City of Boulder Drafts Ballot Proposal to Make CCRS Sales Tax Permanent

The City of Boulder announced that it has drafted a ballot proposal for the November 2025 municipal election that would make the Community, Culture, Resilience and Safety (CCRS) Tax permanent. The CCRS Tax was originally approved in 2014 and is currently set to expire in 2036. Through the CCRS Tax, 10 percent of the revenue from the 0.3 percent sales tax in Boulder goes to community nonprofits for capital projects and capacity building. The rest of the revenue goes to capital infrastructure projects. 

A survey conducted earlier this year found that 64 percent of residents support extending the CCRS tax indefinitely to fund these projects. The City of Boulder has also drafted another ballot proposal that would increase the city’s debt capacity. This debt would be paid with future revenue from the CCRS Tax, but it would enable the city to move forward with more infrastructure projects. The city published its third blog post about long-term financial strategy last week and said money could be saved from increasing construction costs by moving forward with these projects sooner rather than later. 

The city announced in June that there is between an $8 million to $10 million budget shortfall in 2025, which has led to a hiring freeze on all positions between now and the end of the year. New positions and increased budgets are unlikely in 2026. Every city department is tasked with reducing costs between now and the end of the year. 

The CCRS tax has paid for Fire Stations 2 and 4, transportation projects on 30th and 28th Streets, and replacements for Central Avenue Bridge and Violet Bridge. In addition, it has paid for traffic signal upgrades, streetlights, and public safety improvements. 

If the ballot proposal is approved and passed in the 2025 municipal election, the permanent CCRS Tax will be used to fund future infrastructure projects including roads, paths, bike lanes, and replacing bridges. The revenue will also be used for renovations and upgrades to the recreation center, parks and playgrounds, fire and police stations, and trail improvements. 

$3.8 million has also been awarded to nonprofits from the CCRS Tax. In the 15 years from 2021 to 2036 (when the tax is currently set to expire), the city anticipates about $21.75 million will be set aside for local nonprofits, representing 10 percent of the CCRS tax revenue. 

Boulder residents will be able to vote on the ballot proposals in November if they are approved.