2026 Meeting Agendas and Outcomes
This post tracks summaries and outcomes for key items from 2026 City Council meetings: what was discussed, why it mattered, and what decisions were made.
For each 2026 meeting or study session, you’ll find a brief overview of what Council considered, why it mattered, and what happened.
JANUARY 22, 2026 (SPECIAL MEETING)
The overview and summaries below highlight key agenda items and how to engage with them. The full agenda is available here.
Jump to the summaries of selected items in each section:
Consent Agenda
If you want to share your views on a Consent Agenda item:
Email the Council before the meeting or sign up to speak at Open Comment. Consent Agenda items rarely change based on day‑of feedback. Councilmembers can vote “no” on individual items if they have concerns.
Letter from City Council to Xcel Energy
What Council is considering:
Allowing the City Manager to send a letter to Xcel that reflects Council and community concerns about reliability, costs, and progress on shared clean‑energy work, and outlines expectations for the next few years.
Why it matters:
Residents and businesses have experienced repeated outages and rising bills. The letter sets clear expectations for improvements in service, communication, and clean‑energy progress as the city evaluates how well the partnership is working.
What happened:
Council voted 9-0 to send the letter to Xcel Energy-Colorado President Robert Kenney. Learn more via the Boulder Reporting Lab, Daily Camera, or Denver News 7.
What's next:
City staff will send the letter to Xcel’s leadership. Staff will continue to monitor partnership progress, talk with Xcel about its plans to improve communication and reliability, and prepare updates for council ahead of future opt-out years.
2026 Council Committee Appointments
What Council is considering:
Council will vote on its members' appointments to regional boards and city committees, including groups that work on transportation, housing, and other community priorities.
Why it matters:
These appointments determine who represents Boulder on regional boards and who tracks internal topic areas on behalf of the full Council.
What happened:
Council voted 9-0 to approve the committee appointments. There is one remaining committee seat to fill, on a county homelessness task force.
What's next:
Councilmembers will go about their committee work, attending meetings as assigned. Councilmember Marquis volunteered to be the alternate for the homelessness task force; Councilmembers Benjamin and Wallach will decide amongst themselves who will be the primary appointment to that committee.
Public Hearings
If you want to share your views on a Public Hearing item:
Sign up to speak at the Public Hearing or email the Council before the meeting. At the Public Hearing, Councilmembers can propose and vote on changes if they feel a perspective has been left out or if new information comes up.
Updating the city's purchasing procedures
What Council is considering:
Bringing the city’s purchasing rules up to date so the process is simpler, more flexible, and better aligned with the city's equity and sustainability goals.
Why it matters:
The update makes it easier for small-, minority-, and women-owned businesses to compete for city work. It also helps the city choose products and services that advance the city's climate goals.
What happened:
Council passed this ordinance unanimously (9-0).
What's next:
Staff will update the city’s internal purchasing steps so everyone is using the new rules, and because the ordinance lets staff keep these procedures current without waiting for another full code rewrite, they’ll make targeted updates over time to keep the procedures aligned with the goals of the ordinance.
BVCP Community Change Requests Review
What Council is considering:
Deciding which requests for discrete changes to land‑use maps or planning boundaries should move forward for more study as the city updates its long‑range plan.
Why it matters:
This step will not approve any changes. It will simply determine which ideas get a closer look as the draft plan is written later this spring.
What happened:
Council voted 9-0 to advance the recommended change requests, with three exceptions: not advancing a change request for higher density along Sioux Drive and advancing two additional requests related to wildfire mitigation and agricultural water use.
What's next:
Staff will take a closer look at the change requests that advanced and bring back recommendations in March 2026 on whether to include them in the draft BVCP update.
Matters
If you want to share your views on a Matters item:
Email the Council before the meeting or sign up to speak at Open Comment.
Metro District Policy Framework
What Council is discussing:
Early direction on a proposed city framework for regulating metropolitan districts ("metro districts"). These districts let developers borrow money for roads, utilities, and other improvements and repay it over time through property taxes collected within the district.
What happened:
Councilmembers generally agreed with staff's policy recommendations and gave minor feedback on additional information that may be helpful as this moves toward an ordinance.
What's next:
Staff will check in with businesses and bring forward a Regulating Ordinance and Model Service Plan this spring for consideration and adoption in early April.
JANUARY 12-13, 2026 (COUNCIL RETREAT)
With council elections moving from odd to even years between 2025 and 2026, this Council serves a one‑year term, so the retreat will focus on priorities for 2026 alone. My main priorities for this year are not tied to the retreat, but their success will be influenced by the 2026 commitments Council makes at the retreat:
- Completing the Long-Term Financial Strategy Council began in 2024,
- Completing the major update to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan Council started in 2024, and
- Avoiding overcommitting staff in what promises to be a very unpredictable and chaotic year.
My main goal heading into the retreat is to ensure any new work Council initiates is realistic and doesn’t compromise our ability to follow through on the commitments already underway.
What happened:
Council recommitted to finishing the outstanding workplan priorities from the prior Council (the Long-Term Financial Strategy and the major update to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan). In addition, Council committed to:
- Figuring out options for cutting the raises Council promised tipped workers in 2024.
