. It's always been about, how do we help the farmers? Because we don't want to. Lose them. And we are always losing them. The faces at the farmers market are always changing. Who? Won't be back next year. And why did they fail to thrive? They all know how to farm. Many of them are just not bringing in enough money to survive. With

3:16:01all the uncertainty, risks and low margins, we understand better than ever now, after 13 years, both of us working full time. Our business is still in the startup phase financially, and we've not yet paid ourselves minimum wage. What we can pay. Goes to our staff, packaged with non cash benefits that make it worthwhile. We, like most small farms in the county, need financial support from the community beyond what we bring. In as revenue. We need community support to survive. Without benefactors, Boulder county would have many fewer small farms at the Golden Hoof, we've had the luxury of being our own primary benefactors, but that will not last forever, and each time a major optical is thrown at us, we have to ask ourselves if we can keep doing this work. We believe strongly in providing a good lifestyle with fair wages for everyone who works with us and. We would not and could not do it without them. Our staff are like family, whether they are with us for one season as an intern or our long term staff. We prioritize their financial well being over our own. Most of them live with us rent free. We all eat like royalty, and we share over 50% of our revenue. With them. They are able to learn from us without. The large risks that we as

3:17:20owners have to manage. This arrangement has provided an on ramp for beginning farmers that is needed. Many of our 30 plus former interns have used us as a springboard tour their own farm businesses or farming related careers. Met many here in Boulder county. We, like most of the farmers we know, obviously do not do this for the money, and we believe it should not be all about the money. Helpful improvements to the needs of farm labor must find balance between wages and revenue that supports the farms. To help us continue this work, we would like to see the county's minimum. Wage schedule be aligned with that of the city and for there to be a carve out. Supporting farmers who provide educational opportunities. And food and or housing for beginning farmers. Like our internship program?

3:18:10We think it's important. To spread the knowledge without a carve out for interns and apprentices, we would simply have to stop training young farmers, and there are very few people doing the kind of work we do. Please help us in supporting both farmers and farm workers. Thank you. Thank. You next is John Limkey. Good afternoon. My name is John Lumpkey. I live in Longmont. I'm also running. For Longmont City council. Thank you for letting me come here today. I do not practice this. Like it sounds like everybody else did. So I'll do my best to be fluid. I want to confirm that I am going to talk about something related to the minimum wage. I believe that it is core core function responsibility of local governments to raise the wealth and income of the residents. I also believe that. The counties. The country's largest corporations have done an incredible job deflecting this discussion as Alejandra alluded to one thing I would like to see that I haven't been shown is what the total profits are of all the businesses versus what the increased wages would be. If we raise the minimum wage because of those increased wages are higher than the profits. All those businesses would go under. I haven't. Seen that yet.

3:19:25I believe we need to transition our current property tax system to something called a land value tax. I also believe that the state should have allowed us to have more discretion so we could have raised the minimum wage on large businesses first. For some time, I've been trying to understand why things are so goofed up. I'm just touching on a few things here that aren't talked about very often. Not the entire thing. Large employers like Walmart have wage setting power like most companies do not. And they have special tax treatment that destroys competition. It is unfortunate that the state did not give us the power to raise wages for just companies. Like Walmart. Walmart and Costco are also getting a bargain on taxes. We all collectively have been using sales taxes to raise revenue and thinking that that's the best way to do it, and I don't think it is. I think property tax. Well, taxing land only is the most efficient and the most progressive form of taxation. For example, Costco pays $15,000 per acre, and their competitor, your butcher Frank, pays $50,000 per acre. Northern Longmont's Walmart. Their assessed land value today is less than what they paid for it in 2006, whereas all the other businesses in Longmont, they're assessed. Property values went up. I did quickback of the envelope calculations. This

3:20:46is not scientific. But if Walmart's land value had risen assessed value, just like everybody else's. Instead of. Paying $500,000 in property taxes, and we had a land value tax. They'd be paying 2 million. I'll skip a lot of this. I want to point out, Nick Henriksen is the state senator championing this tax reform. I would encourage you all to reach out to him to learn more about his efforts again, I believe. That raising the wealth and income of our residents is one of the core responsibilities of local government. These reforms are why I'm running. Because I want to help those of us, the people in our community that need it. Let's eliminate the small business tax penalty so they can pay their employees more. Thank you again. I'm here to be a partner. In making BOulder county the best place we can for our residents.

3:21:35Thank you. Thank you. Next is Steve Gabler. Good afternoon. My name is Steve Gabler. I've been the owner of Garden Gate Cafe in Nyowat for the past 25. Years. Each month, I and other members of the NYwa community come here, hoping to be heard. So thank you for that. Today I'm asking you to end the experiment of moving towards. A regional minimum wage. It's clear that the larger municipalities don't want to follow your lead. And in the meantime, your decision has placed small unincorporated businesses like mine at a serious disadvantage. We are the little guys. And. You've used us as testing ground for an unfair policy simply because you could. You've put the weight of this experiment on our shoulders while the big cities refuse to join in. This policy doesn't just hurt business owners, it hurts workers, too. Higher minimum wage doesn't increase affordability.

