Broomfield Taxpayer Matters

May 19, 2025

This newsletter contains the following stories and information:

Attend the next "Make Your Voice Heard" event - That's a Wrap!
Budget Shortfalls and Consent Agendas
Community Survey Results
Stealing TABOR
Upcoming Agendas
May 20, 2025, Study Session
May 27, 2025, Regular Meeting
June 3, 2025, Regular Meeting
June 10, 2025, Regular Meeting
City Council member contact information

Pay Attention to these upcoming items in the Broomfield Council Agendas:

May 20 - Study Session

2A. Community Survey Results
2B. Energy Code
2C. Wildland Urban Interface - state-mandated code update
2D. Transit Needs Study Update

May 27 - Regular Meeting

5B. Housing Forum Presentation Regarding Housing Survey Results
6D. Agreements with Jefferson Academy for SEF Fund Use
6E. State Highway 7 Interim Widening Improvements ($2.1M Obligation)
7B. Broomfield Housing Alliance IGA
7C. Request for Funding from Flatiron Habitat for Humanity ($37,298.56)

June 3 - Regular Meeting

6E. Front Range Passenger Rail District and RTD Joint Services
7B. Expressing Support for World Refugee Day (Shouldn't this be a proclamation, not a business item?)

Please let us know if you plan to attend by registering here.

Local News

Please register for our next "Make Your Voice Heard" event on Saturday May 31, 2025.

“It’s A Wrap” - Recap of the 2025 Legislative Session.

Join us as we recap what happened during the 2025 Colorado Legislative Session. Learn about the craziness of the bills and procedures, and talk about what’s coming next.

Budget Shortfalls and Consent Agendas

Thank you for contacting your councilmembers about moving the auditorium lighting from the consent agenda and to the council agenda and actually discussing it .

Of course the council and staff made a big production of the fact that you should be informed because you are footing the bill. Manager Hoffman said "as council knows, but also for the community, consent items aren't aren't designed to get something...it's not designed not to have conversation about it or to deliberate um or to, you know, kind of do the hide the shell. The consent agendas are things that we've already discussed. budgets that have already been approved that have yet to be appropriated."

But as was pointed out in the presentation, this item was recognized as an immediate action in 2020 for immediate action in and was put into the budget in 2021. That was 5 years ago, when most of these councilmembers were not on council and there was a giant pandemic raging, and the budget was stable.

Councilmember Cohen said that it was only "0.4% of our budget", but that's not really the point is it? Manager Hoffman has emphasized since 2024 that they are only considering obligations, critical projects, and mandates (slide 2). Yet, this lighting proposal is in the "other" category in the 2025 CIP Plan and it was ranked 39.

They didn't need to make a big production of the item. You asked them to discuss it based on the fact that Jeff Romine, on May 8, said that the city's budget was fragile due to a number of changes in the economy. In light of that, it's more than reasonable for the council to discuss an agenda item to approve the the contract for an item that is $1.27M dollars of your taxpayer dollars. And remember, the Broomfield Council is required to approve all contracts that are more that $200,000. This deserved a real discussion.

So why was this item so important to approve the contract that is over $1 million dollars? This feels like the Council approving pet projects. The only clue was when Mayor Pro-Tem Shaff said that "Art is not a luxury. It's a lifeline." Mayor Pro-Tem Shaff went on to say that, "nothing is more stressful than the realization the lights will go dark or fail just before the performance or worse yet, during the performance." How stressful do you think it would be if a fire were approaching your home and there wasn't enough water pressure to try to save your home?

There are many other items on the CIP Plan that are critical or mandates and ranked higher and yet with a possible $6.5M revenue shortfall for 2025 and 2026, we were just questioning how these items get placed on the consent agenda without an updated discussion. Remember the debt graph we showed last week. Isn't it important in uncertain economic times to limit spending?

We keep saying this, it is our money, and we deserve to have the council consider these items in more than a 15-minute discussion during the Consent Agenda. We deserve the opportunity to specifically speak on these substantial spending decisions and to hear Councils' reasoning why certain projects have become urgent.

2025 Community Survey Results to be Shared May 20th.

The 2025 Community Survey results will be reported at the May 20, 2025 Study Session.

The 2025 Broomfield Community Survey was distributed via text message to 44,628 residents, representing approximately 71% of the adult population. By the conclusion of the more than three-week response period, 2,908 completed surveys were submitted, providing a statistically valid representation of community perspectives.

Highlighted items include:

Is Broomfield headed in the "right direction"
36% selected "right direction"
35% indicated they were "unsure"
29% believed Broomfield was headed in the "wrong direction"
Opinions of Government Performance
42% of residents rated the City Council's performance as fair or poor, compared to 37% in the 2023 Community Survey
34% of residents rated the City Council's overall performance as excellent or good
24% of residents had no opinion on council performance
Key Issues or Priorities
Cost of living and utility rates
Affordable and accessible housing
Town Center/Downtown development
Infrastructure and traffic
Crime, safety and homelessness
Open Space and Smart Growth
Government Transparency and Representation

The official survey will be released and reviewed by Council on Tuesday, May 20th. Tune in and hold your government accountable.

State News

Stealing TABOR

The Democrat legislators this year included a "direct court challenge of TABOR itself". "HJR25-1023, finds that TABOR’s spending limits “deprived [Colorado] of a republican form of government” and instructs the legislature’s lawyers to make that argument before a district court (against the Colorado Attorney General’s office, forcing taxpayers to fund both sides of the case)."

It's notable that the Broomfield Council provided support for the direct court challenge. One that would have used your tax dollars to argue both sides of the lawsuit.

