Boulder Mayor: ‘Budget Likely To Take A Brutal Hit’

BOULDER, CO—The new coronavirus is negatively impacting Boulder's budget, resulting in a 14 percent sudden drop in city revenue, according to Mayor Sam Weaver. In a video released Friday, the mayor said out of the city's $285 million total budget, it has experienced a $40 million shortfall. To make up for the loss, the mayor said cuts will be necessary.

"The city has already furloughed more than 700 employees, most of whom were seasonal, with more cuts coming in the near future," the mayor said. "Our city government will need to adapt by being especially judicious about how our city organization allocates our suddenly smaller budget."

To cope with the decreased revenue, the city recently appointed a permanent financial strategy committee to carefully review the city's entire budget and classify the services and programs offered by each city department. According to the mayor, this classification system will be divided into four categories: essential, important, helpful and amenity.

“Budget allocations will not be cut by 14 percent across the board," the mayor stressed. "Rather, the classifications will help inform which programs and services are cut, which are reduced in scope and which are fully preserved based on the value provided to the community."

Life and safety services are ranked at the top of the list for preservation while amenities will have the highest likelihood of cuts and suspensions, the mayor said.

"This work will be economic triage—a necessary but unpleasant sorting of the many priorities valued by our community," Weaver said. "The work will not be easy, and at times it will be painful as the community sees the loss of services from which we’ve all grown accustomed."

When city council eventually adopts the 2021 budget, the mayor said it is likely to have the largest single year cutbacks since the 2001 dotcom crash and the 2008 financial crisis—if not deeper.

"This will not be an easy process for the Boulder community, and I regret these measures will be necessary," Weaver said. "We will get through this time together and eventually return to a most stable and predictable economy. In the meantime, we all need to support each other through these difficult times."

Public hearings on the upcoming budget, which will include public feedback, is expected to take place in the late summer and fall of this year.

Video of Mayor Sam Weaver discussing Boulder's budget:

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