--- title: "Boulder adopts 2027 budget; BVSD upholds expulsion 6-1" date: "2026-10-17" weekStart: "2026-10-11" weekEnd: "2026-10-17" meetings: 4 generated: true drafted: "2026-10-18T12:07:20.154Z" --- ## [Boulder City Council, October 15](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/meetings/boulder/184) [Watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpdA6yZCFZ4 "Video of the meeting") Council adopted the 2027 city budget on second reading. Ordinance 8777, the budget itself, [passed 7-1](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/boulder/votes/184-t7) [unofficial](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/about#unofficial "Read from the meeting transcript by a language model, not from the official record"). [Taishya Adams](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/boulder/members/taishya-adams) voted no. Three companion ordinances passed 8-0: - Ordinance 8778, the 2026 property tax mill levies. - Ordinance 8779, the 2027 appropriation. - Ordinance 8780, changes to fees and taxes. Council suspended its rules to hold five public hearings in one meeting. That vote [passed 8-0](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/boulder/votes/184-t6) [unofficial](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/about#unofficial "Read from the meeting transcript by a language model, not from the official record"). Council then sat as the Knollwood Metropolitan District Board and passed the 2027 budget, mill levy, and appropriation resolutions 8-0. Council called up the Boulder Medical Center concept plan and rezoning for review. The vote [was 7-1](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/boulder/votes/184-t5) [unofficial](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/about#unofficial "Read from the meeting transcript by a language model, not from the official record"). Seven speakers asked for the call-up and cited traffic, evacuation, scale, and views. One speaker supported the rezoning. Council [adopted Ordinance 8774 8-0](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/boulder/votes/184-t18) [unofficial](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/about#unofficial "Read from the meeting transcript by a language model, not from the official record"). It rezones the Naropa site at 2106 and 2130 Arapahoe Avenue to RH-5. Council also [continued the Bandshell landmark alteration hearing to November 19, 8-0](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/boulder/votes/184-t19) [unofficial](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/about#unofficial "Read from the meeting transcript by a language model, not from the official record"). Council [amended the agenda 8-0](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/boulder/votes/184-t3) [unofficial](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/about#unofficial "Read from the meeting transcript by a language model, not from the official record") to add three items: Resolution 1394 on rail ballot measure 7A, a geothermal lease, and an audit committee appointment. Staff described a possible lease or purchase of an existing building for the police department. Staff estimated it could cost $90 million less than a new building. Six speakers opposed the $76.5 million South Boulder Creek dam at CU South. They asked for a pause, a peer review, and a public vote. Two speakers asked for a funded wildfire program. Two asked to keep Spruce Pool open past 2027. Four asked the city to divest from Caterpillar, Cisco, and Microsoft. ## [BVSD Board of Education, October 13](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/meetings/bvsd/DXZVXB82B88B) [Watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq3QMWulUU0 "Video of the meeting") The board upheld the expulsion of a student on appeal. Resolution 26-29 [passed 6-1](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/bvsd/votes/DXZVXB82B88B-t5) [unofficial](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/about#unofficial "Read from the meeting transcript by a language model, not from the official record"). [Deann Bucher](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/bvsd/members/deann-bucher) voted no. The board [approved the District Unified Improvement Plan 7-0](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/bvsd/votes/DXZVXB82B88B-t6) [unofficial](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/about#unofficial "Read from the meeting transcript by a language model, not from the official record"). [Alex Medler](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/bvsd/members/alex-medler) objected that the plan drops the "valued and included" measures. The board [passed Board Policy AC and regulation AC-R on nondiscrimination and equal opportunity 7-0](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/bvsd/votes/DXZVXB82B88B-t7) [unofficial](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/about#unofficial "Read from the meeting transcript by a language model, not from the official record"). The board [amended the agenda 7-0](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/bvsd/votes/DXZVXB82B88B-t1) [unofficial](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/about#unofficial "Read from the meeting transcript by a language model, not from the official record") to add the cancellation of its October 20 meeting to the consent agenda. The consent grouping, with the cancellation, [passed 7-0](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/bvsd/votes/DXZVXB82B88B-t4) [unofficial](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/about#unofficial "Read from the meeting transcript by a language model, not from the official record"). Public comment was long. Five speakers criticized the resilient schools process. They said it ignored special education rules and lacked published data. Three speakers described harassment of their children and said the district did not respond. Two speakers asked the district to withdraw a special education communication toolkit. In the legislative update, members shared personal positions on the November ballot measures because no formal resolutions were ready. ## Boulder County Commissioners The commissioners met October 13. They [approved the Cultural Council appointments 2-1](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/county/votes/3a9a76f2-57d4-4fed-bc77-fd3e666c6b00-2). Ashley Stolzmann voted no. The appointments reappoint Amy Moynihan and Amelia Lee and appoint Jay Schultz and Kari Palazari. They [approved the Proposition 123 expedited review compliance action and its resolution 2-1](https://politics.boulderhopkins.com/county/votes/3a9a76f2-57d4-4fed-bc77-fd3e666c6b00-3). Stolzmann voted no. Two easements passed 3-0. One is an Xcel Energy easement on Gunbarrel Public Improvement District property. The other is a 40,000-gallon fire cistern for Sunshine Fire Protection District on Bald Mountain open space. A Gunbarrel resident asked why the cistern easement had a public hearing and the Xcel easement did not. Staff said they would follow up. Staff gave a six-month update on homeless systems. In the budget session, the board gave direction to fund the Lafayette water payment and a homeless coordination specialist from the general fund. It also supported the Public Health sustainability tax programs. It supported seven IT capital projects totaling $858,446 under funding option B. The October 15 public hearings on the Mestan-Passe Earthwork and Residence docket and the Apahapa LLC boundary line adjustment have not been transcribed yet.