On the heals of this latest move by the legislature, Common Sense Institute published a report titled "The Legislative Assault on TABOR: How Colorado Lawmakers Are Rewriting the Rules" Here the key findings of this comprehensive TABOR analysis:

From FY21 through FY25, state legislation has reduced TABOR refunds by more than $2.3 billion—an average of $736 per filer. This amount is likely to grow as more bills are passed during the 2025 session.

Some of that amount comes from bills that allow the state government to retain more revenue and some comes from targeted tax credits and subsidies for individuals and businesses.

If TABOR had been repealed before 2021, the state government would have spent a total of $9.2 billion more since then. To enable this, Coloradans would have paid $1.9 billion more in personal taxes and received $7.3 billion less in transfer payments (a total of $2,443 per filer, on average).

Isn't our form government based on limited government, self-governing citizens, and individual property rights, especially the money you earn? It's almost like these legislators have never read, don't understand, or don't want to honor their oaths the Colorado Constitution (which TABOR is enshrined in) or the United States Constitution. They don't want you to be self-governing, they want to govern every aspect of your life.

If you want them to keep creating ways to skirt the Colorado Constitution and TABOR to take more of your money, then keep voting for the same people. You deserve to be heard and to keep the money you earn.

It's time for a change. Stay active, stay vigilant, and work to change the policies and those who represent (or don't represent) you.

Upcoming City Council Meetings - Please let us know if you plan to attend by registering here.

May 20, 2025

Study Session - 6:00 p.m.

Draft Agenda

Concept Review (1)

Study Session (2)

2A. Community Survey Results

2B. Energy Code

2C. Wildland Urban Interface - state-mandated code update

2D. Transit Needs Study Update

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 27, 2025

Regular Meeting - 6:00 p.m.

Draft Agenda

Meeting Commencement (1)

1A. Pledge of Allegiance

1B. Review and Approval of Agenda

Petitions and Communications (2)

Councilmember Reports (3)

Public Comment (4)

**Note** Public is allowed to comment on items other than those listed in the current agenda

Reports (5)

5A. Waste Connections Monthly Update

5B. Housing Forum Presentation Regarding Housing Survey Results

5C. Council Meeting Call-In Service

Consent Items (6)

6A. Minutes for Approval - May 20, Study Session

6B.2025 Playground Replacements ($250,000 Mandate)

-- Resolution 2025-89

-- Resolution 2025-90

6C. Flatiron Improvement District (FID) Board Appointments

-- Resolution 2025-84

6D. Agreements with Jefferson Academy for SEF Fund Use

-- Resolution 2025-97

6E. State Highway 7 Interim Widening Improvements ($2.1M Obligation)

-- Resolution 2025-94

Action Items (7)

7A. Public Hearing for Amending Land Use Approvals - 2nd Reading

-- Ordinance 2252

7B. Broomfield Housing Alliance IGA

-- Resolution 2025-87

7C. Request for Funding from Flatiron Habitat for Humanity ($37,298.56)

-- Resolution 2025-81

7D.HOME Consortium and Broomfield Consolidated Plan and 2025 Annual Action Plan

-- Resolution No. 2025-67

Mayor and Councilmember Requests for Future Action (8)

Adjournment (9)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

June 3, 2025

Regular Meeting - 6:00 p.m.

Draft Agenda

Meeting Commencement (1)

1A. Pledge of Allegiance

1B. Review and Approval of Agenda

Petitions and Communications (2)

2A. LGBTQIA + Pride Month Proclamation

2B. Proclamation Declaring June 6, 2025 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day

Councilmember Reports (3)

Public Comment (4)

**Note** Public is allowed to comment on items other than those listed in the current agenda

Reports (5)

5A. Update Regarding Immigration Services

Consent Items (6)

6A. Minutes for Approval - May 27, Regular Session

6B. Google Fiber Master License Agreement (Fiber to Home)

-- Resolution 2025-86

6C. Broadband Ready Certified Community

-- Resolution 2025-96

6D. Board of Equalization - Adoption of Hearing Officer Recommendation for Abatement Petition

-- Resolution 2025-83-BOE

6E. Front Range Passenger Rail District and RTD Joint Services

-- Resolution 2025-102

Action Items (7)

7A. Public Hearing - Brainard V Genesis Dealership PUD, FP, SDP/URSL & USR

-- Resolution 2025-91

-- Resolution 2025-92-UR

7B. Expressing Support for World Refugee Day

-- Resolution 2025-93

7C. Mile High Flood District (MHFD) IGA - Nissen Reservoir Channel Concreate Trail

-- Resolution 2025-76

7D.Mile High Flood District IGA - City Park Channel at Main St. Improvements

-- Resolution No. 2025-77

Mayor and Councilmember Requests for Future Action (8)

Adjournment (9)

Contact the City and County of Broomfield

Contact your City Council or City Staff about one of these stories:

Mayor - Guyleen Castriotta

gcastriotta@broomfieldcitycouncil.org

720-607-1527

Ward 1 -

James Marsh-Holschen

jmarshholschen@broomfieldcitycouncil.org

720-507-9184

Kenny Nguyen

knguyen@broomfieldcitycouncil.org

303-438-6300

Ward 2 -

Paloma Delgadillo

pdelgadillo@broomfieldcitycouncil.org

720-916-6406

Austin Ward

award@broomfieldcitycouncil.org

303-817-0991

Ward 3 -

Deven Shaff

dshaff@broomfieldcitycouncil.org

970-344-8032

Jean Lim

jlim@broomfieldcitycouncil.org

303-349-2745

Ward 4 -

Laurie Anderson

landerson@broomfieldcitycouncil.org

920-378-9654

Bruce Leslie

bleslie@broomfieldcitycouncil.org

210-324-5750

Ward 5 -

Todd Cohen

tcohen@broomfieldcitycouncil.org

720-900-5452

Heidi Henkel

hhenkel@broomfieldcitycouncil.org

303-349-0978

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