The Boulder City Council approved the city’s 2026 budget with an 8-1 vote during its Thursday meeting.

The $521 million budget is about an 11% drop from last year’s budget of $589 million, cuts 19 positions and department budgets, and institutes fees to overcome an initial $7.5 million shortfall. The city’s 2026 operating budget sits at $407.7 million and its budget for capital improvement projects is at $113.3 million. Taishya Adams was the lone councilmember to vote against.

The budget comes as Boulder is facing economic uncertainty, just as other communities in Colorado and around the nation are. Boulder’s economy has long leaned on tax revenue, but the money generated from the city’s sales and use tax is flattening. Property tax revenue had its smallest growth in 14 years, Boulder Bu

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