3:22:40It only drives inflation, raising prices and leaving workers in the same position or worse. In 2000, a Whopper from Burger King cost a dollar and now it costs $5. So the wage has gone up 300% since 2000, but the burger has gone up 500% and that's true across the board. I've had employees asking me to cut their hours so they can stay eligible for public benefits. That's not progress. That's what happens when the government meddles with a free market instead of letting it. Work, naturally. And where this policy really breaks down is in the tip credit. Let's look at the numbers. In 2000, the minimum wage was $5.15 and the tipped credit was $3.02. That's 59% of the wage. In 2007, it jumped to $6.85, but the tip credit stayed the same, dropping it to 44% of the wage from 2008 through 2025. The tip credit has still been $3.02 but now it's only 18% of the minimum wage. If this continues it'll fall to 12% in just a few. Years. That's not sustainable. It's killing restaurants. Even the state of Colorado has recognized this passing hb 20 512 eight, which allows local governments to expand the tip credit. But it has to be adopted by the cities and counties to take effect. If. You truly want to stop hurting small restaurants, you need to

3:24:13familiarize yourself with this law and bring us back in line with the state of Colorado, not with the city of Boulder. We don't have the corporate chains, tourist traffic. We're a small local community and the policy is killing us. Thank you. Thank you. Next is jim dorby. Good afternoon, commissioners. I'm Jim Dorby from Nyowa, and I'm here. Today as the president of Nywat Hall. Nywat hall has no employees. The effect of the current Boulder county minimum wage ordinance on our town, our farmers, and our small businesses affects us profoundly. The financial stability of our local business ecosystem directly underpins the vitality of our community hub. Although you've been presented with several proposals to address this issue, I'm here to advocate for the pause, which is staff option number two. To the scheduled minimum wage increases until the surrounding municipalities catch up. Let me be absolutely clear. We are strongly in favor of a reasonable incremental. Incremental. Minimum wage increase that help slipped up workers.

3:25:22What we are fundamentally against is being saddled with a wage mandate that is insignificant, that is significantly higher than every single neighboring town, creating an immediate encryption. Competitive disadvantage to us. Using your staff's workforce data, I believe that the following reasonable assumptions clearly illustrate the sheer disproportionate impact of this policy. The working population, according to staff's numbers, and unincorporated Boulder county is about 10% of the county workforce. Of this 10% in the workforce, let's reasonably presume half work and incorporated towns. And half were employed in unincorporated areas. This means only 5% of the total county's working population actually works in unincorporated Boulder county. So if we assume half of those 5% of jobs that work. In unincorporate Boulder county are maybe minimum wage jobs. That means only two and a half percent of the overall Boulder county workers are affected by the minimum wage policy.

3:26:24Compared to 100% of the businesses and unincorporated Boulder county that are affected by it. That seems very disproportional and puts us at a significant competitive disadvantage. You may think that owner run businesses with no employees are immune, but they are not. If our restaurants, the Nywat market, the essential retail businesses, all fail due to increase in labor cost or reduce foot traffic, we all lose. The quaint character of NywA is then quickly replaced by a professional service offices that contribute very little to local. Sales tax space and the local NYWa improvement District, we lose the essence of what makes this community special. Our request is simple, responsible, and offers a sustainable path for the entire region. Pause the minimum wage. Increase at the current level. That's an unincorporated Boulder county staff option one or two, but we prefer to. And then let the rest of the municipalities catch up. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today and for considering this necessary pause for sustainable and equitable future. Thank you. Next is Amy tistel.

3:27:35I just need to sit down. We'll make sure the mic in the front is ready. Is it ready? I think so. Yeah. Thank you. Okay. Good afternoon. My name is Amy Tisdale. I'm the co owner of Red Wagon. Farm along with my husband, Wyatt Barnes. We live on our farm, an unincorporated Boulder county. We've been growing vegetables here for 21 years and currently provide jobs for 20 people. We support fair pay. We've always paid higher than the minimum wage, but wages have risen. Dramatically since the pandemic, and we're already struggling to keep our business going. Many of our employees are paid at a higher rate than what we're able to pay. Ourselves. The current scheduled increase in minimum wage is a threat to agriculture in Boulder County. In the struggle for our farm to make financially from the beginning. But our farm has what I think is an unfair advantage over many of the other farms in this room. Most of them are located. Excuse me. In unincorporated Boulder County.

3:28:59The main operations of Red Wagon have moved to the city limits of one of the cities that participated in the minimum age economic study. And decided not to adopt the Boulder county increase. That means that most of our farm operations are not subjected to this increase. We're fortunate that we won't have this additional financial burden placed upon us. We're already struggling to keep our farm going. All of these other farms will have much harder time staying in business. But our farm thrives when we're surrounded by a vibrant farbean community. I'm therefore asking you to align the minimum wage schedule in Boulder county. More moderate minimum. Wage increase of the city of Boulder. Boulder county has put a lot into preserving agriculture, and I'm very proud of my community. For that. People here value shopping for their food at the farmers markets and farmstands that dot our community. Let's all work together to do what's necessary to keep our farms alive. Thank you for your time.

3:30:06Thank you. Next is Christian Tui. Hello commissioners. My name is Christian Tui and my family owns two in Son's organic. Farm in hygiene, north of Boulder. I'm on the board of Boulder county farmers markets and community farmers alliance Kofa but I'm here speaking mainly on behalf of my family's. Farm. I was born at Boulder Community Hospital. I grew up a four mile canyon and then lived in the city of Boulder for a while before we bought the farm in 2005. There's no way we could afford that now. But this is our 20th anniversary season, and we sell at the Boulder County Farmers market to local restaurants, and we've had a CSA, especially during the pandemic, to provide food for people in our community who needed it. We strive to take care of our land, our soil and water, and provide healthy, delicious food to our community. We understand that it's expensive to live in Boulder county and we want to pay our workers fairly. We don't exploit our workers. Many are paid above minimum wage, and they all make more per hour than I do. We've also provided many kids their first jobs over the last 20 years. We value giving them the opportunity to learn and grow as people in a place where they are cared about and encouraged. Due

3:31:39to the nature of this work. As Michael alluded, small diversified farms typically use 50% to 75% of their income just to pay labor. It doesn't leave that much money for other expenses like property taxes, equipment, seeds, supplies, fuel. Et cetera, including take home income for the family. We deal with the same challenges as everyone else in this community. Many farmers in this area are also eligible for SNAP, Medicaid and other assistance programs based on their income. And sometimes the difference between a profitable year or a major financial loss is a single hailstorm. Or an early freeze. And so many things are just out of our control. We can't relocate our business. It's our home. We've been on stewards. Of this particular land for the last 20 years with the hope of continuing long into the future. I don't think it's fair to ask. Small family businesses in unincorporated Boulder county. To solve a countywide problem that they didn't create and that they deal with themselves.

