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Is the City and County of Broomfield Creating
A Cycle of Government Dependency?
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This newsletter contains the following stories and information:
- Upcoming Voice Heard September 27, 2025
- Water Dependency
- Housing Dependency
- The Fiscally-Responsible Party?
- State Mandated Wildfire Assessment
- Upcoming Agendas
- September 9, Regular Meeting
- September 16, Study Session
- September 18, Study Session
- September 23, Regular Meeting
- September 25, Study Session
- City Council member contact information
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Pay Attention to these upcoming items in the Broomfield Council Agendas:
September 9 - Regular Meeting
- 2A. 2025R and 2026 Proposed Budget Update
- 2C. Adams 12 Five Star Schools Ballot Initiative Update
- 6B. Industrial Lane Phase II Construction Management Agreement — Proposed Resolution No. 2025-130
- 7.B. Public Hearing - The Trails at Westlake Development Proposal — Resolution No. 2025-113
September 16 - Study Session
- 2B. Police Department Updates (no memo)
- 2C. Police Building Schematic Design Update
- 2D. Joint Service Rail Update
September 18 - Study Session
- 2A. 2026 Budget Presentations
September 23 - Regular Meeting
- 2A. Development Update - Broomfield Town Square
- 6C. Second Amendment IGA with CDOT for CO-7
- 7B. Adoption of Broomfield Transportation Safety Action Plan
September 25 - Study Session
- 2A. 2026 Budget Presentations
Please let us know if you plan to attend by registering here.
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Water Dependency
What do the four pictures to the right have in common with Broomfield's Enterprise Funds?
These pictures are a way to shape the public narrative around water in Broomfield.
There are people in the community that have lived in Broomfield their entire lives and have never seen such rapid water rates increases, year after year; infrastructure deterioration with an apparent lack of future funding; and the large number of proposed multi-family housing units CCOB is approving now.
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Broomfield Taxpayer Matters has previously communicated several concerns regarding the Enterprise Fund. In our February 19, 2024 newsletter, we discussed the decrease in water tap fees and examined their implications for the Enterprise Fund solvency. We have also provided updates on the council’s multiple meetings about the water tanks, highlighting that the lack of resolution—centered around the 2023 election—remains an ongoing issue. This continued uncertainty presents a potential risk to the community, specifically in the form of diminished water pressure should the tanks be unavailable.
We also shared the history of water rate increases, and that CCOB has hired two different consultants (Willdan in 2022, and AECOM in 2024 and 2025) to find a solution. The City and Cpounty of Broomfield has also enlisted help from the community for the Fiscal Leadership on Water (FLOW) committee. In July 2025, this committee was given an Enterprise Fund overview presentation by the City's Finance Director Graham Clark in July 2025.
Despite extensive meetings, recommendations, and ongoing deliberations, the water fund rates are projected to increase annually with "no end in sight" for rate increases", as indicated by City Manager Hoffman during the 2025 Focus Session. This raises questions about why these challenges appear to be escalating.
Just think of a few of the most recent water crises to hit our neighborhoods.
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The North area water tank project was delayed over two years, with inconsistent guidance about the reuse tank—first required, then cut from the budget, losing the investment of $3.3M. Further delays came from debates about whether to fully or partially bury the tanks. Mayor Castriotta broke a tie to spend nearly $1M on a fully-buried design, but at the July 23, 2024 meeting, they voted to partially bury the tanks instead. Almost $1M spent on nothing tangible and raised the price tag to almost $70M. Also water pressure in these neighborhoods is concerningly low without the water tanks. Yet the council continues to delay necessary action.
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Eagle Trace Golf Course Water rights sold to an third party after the CCOB chose to not purchase the water rights. There is concern that Nissen 1 and 2 reservoirs could become feral or unusable, potentially blighting the Eagle Trace golf course in the process.
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The Airport Booster Station and Water Tank Maintenance budget last year was about $4.5M and we were told it would be added to the 2025R or 2026 budget, but we could not find a line item for these two projects in the 2026 CIP budget. Are these projects no longer needed or is there no money for them?
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The Great Western Reservoir Dam has been a topic of interest lately at Enterprise Fund updates. In the 2025 budget the cost was about $19.6M, and in the 2025 Revised Budget update (it's a scavenger hunt to find the document) they are supposed to spend $1.3M in 2025 and $2.7M in 2026. We know that there is possible radiological contamination, the toe drain is possibly failing, and, there are lingering structural deficiencies in the embankment. So why the slow walk to fund this?
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Why are they pulling money out of some of these vital projects to fund a utility rate assistance fund (URAF), when most people in Broomfield would gladly help those in need by adding extra funds, if they knew those funds were being used wisely.
