February 16, 2026
Red Flag Warning Tues. (2/17), Council considers East Boulder annexation, new court dashboard increases transparency, commissioners oppose EPA change.
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?
- There's a red flag warning from 10 am-7 pm Tuesday, Feb. 17 due to dangerous fire conditions. While there won't be a public safety power shutoff, outages may occur if power lines are damaged by high winds.
- Northeast Boulder residents and businesses may notice a short‑term change in water taste during planned maintenance this week. Read more here.
- Celeste Landry and I explained why better representation comes from changing how elections work rather than simply adding elected officials.
Council is likely to cancel its study session next week to participate in a disaster management training. If so, the next newsletter will go out on Mar. 2.
Upcoming Topics
This week, Council considers joining a regional child abduction response team, bringing city‑owned land near East Boulder Community Park into city limits, and an early concept review for redeveloping two sites on East Pearl.
Recent Decisions
Last week, Council voted to keep exploring the possibility of future development in the Planning Reserve, chose not to revisit land use changes, and heard an update from the Municipal Court (including a new public dashboard).
Get engaged
- Food truck owners can sign up now for a Feb. 25–26 help session to get information and support on meeting the city's licensing requirements.
- Celebrate Black History Month at the Black Futures in Art opening reception at the Dairy Arts Center on Feb. 20.
Community kudos
Thanks to Boulder County’s commissioners for recognizing the regional air‑quality and climate impacts of the Environmental Protection Agency's repeal of its endangerment finding, and for highlighting how the loss of that determination affects community health and local climate work. Read their full statement here.
What I'm reading/listening to
- Current and former county commissioners explain why they oppose expanding the number of Boulder County Commissioners. (Boulder Reporting Lab)
- An overview of undergrounding power lines: how it reduces wildfire risk, why it’s so expensive, and how Boulder and Xcel are approaching it. (Daily Camera)
- What the growing mountain pine beetle outbreak in Boulder County could mean for local forests and wildfire risk. (Boulder Reporting Lab)
- The Dark Horse plans weekly drop-ins at its longtime home before transitioning to its next phase. (Boulder Reporting Lab)
- A new study by CU Boulder scientists explains why some pain lingers long after an injury heals. (Daily Camera)
Quote for the month
What we're seeing is the eroding of basic, basic principles that have been foundational to the way that we have expected to live life here in America. Everybody is waking up to a reality that many of us in the African American community have known for a very long time.
-Eli Darris, Executive Director, Minnesota Freedom Fund
Community resources
Click here to find local 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.