3:32:41And I'm asking that you would please revise the minimum wage to line with the city of Boulder's schedule. A more moderate change can help workers while allowing small family businesses to stay open. At stake is our ability to keep farming. Our family's continuity on our farm. And just like to point out that Boulder county is known nationally for valuing food and agriculture. The county's own comprehensive plan. And as residents say, they value farms in agriculture. This policy unintentionally puts all that at risk. Without viable farm businesses, there will be nobody. To take care of the land and provide the local food and those farm job. Jobs will go away. Do we really want to live in a place where only the independently wealthy can operate vegetable farms. Thanks for your consideration and for all the work that you do for all of us. Thank you.

3:33:30Next is Gary Hodges. Somebody loves some sunglasses up here. Gary hodges. So what is wage? If you look it up, it is the price of labor in an economy. So there is no deeper meaning, there's really no underlying intent. It's an unfortunate truth is, minimum wage increases are most harmful for those right at the margins of employability, either because of diminished mental acuity, physical limitations, or other disadvantages. So if we focus on the core meaning of wage, a price of labor and economy, it's easy to see the truth in this. So there are only two variables. There's labor and the value of that labor. If we fix the value of labor. The only variable left to freely move is the labor itself. So there are families in this county desperate to find any kind of employment for their adult children with disabilities. And for many of them, employment has nothing to do with. Money, but it's about socialization of their children. So setting an artificial wage floor is a barrier to entry for those right at the margins to offer the following example. Imagine a homeless man who has recently committed to sobriety and wants to transition back into society. In the absence of a minimum wage. He might walk into a local business and share a story. The business owner might. Find it compelling.

3:34:57You might say. Look, okay, I'll pay you $5 an hour for two weeks and. Then if it works out, I'll increase it to $10 an hour and so on. So you can take a chance on this. Gentleman. So if the owner is forced to pay $25 an hour, Will he take a chance on this man over a teenager living at home with no life baggage? So here's an underlying truth. Government cannot directly create wealth. If that were possible, it would have happened a long time ago. It's a feudal pursuit, but that's exactly what's being attempted with a minimum. Wage increase, which is magically creating wealth. So it's cliche in economics to say there's no such thing as a free lunch. But that's really what this is about. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

3:35:41There's a cost to everything. I live in Longmont. There's a fast food restaurant being built, drove by it the other day, and they have a sign on their window. They're hiring at, I think, 1950 an hour, so the market. Is already working. So there's very few people, in my understanding, that are actually really at that lower wage. Or right at the minimum wage. So the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan highlights Boulder County's agricultural heritage is about 175 pages. If I recall. And we're hearing tonight. From people who are representing that heritage. Regarding a regional approach. There will always be a community or people ride at the margins, and so I don't. Really think that's viable. And of the options that I saw at the beginning, I thought, option two seemed to be the least offensive, so thank you. Thank you. Next is Mark. Dear Spencer, Hello, Mark Derrispinus. My farm is esoteric culinary garden. We're incorporated. Boulder. County. We are stewards of 100 acres of city open space land. And we grow vegetables for restaurants in Denver and Boulder. And. I've been extremely fortunate over the last. Seven years. To have built my business up to a point where. I am able to. Pay my workers. A very generous wage. And that's given me an opportunity to bring in farmers who are really serious about

3:37:32the career farming and train them. In the Noel techniques and the kind of marketing strategies that. We've employed in order to reach the level of, I think, sustainability that we have reached. But there is no way that I could have done that. And started my farm. If. I needed to start off in those early years, paying people. Let's say it's 2030, and I need to pay them $25 an hour, I wouldn't have been able to establish my farm and reach the level right now. Where I do see a future for myself here in the county. And I know that we need to envision. And design our businesses for a more abundant future for all. And that's something. That. I feel like is valued. In the relationships that form between. Farms specifically. And my customers. I've asked my customers to support me as I've grown my business so that I could pay my workers higher wages.

3:38:46And. That's something. That optionality, I really feel like needs to be there because. I think. The invisible part of the community are the ones that are going to be trying to start farms. For the next decades here. So I am in favor of aligning with the city of Boulder. I like that consistency. I like to feel like we are all in this together. And where. We are participating in raising the abundance of people altogether. I also wanted to mention. As a last piece that there's a lot of kind of alternative. Workers, people who come in for the experience or for a short period of time. And they have explored many ways to make their lives viable. And we strive to support that by giving them an amazing experience working on a farm. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Lynn Siegel. Yeah. Lynn Siegel, I don't envy you your decision. And I don't know what to tell you. To decide. But I can tell you this.