These are just a few of the projects we have concerns about; with many more that we are framing questions around. As you look at these infrastructure projects that need funding, ask yourself and the CCOB these questions:
- Is there a clear list of priorities for the CCOB, because it looks like project funding is either decided in an emergency or at a dartboard.
- Is the council exacerbating the problem by approving multi-family construction at such a rapid pace?
- What are the water and sewer infrastructure requirements for single-family construction vs. multi-family construction?
- What happened to the reuse tank and why is it no longer needed?
- Should the council stop funding unnecessary projects in other areas?
- Maybe CCOB should have a community discussion about their priorities
- If the wastewater treatment facility is close to capacity, shouldn’t we stop building until that can be reconciled?
Is this what designed failure looks like? Is this what water dependency looks like? Are we going to be like Los Angeles where the water won't be there when we need it?
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Housing Dependency?
According to the recent Broomfield Enterprise article, Coloradoan's are facing an ongoing housing crisis. How many units are available vs. how many have been built?
Below is a figure from the August 26, 2025 council meeting, showing the apparent need for housing in the next 10 years. It will never end! Why can't/won't our elected leaders solve problems, is it a design flaw or feature?
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In the "Holistic Housing Needs" update, about $1.2M dollars were spent on about 2340 households in the current year. That amounts to an average of $492.31 per household served. Does that sound like CCOB is reasonably helping? They are taking your money, which should be for failing infrastructure and giving $492.31, on average, to about 0.3% of Broomfield's population.
Instead, the article states that City and County of Broomfield and Broomfield Council are considering encouraging developers to pay cash-in-lieu fees instead of building income-restricted units. This sounds great except that in the 2025 Focus Session, Anna Bertanzetti, told the community that developers were not providing funds to the cash-in-lieu program, but were instead adding income-aligned units. So is the CCOB going to threaten developers who have already begun pulling out of Broomfield. Not a smart move.
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In our July 28, 2025 newsletter we showed you the graph at the right, pulled from printed page 4 of the 2020 and 2024 ACFR.
Why isn't Broomfield gaining any ground on the "affordable housing" problem?
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Broomfield has a litany of programs to address "affordable housing":
- Broomfield Housing Division
- Broomfield Housing Services Division
- Broomfield Community Development Funding
- Broomfield Housing Alliance
- Broomfield Housing Solutions Forum
- Broomfield Housing Stability Task Force
- Colorado Housing Coalition
- Colorado Housing Assistance Corporation
- El Pomar Foundation
There are most likely more. They are being funded by tens of millions of dollars through grants, taxes, and other funding sources. Where is all the money going?
Do we have any accountability for the taxes and fees that Broomfield taxpayers have spent on these programs? What about the resolutions and ordinances that have been passed in the last few years? These costs get passed onto the consumer. No wonder homes are unattainable!
And how are people ranking the affordable housing in Broomfield? Yelp reviews of affordable housing communities do not paint a pretty picture:
Maybe creating dependency doesn't solve the "housing crisis", maybe self-sufficiency would. We all want to help people in need, but maybe government is creating a self-sustaining crisis? And, are we funding someone else's luxurious lifestyle through our tax dollars?
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The 2025 Extraordinary Session was anything but “extraordinary”. This was the third "special session" in as many years, and the Colorado General Assembly Majority spent six days spouting platitudes, pretending to hold back tears, screaming for no reason, and reciting national partisan talking points that that even I could recite after day two.
Democrat Governor (and a potential Presidential hopeful), Jared Polis signed Executive Order D2025-009 to call for an "Extraordinary" Legislative Session to address a fictional $1.2 billion dollar shortfall that was supposedly caused by the passage of Congressional bill HR1. Let me be clear the Colorado Joint Budget Committee (JBC) in April of 2025, was made aware (even before the passage of HR1), CO would be going into the 2026 budget with an over $700 million dollar deficit. During the actual legislative session, the majority continued to push spending bill after spending bill.
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During the regular session, the minority caucus warned that several of these pieces of legislation would be in direct conflict with federal orders, therefore at risk of having federal funds withheld. Amendments were offered saying if any part of the bill caused CO to lose federal funding, the legislation would immediately be void. Needless to say, none of those common-sense precautions were accepted by the party in power.
The Governor’s Executive was so very narrowly crafted (on purpose of course) to address “fiscal stabilization, healthcare, food security, and AI…”, to be directed solely by increasing revenue. What was missing? That's right - spending cuts. You know those hard conversations that we must have as families when times are tough. Where WE must decide between a new furnace or a vacation. Where the state decides to fund K-12 education or spend $4 million dollars on new furniture for legislators.
