Thread by @shayshinecastle

Next thread: Council members' individual priorities. I *think* they were limited to 5 each...? But I may be wrong on that.

Bergman has grouped these into topics. Looks like the biggest one is Housing, followed by Homelessness, then Transportation, Elections and Planning stuff.

Mayor Brockett is kicking us off. His priorities (he picked ones that others might be less likely to suggest):
- Mental health / EMT first responder program. Current program, CRIT, co-responds with police. But most cities don't have mental health profs go with the cops.

- Planning for the Fort Chambers site. Open space in East Boulder, used by militias who participated in the Sand Creek Massacre. The idea is to "return some manner of ownership" to the tribes.

- East Boulder subcommunity plan. Implement it right away to get mixed-use development and housing

- Removing barriers to forming ADUs and co-ops. "There is further to go," Brockett says.

The co-op licensing process is "onerous," Brockett says. And there are significant barriers to creating and ADU.

Last priority:
- Encourage smaller, less expensive housing through code requirements

Right now, Brockett says, our laws incentivize big, expensive housing. boulderbeat.news/2021/12/04/spr…

Next: Matt Benjamin
- Establishing an election commission.

He was part of the last reform group. We did good work, Benjamin says, "but it was established in a reactionary manner." Let's be "forward thinking and proactive" and think of "future ways to strengthen democracy."

- Protected bike lanes
A specific plan to build more (specific mileage goal, budget and timeframe) and protect existing lanes. "It's for our climate goals, our transportation goals, and to make a more livable community."

- Allow duplexes and triplexes in places where only single-family homes can go, particularly RL-1 and RL-2 (which is a huge % of the city)

Do a phased approach, Benjamin says. Start with corner lots.

- Day shelter and peer navigation center for the unhoused

"This is a stepping stone" to coordinated entry, shelter and housing, which we do very well, Benjamin says. "What we're missing is that intermediate step beforehand." Use ARPA funds

- Reform occupancy regulations

"It's time we solve if not at least seriously reform" this contentious issue, Benjamin says. We're not staring from zero; let's accommodate residents *and* help with affordability.

Lauren Folkerts, who "concentrated on work matching the platform I ran on and meet the urgent needs of our community."
- Middle income and the affordable housing crisis are her top two issues. Wants to hire a code consultant to provide recommendations for "simple" code changes.

Would also like to create a deed-restricted middle-income housing program, with density incentives and pilot projects.

And change inclusionary housing fees to stop incentivizing larger units.

And more options to shorten the process, and reduce city fees for projects with more than half affordable units.

So those were two priorities with multiple projects in them

Third priority:
- Collect data on injuries/death among unhoused and figure out what program expansions can reduce those

- Establish free, citywide transit

- Easing regulations on small biz, including consolidating use tables, simplified process for small projects and overall more flexibility

Rachel Friend:
- Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (hereafter VMT).
Pick a goal, listen to experts on how to achieve it, and then fund those, Friend says.

- Attainable housing
"It's so much worse from when I already thought it was atrocious," Friend says. "We need to do something radically different."

One possibility: City buys homes, rebuild as duplex or triplex and make them affordable

- Homeless services
Specifically, city of Boulder work group with 1-2 council reps, folks with lived experiences. That group would ID gaps that the city would then fund.

- Resilience
"To put it bluntly, we did not avert the climate crisis," Friend says. Now we need to help the community withstand the worst of it.

Specifically, extending fire code for all buildings, not just in the urban-wildland interface. And shoring up warning systems.

- COVID
"I think we should be looking for firming up city responses and deciding whether to lock in silver linings," Friend says. Wants "clearly communicated, data-informed triggers" for returning to in-person activities and vaccine passports.

"It feels like we are going with our gut and individual preferences on this," Friend says (of in-person meetings).

Things to look at as worth keeping: outdoor dining, to-go liquor

Junie Joseph (whose hair is looking fabulous)
- Homelessness tax to fund services, a la Denver.
"The $$ has to come from somewhere," Joseph says.

- Election commission, as already mentioned by Benjamin.
"Part of my thought process is to help bring the community together and get broader support on issues," Joseph says. Wants a process that is "much cleaner, much friendlier and much more inclusive."

- Environmental sustainability
"That was more of a broad, open commitment," Joseph says.

- Study the planning reserve for possible adoption in 2025 Comp Plan

- Liveable wage (assuming a higher minimum wage, which was being considered pre-COVID)

Nicole Speer: "I was really focused on realistic goals" in the face of funding and staffing challenges.

Using a lot of her 2 min to explain her priorities without naming them.