3:40:10If rent here was $300 a month per person. Would we need to ask? $50. I don't think it's affordable to have anything less than. $50 an hour as minimum wage. Actually. But. It's in this hyperinflation situation that. We are now presented with after we practically had an insurrection on January 6. Now we have to decide on insurrection. Like a police state. And then we're going to be risen to rise up enough that. They can do an insurrection. Situation on us or the other option? Is impeachment. I think that's a better option. Because this guy's running the free world. So. Definitely. Graduated income tax. Like I said before, We need to free Palestine. We can't have all this money going towards the military because our farmers are in trouble. Like what? Makes sense here. Boulder City tried the $500. A month supplement. They throw a few crumbs, and then what happens after that? We need an institutional change, a fundamental change. In the whole scenario. And you need to be really bold. I don't like to tell you what to do. But I think everybody knows that there needs to be a bolt change here. Or utter catastrophe. With this federal administration. I mean, in half of. Half of the country is at large here. With half of us are Democrats. So what's he going to

3:42:09do? Take out all the Democrats. I mean, come on. We all know this. I'm not saying anything you don't already know. What the developers pay. Graduated income tax will all thrive. Stephen kibo. Up in Netherland. People are suggesting it was arson because he was raising the rent. He owns half a boulder and WW Reynolds owns the other half. And the cost of these commercial businesses where the restaurants give this food from the farmers. Is outrageous. And then the people that. It's just a hyperinflation of everything. But like I say, you're not saying anything you don't know. If it's pedicure. Thank you, Lynn. Next is Robert Lingard. Hello, and thank you for letting me talk to you. My name is Robert Lindgren. I'm with the Colorado AFL CIO. I live in unincorporated Adams county. I'm speaking in favor of keeping the minimum wage increase tied to the consumer price index without lowering it. My mom lives an unincorporated Boulder county on a fixed income despite surviving a heart attack. She continues cleaning private homes out of necessity.

3:43:40She previously held a job making minimum wage at big lots. Housing costs have increased as property is developed nearby, with improvements like sewer that never seemed to make it or connect to the older homes. Food costs continue to increase, as have health care. I request you continue meaningful stakeholding at the heart of the local minimum wage law and a value that we all hold so that more voices can be brought forward. I want to talk a bit about farming. We've heard from farmers that pay above the minimum wage. I appreciate the sacrifices farmers make as my family made in the corn fields of Nebraska. They do, however, retain what they've built and what the laborers that work for them have. Built. There's not a lot of great data on farm labor. One way to look at market prices would be the adverse effect wage rate that's required under an h two a. Visa. And that's the rate that's designed to have it not negatively affect local workers. Boulder appears from the data I've looked at to be less of a commodity based farming. Community and therefore. They're selling at a higher rate and they pay at a higher rate. But that adverse effect weight rate is higher than the Boulder county minimum wage, and that's a statewide. Wage. So the same in la hunta or

3:45:01boulder. Despite the changes in pricing. I commend Boulder county for their decision to raise the minimum wage and to link it to consumer price index to. Try to connect with what people are feeling in the crisis that people are in right now. I again urge you to continue to engage with the community, and I'd love to. Help partner with that. So thank you again for your time. Thank you. I want to check and see if there's anybody who's joined us. In the room that didn't get a chance to sign up. If there's anybody else that would like to speak in regards to local minimum wage, if you want to go ahead and come up, and then just a reminder, state your name and you'll. Have three minutes. Awesome. Good afternoon. My name is Michael, and I'm an organizer with Starbucks Workers United. I proudly stand here today to represent the unionized Starbucks workers Boulder. At these stores. A vast majority of workers are at or near the minimum wage for this region. These workers include individuals who are the sole provider of their household. Or single parents who are alone responsible for the welfare of their children. And students who right now cannot, who, without this pay, will be unable to pay their tuition or.

3:46:19Loan repayment fees. As the economy currently stands, inflation, tariffs and corporate price, Galgian has significantly increased expenses for workers, workers already struggling to pay for rent and groceries, and often in my conversations with them, have told me that they sometimes have to choose between one or the other. If Boulder county were to freeze or slow down minimum wage increases. Make no mistake, this would be a tad amount to a wage decrease. They would see losses considering the rate that prices are currently increasing. Right now. I am sympathetic to the challenges that workers and small businesses face today, especially concerning their interactions with multinational corporations and big pharma. Or big pharm. Big agriculture, however. The solution to their situation is not to throw workers under the bus. It's not the blame workers. We should not see an effective wage decrease or problems that are created by billionaires and big agriculture. And the Trump administration. Our workers are not currently asking for free lunch. All we're asking for is a dignified. Wage, a fair wage. So we strongly urge you to vote against any future wage decrease or any future wage freeze. So thank you so much.

3:47:44Thank you. Is there anybody else in the room? Go ahead and come forward. Hello, everyone. My name is Len Harris, young worker, community organizer for the Colorado AFL CIO. I am also advocating for not freezing the wage or proposing any wage cuts to the coming year as I testified previously, this actively sabotages the well being of businesses in the community because. The very people. The laborers and the. Wage. Ultimately, the laborers of these businesses are the ones who go out and then spend the money. That. They earn out into the community. So when you actually cut the wage earners of those who are in these positions, you're ultimately cutting the money flow coming into these societies, I think. I heard it previously in terms of circular economy in these communities. Another thing I'll mention. Is the wage. At like 1650 ish. Like 1657, I think, was the number when you actually do the math, it's less than $30,000 a year. In Boulder county in order to be considered just outside of poverty, to be just above poverty is more than $41,000 a year, so. Ultimately, the position that we're in is advocating for those who work in those conditions. The 1650. An hour wage. We're ultimately saying it's okay that you live in poverty. We're deciding that ultimately it's okay. Generally speaking, I would say

3:49:14those who have testified today, whether it's for or against, don't want people to live in poverty, so. Currently. What I would say, what I would propose is stop looking at wages and worker wages as a means to help keep these. Businesses afloat. We need to look at the things that workers and business owners are suffering from. In tandem. A lot of that is housing costs or land costs or rent costs for these places. I think. That's a much more unifying. Goal for us to focus on as opposed to wages. And one of the last things that I'll say is I've heard a lot of testimony about how well these are younger. Workers, and this is one of their first jobs, so they can be underpaid. I hope I don't have to get into the precedent that that. Sets, that pendulum will come swinging back the other way the moment that you justify underpaying. Someone for their age is the moment that you set a precedent to underpay someone when they get older and they have maybe less of a cognitive or physical function than they did when they were younger. You don't want that pendulum to come swimming back at you. I know. I don't want my old elderly community members who are still working to be treated that way. In terms of some of