Instead of this Extraordinary Session focusing on making difficult spending decisions, they focused on increasing THEIR REVENUE by RAISING YOUR TAXES, YES- BY RAISING YOUR TAXES! Legislation like asking for more money for the Healthy School Meals for All program; a program that hasn’t been solvent since its inception in 2022 and now in a $56 million dollar shortfall. Bill HB25B-1006 hurt small businesses by eliminating the tax benefit that they receive for their hard work of calculating, collecting, and remitting their sales tax to the state of Colorado (basically being the states tax accountants). Tax increases to add administration to existing programs that are not following federal mandates. The state of Colorado has an over 10% error rate in their SNAP program. The federal government said they would withhold some funding until the state gets below a 6% error rate. They are simply asking that Colorado dive into the program and fix some issues. Members of the majority party stated that there was NO way they could get that error rate under 10%, even mentioning that Colorado is middle of the road with the rest of the states, once again saying mediocracy is just fine. These are just a few.
Let me reiterate and clarify some facts. The Joint Budget Committee was made aware in April of this year that going into the 2026 budget, the state would be in a shortage of over $700 million dollars – this BEFORE HR1 was signed into law. The possibility of losing some federal funding due to not following federal law (like sanctuary city policy), was brought up repeatedly by the minority – and was ignored by the party in control. The “1.2 billion dollar hole that the Congressional Republican’s blew in the state budget…” was a complete fabrication. Major changes in any of funding that passes to the state doesn’t take effect until middle of the year in 2026. The narrative (and scare tactics) of canceling of Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP is untruthful and premature, as NOTHING, even the potential reforms (work/school/volunteer requirements), don’t even start until December 31st of 2026.
And remember, there were NO spending cuts, do you wonder why?
Call it conspiracy, call it tin-foil-hat theory, or call it almost 20 years of experience, but here is my take. All the bills passed during the actual legislation was a long game of spending, with full knowledge that the Governor would call a “special session” to counter anything that was passed by HR1.
Remember that Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CD8), is probably the number one target in the country to flip from red to blue. Continuing the constant narrative that the “Congressional Republican’s blew a $1.2 million dollar hole in the state budget…”, will be in every headline for the upcoming mid-term elections. Remember Governor Jared Polis ordered a very narrow scope of the “extraordinary session” to purposely NOT include any potential spending cuts, so that almost exactly one week later, Polis could look like a fiscal hero and present Executive Orders to cut, when he could have done this all WITHOUT convening a 6-day waste of time that cost the taxpayers approximately $330,000, not to mention the millions and millions of dollars in increased taxes over the next couple years as a result of their little spending frenzy. Lastly, I see an upcoming push for Colorado to join 10 other states and have full-time legislators.
And, remember this is the third year in a row that a “special session” has been called by the Governor, and the 5th since 2017 (and all under one-party rule).
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It was repeated over and over and over again about how “I should be at my real job”, “I had to take time off from my job”, “I had to find daycare for my kids”, along with the occasional, “we just ran out of time during the regular session”. Yet, oddly, those same legislators oversaw the calendar and daily timeline. Of the six days of session, two complete days were spent doing absolutely nothing: gaveling in hours later than calendared, going into recess seven minutes after the gavel dropped, and not re-convening until 8-10 hours later. In my opinion, it is only a matter of time before Colorado legislators want to mimic states like California, New York, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, and others to become full-time law makers – no longer being considered “citizen-legislators”. Elected officials in those states make an average of $130,000/year and of course include a daily per diam and travel reimbursements.
The “Extraordinary Session” was obviously nothing more than preparation for the mid-term elections, showing that Presidential hopeful, Jared Polis is trying to regain some footing on the National scene after his two disastrous terms as Colorado Governor, and paving the road to have Colorado be a year-around bill production machine to take more and more of your freedoms, and of course – YOUR TAX DOLLARS.
Hold on to your wallets Colorado, there is speculation that another special, extraordinary, unprecedented, critical (or whatever they want to call it) session may be coming in October of this year.
Written by Sheryl Fernandez. Sheryl owns a Public Relations company and is a registered lobbyist for StrategicWave Communications LLC.
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Councilmember Todd Cohen informed residents on Friday that the state-mandated wildfire assessments would begin on Monday, September 8.
Apparently, the residents thought this would happen in November and were apparently not told about drones being used, only visual from the roadway. Once again, the government is telling citizens how to protect their property, when these residents have already been maintaining their properties in a defensive matter, because who wants to see their property burn?
