City of Boulder 2C – Base Council Pay on Area Median Income

Ballot Question 2C would increase pay for council members and the mayor by basing the pay on a percentage of Area Median Income (AMI) for a single-person household. The pay would increase from about $12,500 this year to 40% ($40,880 this year) of AMI for council members and 50% ($51,100) of AMI for the mayor. Both the current pay based on the Consumer Price Index and the proposed pay based on AMI have annual adjustments. The new pay would start in December of 2026 with the swearing in of new council members.

Question 2C proposes paying the mayor more than council, which Boulder has never done.

The last time we saw a council pay measure, the voters in 2021 passed 2M to untie council pay from meeting attendance.

Recommendation: Against

More pay for council members is okay, but our mayor should not get more pay than the council members. We have a weak-mayor/strong-city-manager system. When we directly elected our mayor for the first time in 2023, we learned that a mayoral election deprives the city of a public servant who would likely have continued on council under our former system. Perhaps we should stop directly electing our mayor and go back to electing 5 council members every two years.

More pay for council members is okay, but if council wants their job to be considered as the large time commitment that they claim it is, then when they were asked to place a charter amendment on the ballot to prohibit a council member from simultaneously serving in the state legislator, they should have done so.

More pay for council members is okay, but perhaps such a large and sudden (as opposed to gradual) pay raise is not warranted. A council member’s primary obligation is to prepare and attend a meeting every week. The meetings are in the evening so that council members can, and some do, have a day job. In contrast, the county commissioner job is considered full-time, and the commissioners hold regular meetings during the day.

An argument for more pay for council is that people with lower incomes will be more encouraged to run for office. The proposed substantial pay raise may encourage more candidates of all stripes to run, making the elections much more competitive and expensive, and thereby shutting out those with fewer resources. To ensure diverse representation, a better solution is adopting proportional representation for council.

This site has consistently argued that council members deserve more pay, but recent hypocrisy around this issue and the proposed structure in this ballot question lead to an “Against” recommendation.

Website for the For Side
No known website – Info on a proponents’ website appreciated.

Website for the Against Side
No known website – Info on an opposition website appreciated.


Approved Ballot Language
City of Boulder Ballot Question 2C
Council Pay

Shall Sec. 7 of the Boulder Home Rule Charter be repealed and replaced to set compensation for City Council members at 40% of the Area Median Income and 50% of the Area Median Income for Mayor, commencing on the swearing-in date of the newly elected City Council in December of 2026, as more specifically provided in Ordinance 8640?

For the Measure ___
Against the Measure ___

Ordinance 8640 to refer Question 2C to the ballot
https://documents.bouldercolorado.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=187437&dbid=0&repo=LF8PROD2