3:50:23the terminology I've heard today, Where? We don't want. To perpetuate any undue or unintended consequences of this, the unintended consequences of not raising the wage is ultimately the same thing we're trying to avoid, right? Now, which is. The breaking down of our communities, the breaking down of these businesses. The unintended consequences of freezing the wage is a wage cut. Costs are going to rise. Regardless, costs rise anyway without wages raising. So please don't pause the wage. And I would advocate for continuing the. Anybody else here in the room that was wanting to speak. Thank you. And I want to check there was somebody that was still on the list, I believe. If staff could just scroll up really quick. I can't remember the name. And make sure. Jim Schaefer hasn't arrived. Thank you. So we'll go ahead and close the in person section of the public comment. And we'll go online. And it looks like we've got one person that's pulled time. We'll start with.

3:51:31Venicea Patel and then the name that's in the yellow just means that they're not available right now, so we'll come back to them at the end of the virtual section. Thank you. Hi, my name is Vanita Patel and I am a resident of Longma and business owner. Of a farm located unincorporate Boulder County. I am thankful to be hearing both arguments for. The budget ahead of time, and then this one. So if it looks like I'm peacemilling. Things. It's because I've been reflecting a lot on what folks have. Already said. So just apologies in advance. Ultimately. What I had written is that I would like to see the current wage schedule proposed move forward. And I say that as someone who makes significantly less a minimum wage as a business owner and I absolutely see no end in sight when I might make even close to minimum wage anytime soon. Being a farmer in Boulder county because at the end of the day, individuals having access to a living wage so they can afford. To live here, enjoy their time. Just is a no brainer, right? It positively affects dapper. Tension. It encourages more spending in local businesses. We've heard all these arguments all day.

3:52:38Especially for the first initiative. Why that helps affect the positive mental health change. Speaking specifically for farm workers and farmers. There's no guarantees of having health insurance there's. No paid leave. There's no, hey, can I not work when the air quality is absolutely terrible? Because I can visually see a bodfire up in the mountains from our workplace. There's not a lot of safety in being able to engage in comptic or conversations. With your farm owners or farm business providers because you're an at will employee, right? There's not a lot of reasons to get into farming other than you just really see. Value in what you want to do. I don't see a lot of people wanting to get into this to make money. So when the wage also is crappy, there's not a lot of reasons to stay. In it with that said. And like I said, I'm peacemailing. So sorry, I'm skipping a lot.

3:53:30Of things. But with that said. I have a lot of serious concerns with how this wage increase is being implemented. So ultimately, without subsidizing. The businesses for the increased wages. I don't see how this would be successful, but when you look at on a more governmental level, of global level, et cetera, when we're setting a tariff on a country and saying, hey, we're not going to purchase steel from you. Unless we're doing this upcharge. And that upcharge is going to. Be subsidizing the steel production in our own country so we can make. Sure that. The prices from what's coming out of the country is matching relatively to what we can do within our country. As far as food goes. Globally, nationwide, even in the city of Boulder. The price to grow food in California and Florida and Mexico is going to be significantly cheaper to grow food here. But when it hits the shelf in the grocery stores here, they get to say, a head of lettuce is $5, just like we do. But for us, it actually probably costs closer to six to $7, but we know no one's going to buy. That, right?

3:54:34So we're not really profiting, we're just surviving. But for a company that's in other places, they're like, this actually cost us. Grow, and we're going to profit heavily off of that. So when I'm talking about subsidizing. If we truly want to say, hey, we value agriculture, we want to see folks get paid fairly. We want to have them enjoy living here. It cannot occur without the government also saying we will be subsidizing this value. And this initiative and this reason for why we really want people to live and enjoy their space. Here. So what does subsidy come from? That's something I don't think we've heard yet other than the possibility of paying people less for the wage or their disability, which I heavily do not agree with. Taxes is a great place to start. One.

3:55:21Why are we taxing food for home consumption when that food is grown in Boulder County? Let's check the food that's coming from out of Boulder county. This tax it. Heavily so that the money that takes to grow somewhere cheaper can match closer to what it grows. To take here. Use that money to help subsidize funding for labor costs for Boulder. County. Putting back infrastructure, whether you have a climate change and take that wildfire or whatever it may be hailstorms. Funding those initiatives so that we know are going to happen because the climate and the situation to grow food here is terrible. Another idea. Create a tax credit for residents who primarily are purchasing the food grown locally. I forget who it was, but. I think it was Suzanne who hadn't talked about a circular economy.

3:56:10In this current proposal, there's absolutely no discussion about why the residents would even consider buying locally when this goes up. Could there be incentives from the government saying, hey, you have a CSA you're working? Or you're purchasing from the farm stands, purchasing from farmers markets, et cetera. We know that that costs more than a grocery store. If you hit a certain amount, we'll give you a tax credit that gives you a break for how much taxes you pay. It encourages them. To shop locally. Are there other initiatives like that we can look at to say not only just hey, look at us. Checkbox. We did great. Our folks are being paid more. But what responsibility are you going to take as commissioners to make sure that the people who actually have to pay the money can afford to do so since they don't live in unincorporated Boulder county, as you mentioned. And that they have a desire to support that with their values at all.

