The Commissioners’ Policy Team works to advance and support key public policy and intergovernmental relations goals for the County Commissioners, engaging with local, regional, and state governmental entities, including the Colorado General Assembly. Below are the 2024 Legislative Principles and State Budget Principles. For additional information, visit Legislative Priorities and State Budget Priorities.
2024 State Legislative and Budget Priorities
Legislative Principles
Boulder County’s state legislative and budget priorities adhere to the following Legislative Principles, which guide the development of the positions the county takes on state legislation:
Racial Equity: Boulder County supports the creation and adoption of fully inclusive, anti-racist, and culturally responsive policies. As elected officials and employees, we have a responsibility to interrupt institutional racism which manifests through racist policy, practices, and behaviors. We are dedicated to eliminating systemic discrimination of people in all protected classes. We address racism at its root and review all state legislation through a lens of racial equity and strive to solicit the voices and perspectives of those historically excluded from the legislative process.
Climate Action and Environmental Justice: Boulder County is committed to protecting and enhancing our environment for generations to come. As elected officials and employees, we advance strategies that promote sustainability, address the climate crisis, protect our open lands, and improve air quality. We make decisions and promote policies that address the inequitable impacts of the climate crisis and pollution.
Financial and Organizational Stewardship: Boulder County is dedicated to the effective use of taxpayer funds through efficient service delivery and integration of public programs and services to achieve equitable outcomes. As elected officials and employees, we engage in collaborative efforts with local, regional, and statewide partner agencies, including state budget and fiscal decisions that impact our organization or our constituents. We advocate for a reformed state revenue structure that can respond to changing economic conditions, including reforms to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights and Amendment 23.
State Budget Principles
Boulder County recognizes the importance of a state government that is fiscally responsible. We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with the administration and General Assembly on development of the state budget, especially regarding policies and programs that affect our organization or our constituents. To that end, Boulder County supports:
• Including adequate funding for staffing and administrative costs for statutorily required programs, reforms, and services that will be implemented at the county level.
• Increasing fees for fee-funded programs, where appropriate, to address state staffing and other program needs, and requiring industries and polluters to pay for the costs of regulating those sectors.