Boulder Tomorrow to Sponsor Charter Amendment

Author: Anonymous

Declining growth in available dollars has typically not stopped City Council from moving forward on proposals without first determining their fiscal impact. In an effort to change that methodology, Boulder Tomorrow is working on a charter amendment that would require that each proposed ordinance or resolution with a fiscal impact on the city undergo a fiscal analysis detailing projected costs over the next five years before it is placed on the City Council's agenda. The state already has a similar requirement.

The amendment would require a Fiscal Impact Statement or statement that the measure has no fiscal impact on city government or the city's economy. The Fiscal Impact Statement would cite the ordinance's effect, any estimated increases or decreases in revenue or expenditures of the city, any impact on the city's economy, any costs which may be absorbed without additional funding, and the long range fiscal implications of the measure. No comment or opinion relative to the merits of any measure would be included in the fiscal notes.

Boulder Tomorrow President Gary Myre has been working with members of council and the Western Research Group on the amendment.