3:57:03Boulder county offices. If you're hosting events, make it a requirement that you have to use produce grown in local Boulder county make a requirement that it has to be a small business owner. Who is making that food for you. That is a great way to put that circular money back. Into the organizations that you're forcing to do this without. That funding support directly. Could there be tax incentives instead of, like, the competitive small business, whereas the one that you had mentioned half of the people who applied weren't eligible. Our team wasn't eligible. Our firm was not eligible because we were paying people too much. I'll repeat that we weren't eligible because we were paying a living wage at the time that that Grant came out. Thank you, Vanita. What time is that? Thank you. And next is Carl Lapam. Can you hear me okay? Yes, thank you. Perfect. Hi, my name is Carl Lapam, the lead organizer in Boulder, Colorado for new era. A nonprofit that is a national leader in engaging young people in the political process. And where we work on issues that young people care about, like economic and wage justice. I would like to say thank you for holding this hearing and for the chance for community members to speak. Boulder county led the way for this county when it adopted

3:58:24its local minimum wage ordinance last year. We urge the. Commissioners to keep the existing minimum wage schedule in place as workers are relying on this anticipated income for their livelihood. I am disheartened to say that in the year and change that. I have been an organizer in Colorado. This is my fourth hearing that I have attended in which elected officials want to cut the wages of tens of thousands of workers. As you will hear again and again today, there has rarely been a more important time to avoid putting working people and their families further into economic hardship. I understand that the possible proposals that were shared are still preliminary. However, a temporary pause or reduction in the wages in 2026 would harm young people and working families. The high cost of living already burdens young people, and with HR one passing earlier this year, it will cut access to federally funded social programs for working people, leaving them more vulnerable to drastic. Economic hardship, SNAP, Medicaid and many more essential programs were cut viciously by the Trump administration's and Colorado will feel it. Additionally, the abysmal state of Colorado's budget has forced further cuts to social programs like childcare, education and housing assistance. The people and businesses that will benefit from HR. One tax cut prov. Provisions are also the very same people who support

3:59:43reducing a minimum wage. It is important to note that as new era. The Boulder self sufficiency wage coalition and workers who drove the efforts to relieve boulders workers for the last couple of years. We were not involved in the preliminary conversations about these proposals. We need to make sure that in the future. That those who are most impacted by pausing or reducing the minimum wage have a seat at the decision making table. The lack of acknowledgment goes as far as scheduling a hearing for 01:00 p.m. on a workday, a strategy that is historically familiar and one that keeps workers from showing up to advocate for themselves. I urge you to keep the minimum wage as is and instead work. With the people who elected you to ensure that Boulder county doesn't continue to harm working people. Thank you. Thank you. Next to Janet latter.

4:00:38Hello, everyone, and thank you for. Thank you, county commissioners, for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Jeanette Lathrope, and I am a senior researcher and policy analyst with the National Employment Law Project, or NeL. We are a national organization working to strengthen labor standards, including the minimum wage. I would like to testify today in strong opposition to any amendments that would kaidor delay the schedule minimum wage increases in Boulder county in 2023 when the county adopted an ordinance, phasing in a 25 minimum wage county commissioner stated that, quote, the cost of living has continued to rise in our lowest paid workers are struggling to pay. For basic needs. Unquote. The economy isn't much better today for many working families. Although inflation has slowed, it remains elevated. And food prices are projected to grow 3% this year and 2.7% next year. Meanwhile, despite minimum wage increases in 2024 and 2025, the cost of living far outpasses the minimum wage. The estimated living wage is over $26 per hour for a single adult without children.

4:01:46Today in Boulder County. And almost $52 for a single parent raising one child. Not surprisingly, one in ten households in Walter county are food insecure, meaning that they lack access to enough food. And housing cost is out of reach for many underpaid workers who need to work almost 80 hours per week at the current minimum wage just to be able to afford rent on a modest one bedroom apartment. The approved minimum wage of $25 by 2030 would bring the Boulder county minimum wage closer to a living wage, it would not completely meet. The needs of workers, but it will bring closer to living wage and it would allow workers and their families to better afford groceries, renting, other basics. I understand the business community. That business community is concerned. But we should keep in mind that higher minimum wage is a win win for workers.

4:02:41For the economy and even for our businesses. If the county board of commissioners keeps the minimum wage ordinance unchanged, workers could end as much. Could earn as much as $3,500 more per year over the next five years. That would depend on how many hours they work. Those additional earnings could make a significant difference not only for affected workers, but also for local businesses. In the economy as workers would have more money to spend on the basics and maybe a few luxuries. I will close by saying that the minimum wage has been one of the most researched topics in economics since the 1990s and. During this time, using more, increasingly more sophisticated methods, researchers have found again and again the minimum wage boosts earnings without affecting employment, and that is true for small businesses. As for businesses overall, in terms of impact. Thank you. Thank you.

4:03:35Next to CC Bloomfield. Hi. My name is Cece Bloomfield, and I live in Boulder, Colorado. And they can hear me. And. I wanted to basically support the idea. Of. A minimum wage as it's been proposed, but I think it's really essential that you carve out farmers. I can't speak to small businesses like the restaurant people who've. Spoken in Nywat, but I do know farming. I volunteered for red wagon farm one. Year. I work for USDA, trying to get their urban agriculture center up and running in Denver. And I've heard a lot from urban farmers, and it's actually very unusual when you can make a profit as an urban farmer, and I would say most of Boulder county would. Be considered urban farming. So I want you to carve it out because I think it's unique.

4:04:28Not only because. It's almost impossible to make a profit. And like that one man said, from hygiene, I think a lot of farmers are even eligible for snap. I mean, that tells you something. But you need to think about farms in this area as a climate resilience strategy. As a carbon sequestration strategy. As land stewardship and as food security. And all of those, I think, will become more apparent. But the food security was obvious during Covid. Also the concern. About. People, businesses. Dissolving because of the minimum wage. Again, I can't speak to anything other than farmers, but. I think you need to take them for the word. Everybody I've worked with in the urban farming field. They all want to do what's? Fair. None of them go into this business because they want to make money. And so I think that if there's any way you could carve it out and. Work with the farmers and listen to them as they are some of the best innovators. That we have in our country. I liked what an earlier speaker said about looking at subsidies. The ecosystem for big ag is actually part of the problem.

