August 3, 2026
Voting town hall, city council elections, artist workshop, local ballot measures, BVCP update, electric street sweeping, new survey on power outages.
In this newsletter
- What's new?
- Upcoming Topics
- Recent Decisions
- Get engaged
- Community Kudos
- What I'm reading/listening to
- Quote for the month
- Community resources
- Weekly Schedule
What's new?
- Join State Representative Junie Joseph on Aug. 4 for a community discussion about voting, campaign financing, and election safeguards. Find details here.
- An Aug. 11 Artist Meetup will help working artists identify where their creative energy leaks and develop more tools to protect it. Learn more and register here.
- Boulder voters will elect a mayor and five councilmembers this November. Learn how to get your name on the ballot by Aug. 24.
Upcoming Topics
This week's City Council meeting features a public hearing on five proposed 2026 ballot measures, including the controversial Downtown Development Authority, and a continued hearing on the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan update.
Recent Decisions
At last week's meeting, councilmembers unanimously decided against slowing wage increases for tipped workers and requested more information from staff on explicitly including wildfire resilience as an allowed use of Open Space land.
Get engaged
- Share your experiences with power outages through a 10-minute BeHeardBoulder questionnaire (available in English and Spanish here).
- Apply by Aug. 13 for a chance to become Boulder's first-ever Poet Laureate. Find more information and the application here.
- Join the Boulder Public Library District on Aug. 20 for an evening of poetry, storytelling, music, and conversation with three Black fathers sharing creative work about grief, joy, and parenting in predominantly white spaces. Find details here.
- Drop into in-person or virtual office hours on Aug. 25–26 to discuss the city’s utilities rate study and water budget review. Find times and locations here.
- The city is offering free guided public art tours downtown this summer in multiple languages and formats. Find details and register here.
Community kudos
Kudos to the fleet and street maintenance teams for rolling out Boulder’s first fully electric street sweeper, which saves the city money on fuel costs and reduces noise.
What I'm reading/listening to
- A proposed Downtown Development Authority would dedicate future tax revenue growth to downtown projects. (Boulder Valley Frequency, Boulder Reporting Lab)
- Former Councilmember Mark Wallach writes about his resignation and the "Aspenization of Boulder." (Boulder Reporting Lab)
- ALLO has stated its intent to withdraw from building out Boulder's high-speed internet network; the city is reviewing options. (Boulder Reporting Lab)
- Drought hits nearly the entire state, with record‑low rivers, fallowed fields, stranded reservoirs and unprecedented fishing closures. (Daily Camera)
- A look at the new federal plan for the Colorado River and what it means for Colorado’s required water conservation. (Colorado Sun)
Quote for the month
If we want to change the world, it must first come from healing the discord within our own souls.
-Will Bowen, author of A Complaint Free World
Community resources
Click here to find additional financial and social assistance programs, report an issue, contact staff or Councilmembers, learn about grant opportunities, and more.
Weekly schedule
Schedule office hours or find my weekly schedule and annual meeting tally here.
