Boulder Chamber Public Affairs Newsletter July 23, 2018
Boulder Chamber Advocates for Funding Transportation Improvements in the
Northwest Region!
The Boulder Chamber spent a great deal of effort this year advocating for funding of transportation improvements that serve our workforce and residents in Boulder County. This has been particularly important as we anticipate a statewide transportation ballot initiative this fall and want to make sure, if it passes, that our projects are prioritized for completion. 
Kicking-off our advocacy efforts, we joined with our colleagues in the Northwest Chamber Alliance in a letter to CDOT’s Transportation Commission expressing support for a list of project priorities for the Northwest region of Denver. In April, the NWCA further addressed these priorities in a meeting at the State Capitol with Governor John Hickenlooper and CDOT Executive Director Michael Lewis. Finally, in statements before the CDOT Commission, we made clear the importance of improving our region’s transportation system to maintain the economic vitality of our communities. Read the letter of support here .

W e are pleased to report that the CDOT Commission heard our appeals and specifically included our requested improvements in their priority project list. Also, as reported last week in the Times-Call , while not including the Northwest Rail Line as a specific priority for funding, “the state commission did agree to include rail as a category of transportation projects that could be eligible for funding from the portions of the sales tax revenues that would be earmarked for multimodal transportation and for cities' and counties' transportation projects.”
 
The Boulder Chamber will soon host a forum for our membership on the proposed statewide transportation tax as we develop our own position on the ballot initiative. You can learn more about the proposed transportation tax here and please feel free to share your thoughts with Public Affairs Director Andrea Meneghel at [email protected] . 
Colorado Primary Election Recap
Colorado saw primary elections wrap up last month and now our attention turns to the upcoming November elections . . .
 
Learn who Colorado voters chose to run for the State Senate, the Governor and the U.S House of Representatives in this primary election summary provided by our partners at the Colorado Competitive Council.
The Boulder Chamber Stays on Top of The Issues Affecting Our State and Community’s Energy Policy
Given the interest of our membership in energy issues affecting their business and the environment, the Boulder Chamber continues to monitor developments on a variety of different fronts toward addressing our future energy needs in more sustainable fashion. This month, our Community Affairs Council met with Boulder’s new Electric Utility Development Director, Steve Catanach. Steve shared his perspective on the past, present and future of the City’s pursuit of municipalizing the electric utility and the enhanced effort to communicate with residents and businesses regarding the municipalization progress and set-backs.
On another front in the move toward greener energy, the Business Research Division of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado recently released a report detailing the economic impacts of Xcel Energy’s Colorado Energy Plan . The report indicates the plan will result in net economic benefits for Colorado due to the increase in capital and operating expenditures as well as lower revenue requirements. The Colorado Energy Plan will also result in 549 more jobs in the state and there is an anticipated GDP increases over the 23-year study period.
Let the Small Business Voice Be Heard on the Future of Retail and Tourism in Boulder
 
Sales taxes as the single largest source of tax income for the City of Boulder and tourists are a critically important source of retail sales. Further, while we applaud City Council's stated commitment to small business, some Council members clearly are not well informed on how our downtown economy works and what it takes to survive as an independent business.
 
You can be sure that City Council will hear from the Boulder Chamber and our colleagues at the Downtown Boulder Partners on this matter (read one important statement from the leaders of four pillar downtown businesses here ), but we also encourage our Boulder Chamber membership to weigh-in. The Downtown Boulder Partnership created this survey for downtown business that will help us provide clear evidence of the critical importance of tourism to our economy.

If you are looking for other ways to voice your opinion, you can also:
 
Building Bridges: How Do We Listen to Each Other? Provide Your Input and Engage in the Community Dialogue!
The Boulder Chamber encourages you to speak-out on behalf of Boulder business through the City of Boulder's Building Bridges forum. Be part of the ongoing series of community workshops exploring how to talk, listen and hear one another. Your input is valuable and we encourage your participation.
 
Please take a moment to fill out one or both of the following surveys. Each should take only a few minutes and your time is greatly appreciated:
THANK YOU TO OUR 2018 NEWSLETTER SPONSORS!
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