Boulder Ballot Issues

2A 

To that end, Boulder seeks to tax marijuana producers and buyers over and above the state’s tax. The tax would be up to 10 percent on cultivators/establishments, and up to 10 percent at the point of sale, meaning up to a 20 percent overall tax on cannabis. The money would go towards: enforcement of the laws, substance abuse education and treatment—especially for minors. Marijuana is a touchy issue; better to have too much regulation, at this point, than too little.

 2B and 2D 

To pay for transportation infrastructure, 2B would raise sales taxes by .15 percent, and 2D would keep in place a sales tax of .15 percent. Especially since the floods, Boulder needs massive amounts of cash to fix its roads.

2C 

Since 1989, Boulder has collected a .33 percent sales tax and used the money to buy open space. The program has been a huge success, and a model for other towns seeking to limit sprawl. This question asks voters to let the government keep collecting that tax after 2019, but it would change how the money would be spent. If approved, most of the sales tax would eventually go not toward open space but toward fire, police, libraries, parks and other general needs. Boulder should either stop collecting the tax or find other opportunities to improve the environment with that money.

 2E and 310 

Boulder is green, and the city council wants to make it greener by acquiring Xcel energy’s distribution system and waning the city off fossil fuels in favor of renewables. Question 2E allows the city council to move forward with this process. Question 310 is a competing ballot measure, created by citizens with ties to Xcel energy who believe a city utility would make energy too expensive. But a city-owned utility could be a real opportunity to reduce carbon emissions.

 2F

This gives the city more flexibility about when to sell bonds—a utility-related question, favoring the environment over money. If the city creates its own power utility, it will need to sell bonds. This question, if approved, will give the city more negotiating power and flexibility when it tries to sell those bonds. For example, as it stands now, bonds must be sold to the highest bidder. This question would allow the city to sell the bonds to local investors with a stake in the community and in lower carbon emissions, even if their bid is a little lower than some far-off bank that might only care about financial returns.

 2G 

Seeks diversity in government. This allows “residents” to serve on boards and commissions, meaning non-citizens, and requires that members of any board be “not all of one sex.” This is a novel attempt at achieving diversity in government.

 2H 

Extends the moratorium on new oil and gas drilling.

YS votes Yes for: 2A, 2B, 2D, 2E, 2H