Her priorities rely on new revenue streams, are cheap, or can leverage other funds, Speer says. And equity is underlying all her priorities.

- Moving city council elections to even years. "Voter turnout is much, much higher in even years," Speer says: 20,000-30,000 more votes.

Wants a measure on 2022 ballot move CC elections to even years in 2024

- Living wage for city council members and boards/commissions
"We really need to fix this issue for future councils so they are more representative of our community," Speer says.

- Head tax (tax on "large, for-profit organizations")
Specifically, a per-employee fee on publicy traded companies to be used for transportation, housing, fire/flood mitigation, arts, etc.

- Housing/homelessness
Specifically, using state/federal funding and working with regional partners to expand services and housing

- Renter issues
Occupancy reform, tenants rights and other renter protections as well as nuisance issues like noise, trash, icy sidewalks "which are also issues that impact renters."

Mark Wallach: In settig priorities, "I was trying to be cognizant of the limitations of staff. I tried to avoid projects that I thought would be unduly burdensome."

- First, study to see what it would take to decommission the airport so we can build housing there. (This was a priority of his last term, too.)

"It is simply some research," Wallach says. "Not knowing, to me, is a form of governmental malpractice."

- Assault weapons ban and other gun control

- Uni Hill nuisance abatement
"This has been going on for decades. It's high time we get a few ordinances in front of us," Wallach says.

- Reform the cash-in-lieu requirements
Per state law, Boulder has to let developers pay rather than build on-site — even if the approved plan is for on-site housing

"I cannot believe that we cannot get what we bargain for," Wallach says.

- Study of planning reserve for eventual expansion of Boulder's municipal boundaries

Reminder: That's several hundred acres north of Boulder not yet part of the city. For future development.

Tara Winer: Starts by thanking people who helped her develop her priorities

- Recruitment and retention for Boulder city staff "and our police department"

"It's a big deal. We need to be competitive and match or exceed salaries or give retention bonuses," Winer says.

Also mentions housing and culture, specifically, for employee retention. For police, "we know we're getting outbid as a city" for officer pay and bonuses.

- Crime reduction
Specific proposals: Better street lighting, mandatory bike registration

- Housing

- Uni Hill, Martin Acres and Goss Grove "revitalization" which means nuisance laws (trash, noise, etc.) proactive police patrols, code enforcement response instead of cop response for lesser offenses, and stronger accountability for landlords

- Disaster resilience
Specifically, building codes for fire or other disasters, reassess evac plans / improve warning system, "we have to do something about those fireworks," brush removal, bury power lines, etc

Bob Yates: 4 of my 5 priorities were suggested by my colleagues
- Planning reserve study
- Affordable housing, specifically the middle-income down payment assistance program that COVID halted
- Reform of occupancy rules
- Retention/recruitment of staff

- Broadband
Boulder is currently building out its backbone for eventual city broadband internet. Yates wants to see what it would take to build the whole damn thing.

"We are far, far behind our peers," he says.

The city is *only* doing the backbone bc, with the muni effort, it couldn't borrow enough $$ to do the whole thing. That should be revisited since the muni is no more, Yates says.

And that is everybody.

NRV weighing in on What Council Wants: "Easy is in the eye of the beholder."

"There will be some that are easier to do than others," NRV says. Some will need some engagement with the community.

RE: broadband, Friend asks: What $$ is there for that?
Yates: I think ARPA funds could be used, and there may also be state or federal dollars. "I think we are leaving money on the table."

Brockett to Friend: Are you proposing making the West Pearl closure (to cars) permanent?
Yes, Friend says

Yates: Part of the ballot measure that passed in the CCS tax extension included $4M for the Pearl Street Mall. Maybe that can be part of it.

Yates to Joseph RE: homeless services tax: that's 25c per $10, right?
Joseph: My conclusion is to leave the amount to staff and the working group Friend proposed.

Speer to Winer: You mentioned a lot of crime statistics (she said crime was up and staying up), but the most recent email from Chief Herold said they were down. Where are you getting that data?

Winer: I actually checked the data. I met with Chief Herold today, and they made sure I had the data right. I'll send it to you.

As I said earlier, this is not the end of the 2022 priority discussion. Now, staff will look at what council wants to do, then come back with what's possible and when.

Then, at the retreat, the 2022-2023 workplan will be set.

Benjamin: With all the federal $$ coming in, we might have more money than we have staff to do the work. Can we think outside the box to hiring consultants or outside help so we can get projects done?

NRV: We've talked about that. "I love the use of consultants when they can take something and run with it." Some projects, they really need staff time, "and it really is no help."

Staff will be weighing in on where consultants can "add value" vs. where it won't be, NRV says.

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