By Nicole Speer in Nicole's Notes — 21 Jun 2026

June 22, 2026

Ballots due 6/30, Food Tax Rebate, Council summer recess, municipal finance explained, minimum wage changes, BVCP update, potential ballot measures.

I was lucky enough to catch the prickly pears blooming along a South Boulder trail in the last days of spring.

What's new?

Remember to vote by June 30 if you want to choose your county and state elected officials. The primaries will determine the outcomes of most elections.
The Food Tax Rebate helps lower‑income community members with food costs. Learn more and apply by June 30 here.
June 24 is Walk and Bike to Work Day. Register here for a chance to win prizes and find one of the many participating organizations across the region.

After this week's meeting, the City Council takes a brief recess until the week of July 20, and so does my newsletter. In the meantime, I'll be working on a summer side project: videos explaining municipal finance. Find them here or on YouTube.

Upcoming Topics

At its special meeting this week, the City Council will continue the public hearing on the BVCP update, take a first reading on proposed minimum wage changes, and review the city’s long‑term financial outlook and voter survey results to decide which potential 2026 ballot measures should move forward for drafting.

Learn more about this week’s topics + upcoming items

Recent Decisions

Last week, the Council sent the Spring Valley annexation question to a neighborhood election, adopted new festival event permitting rules, and created a new festival liquor permit.

Learn more about recent decisions

Get engaged

Share challenges and opportunities related to aging through in‑person and online conversations throughout June. Find dates and information here.
Boulder residents can apply for up to $5,000 to support community‑led art projects in their neighborhood. Click here for more information.
The city is offering free guided public art tours downtown this summer in multiple languages and formats. Find details and register here.

Community kudos

Thank you to the many organizations and people who helped Boulder County celebrate Juneteenth, including the cities of Longmont, Lafayette, and Boulder; CU Boulder; and the Executive Committee, African American Cultural Events. Be sure to catch ECAACE's 13 Fires this week at the Dairy Arts Center.
Thank you to everyone at Rocky Mountain Equality and the many partners who have hosted Pride events all over the Front Range this month. If you missed out, there's still a week left to celebrate. Find remaining Pride events here.
Thank you to city staff for compiling a list of resources for refugees in honor of World Refugee Day. Learn more here.

What I'm reading/listening to

Boulder County is testing super‑reflective roof paint to see if it can cut indoor heat for Boulder residents as summers get hotter. (Colorado Public Radio)
Xcel is cleaning up coal ash, but advocates are concerned a second landfill may keep leaking pollution into groundwater. (Boulder Reporting Lab)
A fake Reddit post attacking a CU Regent candidate was traced back to his opponent’s campaign. (Boulder Reporting Lab)
Dark‑money groups pour almost $2M into Colorado’s Democratic primaries to steer competitive races toward more moderate candidates. (The Colorado Sun)
A court order reinstated gender-affirming care at Children’s Hospital Colorado, but doctors are refusing to provide it. (The Colorado Sun)

Quote for the month

That we not hide behind the mockeries of separations that have been imposed upon us and which so often we accept as our own...it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence.

-Audre Lorde, The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action

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.