4:05:48And what is making food? Unreasonably cheap. That's not healthy and not local and has a bigger carbon. Footprint. And this might be a great opportunity to do something like you did with a plastic bag ban. Or the soda tax and just increase the pain point. For some of the less environmental. More corporate agricultural businesses and use that money. To support wages for small ag. And just quickly, I like the housing idea. Temporary houses on existing farms for workers as part of their minimum wage. That's it. Thanks. Thank you. Next is Jonathan Singer. Good afternoon. I'm Jonathan Singer, senior director of policy programs with the Boulder Chamber and testifying. On behalf of them today. I want to thank the commissioners for taking the time to listen. To all the folks that have come out today, and especially paying attention to our farmers and businesses. Small businesses in Nywat. I wanted to really. Clarify. Just a handful of things. I know there's been some misrepresentation, not. Here, but in other places. In social media as well as other venues that this issue of the minimum wage. Is really done by large corporations. You've heard today, and we've heard here at the Boulder chamber, not from the Walmarts and targets, but truly from small businesses. Dozens if not hundreds of them now small businesses who. Are hanging on

4:07:29by a thread. And so when we hear about whether the increase should be at where it is today, lining up and creating. Regional parity with places like Boulder or going in a completely different direction. All these percentages. I just want to remind you that the percentage we need to consider is. Zero. Zero of 15% or 5% or 2% is still zero. That zero represents the businesses that are going out of business today. The small businesses, the grocery stores, the local farms. And so there's an opportunity here to look at that. The boulder chamber has not picked a specific. Modality, but. We do really encourage and would like to echo the idea of creating that regional parody with places like the city of Boulder, the county stepped forward in a very groundbreaking way here, hoping others would follow, and we're now seeing where that number is truly landing. The last thing that I'll encourage the county to take a look at and. Consider is the fact that there is now local control over things like the tip wage credit. So those restaurants that were lost may have actually, in fact, been saved. And those workers that were making far above the minimum wage would have been able to retain those jobs. So as we're looking at what this actually means. I'm just going to summarize by

4:08:55saying, consider slowing the rate of increase. Consider that regional parity. Consider the tipped wage credit and consider our farms, our small businesses, and the people that are truly keeping our economy afloat and allowing our budgets to fund the needed priorities. That places like the Boulder chamber does in fact, support. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Next is Wynn Howell. Hello, and thanks for having me and apologize. My camera is being problematic. Can you hear me okay? Yes. Okay, fantastic. So I'm the state director of working Families Power, which works on progressive issues, including the minimum wage across the state. And I would agree with. The speaker from new era a bit ago. I am really tired of talking about minimum wage stuff and attempts to roll them back this year. It has been relentless.

4:09:57We've talked about it in Boulder City. We've talked about it in Denver. We've talked about it at the state level. With twelve, eight, and it's just like playing whack a mole. And frankly, all of this stems from? Corporate interests who don't like losing. And yes, I understand that there are small businesses who are being put in front of you, but. They are not. Who is funding this campaign? Across multiple municipalities, across multiple locations. And they certainly. Weren't. Who was really behind the campaign to pass twelve, eight. A vile piece of legislation that would have cut workers wages by thousands of dollars a year and justifiably was gutted in the legislature by the majority leader, among others. That same piece of legislation. I want to just share with you some stats here on what we're talking about. A very similar policy to what would twelve, eight.

4:10:55Would have been in the legislature was voted down 70 to 30. In Arizona, it was run as a ballot measure and lost by a more than two to one margin. Then I also want to share some other. Polling data with you that I think may bear on this because there's who's in front of you. And then there's the people who are not here in particular because it's 01:00 on a weekday afternoon. So, according to a Rasmussen poll, support for a federal minimum wage hike. Has increased significantly. I 40% believe that it should be $15 or greater, which was the highest option available. Only 12% said that the minimum wage should not be raised. A September Heartland and Rasmussen poll showed that. 36% of voters aged 18 to 39 are struggling or in crisis financially. And 62% think the economy is unfair. Right here in Colorado.

4:12:02The July Pulse poll done by the Health Foundation. I showed the cost of living and housing affordability continue to be a most pressing issue. And that 10% of Coloradoans have skipped meals due to affordability. Seven and ten worry about being priced out of the state. More than 80% among low income residents, renters, young adults and those without health insurance. You have to side with workers. Thank you. Thank you. Next is Devon Edgeley. Good afternoon, Boulder county commissioners. My name is Devin Edgley, and I'm representing myself today. I'm also a board member of the Boulder County Farmers market. Speaking in favor of the community Farmers alliance or Kofa's position to align unincorporated Boulder County's minimum wage increase with the Boulder propers increase with the exception of unemancipated minors farmers and local food producers are the heartbeat of local businesses. In Boulder county. When we think of local restaurants, the Longmont and Boulder farmers market and local food systems. We have to consider the farm employees and the farmers who are good stewards of our land. They provide us with nourishing food in an aspect of community, and we should protect their livelihood. An adjustment that mirrors older's wage increase will help maintain wages as we experience inflation and will help close the gap in wage disparities between the city of Boulder and Boulder County. To ensure

4:13:47that the increase is beneficial to our agricultural communities. The increased schedule should include accountability measures. Are in place by monitoring the increases for the first three years to track employee retention, business closures and should also require reporting employers non compliant of the wage pract. Practices enforced. Kofa believes that this is the synergy necessary to compensate employees fairly, while also encouraging economic viability for farmers and businesses, and I hope you support their position of wage increase alignment. Thank you for your time. Thank you. And I want to do one last invitation for anybody virtually who may be switching devices. The phone number to join regarding local minimum wage proposals for 2026 is eight. Three. Three. 568864. If there is anybody on the phone who is trying to participate as a virtual. Speaker. Please hit star nine to raise your hand. And then you'll need to hit star six to unmute. So I'm just going to give a couple of seconds here and then I'll. Check in with staff in the background to make sure there's nobody that is trying. To connect and also want to make sure there was nobody that has joined us that was on the list. I think we had somebody in spot number two on the virtual list as well. So if you can, let me know if Nancy Bureaus joined. Hi.