- Asking Xcel to give a clear explanation of what it will and won’t do to improve Boulder’s power resiliency, so the city can plan for the gaps.
- Identifying the wildfire‑mitigation options that give people the most benefit for their time and money and putting the information in one place.
- Shifting police time toward bike‑theft prevention and investigations.
- Rewriting the sister‑cities rules to clarify reporting and inactive partnerships.
- Looking at how much work a rewrite of the city's land use code would take.
Read summaries in the Daily Camera and Boulder Reporting Lab.
JANUARY 8, 2026 (SPECIAL MEETING)
The overview and summaries below highlight key agenda items and how to engage with them. The full agenda is available here and the meeting recording is available here.
Jump to the summaries of selected items in each section:
Consent Agenda
Consent Agenda items are typically routine or previously discussed and are approved together unless pulled by a Councilmember.
Letter from City Council to Xcel Energy
What Council is considering:
Allowing the City Manager to send a letter to Xcel that reflects Council and community concerns about reliability, costs, and progress on shared clean‑energy work, and outlines expectations for the next few years.
Why it matters:
Residents and businesses have experienced repeated outages and rising bills. The letter sets clear expectations for improvements in service, communication, and clean‑energy progress as the city evaluates how well the partnership is working.
What happened:
Council voted to remove this item from the Jan. 8 agenda to enable Councilmembers more time to provide feedback.
What's next:
This item returns to the Consent Agenda for a vote Jan. 22.
Sundance Film Festival & City Services Agreement
What Council is considering:
Approving an agreement that outlines how the city will support hosting the Sundance Film Festival in Boulder for the next 10 years, including transportation support, use of downtown facilities, and financial rebates tied to the event.
Why it matters:
This event requires coordinated planning for transportation, public safety, permitting, and city staffing. The agreement sets the framework for how Boulder and the Sundance Institute will work together to manage local impacts.
What happened:
Council passed this item on a 9-0 vote. Read the Daily Camera's summary.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging
What Council is considering:
Adopting a resolution to opt out of revising the city’s land use code for EV charging. Updating Boulder's already successful code to match the state’s model standards would require significant staff time with limited added benefit.
Why it matters:
Opting out keeps Boulder compliant with state law without diverting staff time into a major code rewrite. The city can continue permitting EV chargers through its already successful processes and still make future code updates if needed.
What happened:
Council passed this item on a 9-0 vote.
Rezoning 5501 & 5505 Arapahoe Avenue (first reading)
What Council is considering:
First reading of two ordinances to rezone the former Boulder Dinner Theater site and the Premier Members Credit Union site to Mixed Use 4 (MU‑4). Rezoning changes the types of uses allowed on the sites.
Why it matters:
This zoning better matches the community vision for the 55th & Arapahoe area, which includes housing, small businesses, and transit connections. If passed, this item moves to a public hearing tentatively scheduled for February 5, 2026.
What happened:
Council passed this item on a 9-0 vote.
What's next:
This item is scheduled to return for a vote as a public hearing on Feb. 5.
Annexation Petitions for 5399 Kewanee Dr & 5697 South Boulder Rd (first reading)
What Council is considering:
First reading of an ordinance to annex city-owned land near East Boulder Community Park. Council is also asked to approve a resolution confirming the petition meets state requirements and to set the public hearing.
Why it matters:
Annexation is needed before the city can move forward with future parks, recreation, and flood‑mitigation uses on the site. This is just first reading. If passed, a public hearing is tentatively scheduled for February 19, 2026.
What happened:
Council passed this item on a 9-0 vote.
What's next:
This item is scheduled to return for a vote as a public hearing on Feb. 19.
Public Hearings
Public Hearings include items where Council hears a staff presentation, asks questions, takes public testimony, and discusses the item before voting.
Updates to landscaping, water use, and wildfire‑resilient design (Ordinance 8721)
What Council is considering:
Changes to the city’s rules for landscaping and outdoor areas when people build or remodel, including updates meant to save water, protect trees, and reduce wildfire risk.
Why it matters:
These updates affect how homes and buildings manage water, vegetation, and wildfire‑resilient design, and they respond to community feedback about balancing safety, tree preservation, and climate goals.
What happened:
Council passed this item on an 8-0 vote with no amendments (Councilmember Winer went home sick). Read Boulder Reporting Lab's summary.
What's next:
The city manager's office will create the landscaping guide and approved tree and plant lists. The new regulations go into effect Mar. 1, 2026.
Matters
Matters items are discussed without a formal vote; Council usually hears a staff or Councilmember presentation before beginning the discussion.
2026 Council Committee Appointments Discussion
What Council is discussing:
Council will discuss who will serve on regional boards and city committees for 2026, including groups that work on transportation, housing, and other community priorities.
Why it matters:
These appointments determine who represents Boulder on regional boards and who tracks internal topic areas on behalf of the full Council.
What happened:
Councilmembers indicated interest in open positions and discussed changes they would like to make to their existing appointments.
What's next:
This item will return Jan. 22 or Feb. 5 for a vote to finalize the 2026 committee appointments.
