Boulder Reporting Lab

3 days ago | boulderreportinglab.org | Jenna Sampson |Stacy Feldman

Dozens of families packed Boulder City Council chambers on May 1 in support of a homeschool program called Sage that had operated quietly for decades but recently shut down after being flagged for code violations. The city said it received two complaints in February from community members raising concerns about unsafe, unpermitted buildings and the operation of an unlicensed school. In response, the city visited the site and confirmed the violations.

3 days ago | boulderreportinglab.org | Stacy Feldman

The Colorado Municipal League, which represents nearly every city and town in the state, has joined the City of Boulder in fighting a lawsuit that seeks to compel the city to release police body camera footage of alleged officer misconduct at no cost. In a legal filing last month, the group argued that requiring cities to turn over footage at no cost “will have a significant detrimental fiscal impact on local governments statewide.” Colorado Counties, Inc.

3 days ago | boulderreportinglab.org | Stacy Feldman

A group of Boulder residents has ended its campaign to place two housing-related measures on the November 2025 ballot, citing delays by the City Attorney’s Office as the main reason for abandoning the effort. One proposal would have required developers to pay new fees associated with the public infrastructure costs of their projects. The other would have mandated affordable housing commitments when single-family homes are converted into duplexes or triplexes.

6 days ago | boulderreportinglab.org | Stacy Feldman

A majority of Boulder City Council said on Thursday they do not plan to place a vacancy tax measure on this year’s ballot, citing concerns it could interfere with other tax measures. The proposed tax would likely target second homes and aim to encourage homeowners to rent out underused properties, making better use of the city’s limited housing stock. A $7,000-per-unit annual tax could generate between $2 million and $3.4 million in revenue, according to recent city estimates.

6 days ago | boulderreportinglab.org | John Herrick

The City of Boulder is facing growing financial pressure as revenue growth slows and uncertainty clouds the future of federal funding, according to new forecasts by city officials and researchers at CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. The financial outlook is expected to shape key decisions for the city’s 2026 budget, which the Boulder City Council will begin reviewing later this summer. A tighter budget will likely force the city to cut funding for some programs to prioritize others.