4:15:22Hello. Jamine, this is Brianna Barber, Commissioner's office staff. I do not see Nancy. In the virtual room and no one else. Has raised their hand to give public comment virtually. Thank you. Great. Thank you. Then I'll go ahead and close the virtual portion of our public hearing and go back. To Seth. Great. Thank you, commissioners, and thank you to everyone who came out to provide public comment. This afternoon's public hearing. John Rubiana in the back. If I could get my screen. Back up. We do have that schedule as earlier requested by. Commissioner levy. So I hope the board can see that on your screens in front of you, and I can. Scroll to show what subsequent year in 2027 would be. But I'm happy to jump in in response to public comment if that would please the board. Yes, that sounds great. And. We have about five minutes. Of what we were talking about for five minutes, so I just want to check commissioners if we. Might have maybe ten minutes total here. So that we can go at least to 505, and then we can decide how we're going to proceed from a timing standpoint. Thank you. Great. Thank you, commissioners. So I do want to clarify that the county and no local government in Colorado can carve out any specific industries. Including farming

4:16:44or agriculture under HB 19 1210, so. That wouldn't be an option for the commissioners to consider today. Also, Boulder county is relying on CDle for enforcement of local minimum wages. It is our assessment that we are meeting the stakeholder requirement under HB 19 1210. Through this process. We also created an online form and advertise this public hearing as well as the online form for feedback in an attempt to help mitigate the impacts of not being able to schedule a hearing after 05:00 p.m. today, just due to different schedules and needing to fit in a subsequent public hearing on this topic before. The end of November 2025. We have received over 100 minutes of public comment and also over 1200. Responses to that online survey. All of the options that were proposed by staff today would be a decrease from the current schedule. As set forth in 2023. However, options four and five as presented by staff today. Would still provide a wage increase on the local minimum wage. For the year 2026. Staff also agrees housing is a major countywide issue, but that is not something that we're able to address in this hearing today, but I do want to note it's being worked on by this board of county commissioners. Also, this board of county commissioners is proposing a $25 an hour wage for

4:18:31employees within Boulder. County. So I wanted to clarify that on the record, since we are following our budget hearing there were some comments kind of conflating the two also. Setting any minimum wage today based on our options or based on our current wage schedule under the 2023 ordinance would not restrict employers from paying a higher wage, as the county commissioners intend to do in 2026. Boulder county, and this board of county Commissioners actually did pass county policy 9.1, which. Does support. Local businesses in our purchasing. It does not go down to the specifics of purchasing produce, but is more a general implementation of county procurement policies. And the average price of a whopper sandwich, where we are currently. Is actually 829. And those are all the responses we had prepared for you. I based it on long last thank you. Thank you, staff. So let's do this. It would be great to. Are there any questions for staff? Maybe we should start. There. No. I don't think I. But this information is what I wanted to put on the screen. Thanks. Okay. And so I just want to check Commissioner Levy, since you would ask for that if there was any more follow up on that one, you're fine. Okay, that's great. And you actually responded to a question that I had. Now I can't

4:19:59remember which piece of it, but you've already responded it. I'm fine, thank you. I think what I would like to know. Commissioners because we close the public comment, we don't have any additional questions for staff. It's really up for us to have some discussion and deliberation. What we are discussing here is language for a potential if we were to move that direction for potential first reading, and then a second reading would occur after that. So we have a few minutes. If you'd like to start a discussion or folks feel like. There might be extensive conversation, then we may just go ahead and. Table to. Date certain is that November 20. In which time? Or would you want us to bring it back? To a business beating for discussion prior to the November 20 language. Thank you, commissioners. It would be my preference that we bring this back to a business meeting. If more time is needed. Just because we would want to have a first reading. And we do intend to do some more public advertising around any potential proposed wage. Thank you. Commissioner loan.

4:21:10I do need to leave. No more than 15 minutes. In my car, and I don't know how long we would need to discuss. That's great. That's helpful just to talk about that from a timing standpoint. I think what I'll suggest then is that. We opened the conversation, but I think my suggestion would be so that we aren't rushed. So that we aren't creating any. I don't know what the discussion might be. But I don't want to be creating an additional option up here from the dais. In what feels like under pressure and would love to hear from each one of you in regards to what you heard and what you're thinking. So with that, what I would suggest that we do. Would be for us to go to a business meeting. I don't know if staff might. Have a date that we could just address that right now. And so to be clear, we wouldn't.

4:22:03Have any more public comment. It would just be for the board of county commissioners to have discussion, deliberation to determine what would or would not be brought. To the county in regards to the November 20 1st reading. Thank you, commissioners. I would request that if you are tabling to a date certain to table to October 21, at 09:30 a.m. Thank you. Any discussion on just that question I had about moving to the 21st? No. As long as it works for if we are moving forward, first rating, second rating. Notice all that. Stuff that works for me. I already built it into the schedule. Thank you. So then I would move that we table the discussion deliberation between the board of county commissioners on the local minimum wage proposals for 2026 to October 21, and my guess would be that would be a 09:30 a.m. which looks. Correct. Second, all in favor? Aye. Aye. Thank you and so appreciate everybody.