Senate Bill 25-142, passed by the Colorado General Assembly, amends the wildfire resiliency code board's structure and code implementation requirements. Key changes include:
- Adds new members to the board: two rural municipal and county representatives (appointed by minority leaders), two urban municipal and county representatives (appointed by the Speaker and Senate President), two representatives from municipalities/counties with pre-September 30, 2023 wildfire-resilient codes (appointed by the executive director), four mayors (two urban, two rural), and the state water engineer or designee.
- Removes four members: representatives from hazard mitigation, building trades, nonprofit utilities, and affordable housing.
- Redefines the wildland-urban interface as land within 3 miles of cities with 100,000+ people, transit-oriented communities, or land zoned for 40+ units per acre.
- Requires counties to create and submit wildland-urban interface maps by July 1, 2026, with the board adopting minimum codes by January 1, 2027.
- Mandates adopting governing bodies to implement these codes within nine months and allows for cooperative enforcement agreements or division support if needed.
- Permits petitions for code modifications, with expiration dates and appeal options.
The bill includes a safety clause for immediate public safety, and yet government inefficiency was the problem when Los Angeles burned.
This assessment could potentially result in zero insurance coverage for affected residences, more costs incurred for mitigation, and all because the government doesn't believe you can be self-governing and mitigate the risks on your own, even though you've been doing it for years.
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Upcoming City Council Meetings
Please let us know if you plan to attend by registering here.
September 9, 2025
Regular Meeting 6:00 PM
Agenda
Meeting Commencement (1)
1A. Pledge of Allegiance
1B. Review and Approval of Agenda
Petitions and Communications (2)
2A. 2025R and 2026 Proposed Budget Update
2B. Broomfield Days Presentation
2C. Adams 12 Five Star Schools Ballot Initiative Update
Councilmember Reports (3)
Public Comments (4)
Note: For public comment on items other than in this agenda
Reports (5)
Consent Items (6)
6A. Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting
6B. Industrial Lane Phase II Construction Management Agreement
— Resolution No. 2025-130
6C. Private Activity Bond (PAB) Request to Carry Forward
— Resolution No. 2025-117
Action Items (7)
7A. Ordinance Approving an Incentive Agreement with Raven Space Systems, Inc. - Second Reading
— Ordinance No 2274
7B. Public Hearing - The Trails at Westlake Development Proposal
— Resolution No. 2025-113
7C. Public Hearing - Accessory Dwelling Units Code Update - Second Reading
— Ordinance No. 2265
7D. Public Hearing - Ordinance Transferring Licensing Responsibilities for All Trash Hauler Licenses from the City Council to the Clerk's Office - Second Reading
— Ordinance No. 2272
Mayor and Councilmember Requests for Future Action (8)
Adjournment (9)
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September 16, 2025
Study Session 6:00 PM
Agenda
Concept Review (1)
Study Session (2)
2A. Constitution Week Proclamation
2B. Police Department Updates (no memo)
2C. Police Building Schematic Design Update
2D. Joint Service Rail Update
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September 18, 2025
Study Session 6:00 PM
Agenda
Concept Review (1)
Study Session (2)
2A. 2026 Budget Presentations
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September 23, 2025
Regular Meeting 6:00 PM
Agenda
Meeting Commencement (1)
1A. Pledge of Allegiance
1B. Review and Approval of Agenda
Petitions and Communications (2)
2A. Development Update - Broomfield Town Square
2B. Domestic Violence Awareness Month Proclamation
Councilmember Reports (3)
Public Comments (4)
Note: For public comment on items other than in this agenda
Reports (5)
Consent Items (6)
6A. Minutes for Approval
6B. Stoneybrook Retaining Wall Repair Construction Agreement
— Resolution No. 2025-134
6C. Second Amendment IGA with CDOT for CO-7
— Resolution No. 2025-138
6D. Social Services Expenditures 2025 Q2
— Resolution No. 2025-136-BSS
6E. Aggregate Spend Memo with TK Elevators
— Resolution No. 2025-116
6F. Disposition of Unclaimed Property - 1st Reading
— Ordinance 2285
Action Items (7)
7A. Agreement for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System
— Resolution No. 2025-xxx
7B. Adoption of Broomfield Transportation Safety Action Plan
— Resolution No. 2025-153
7C. Public Land Dedication Ordinance - 2nd Reading
— Ordinance No. 2273
Mayor and Councilmember Requests for Future Action (8)
Adjournment (9)
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September 25, 2025
Study Session 6:00 PM
Agenda
Concept Review (1)
Study Session (2)
2A. 2026 Budget Presentations
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Contact the City and County of Broomfield
Contact your City Council or City Staff about one of these stories:
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