BOULDER — City leaders grappling with the prospect of a prolonged economic slump are considering closing recreation centers, fire stations and library branches and selling city assets such as Flatirons Golf Course.
They’re suggesting Boulder consider setting up taxing districts to help pay for libraries, parks and recreation and other “quality of life” services.
Members of the Boulder City Council will receive a briefing of those options Tuesday.
That’s in the wake of an expected 4 percent to 6 percent slump in sales-tax revenue this year, which will force city leaders to trim $3.6 million to $5.4 million from Boulder’s $200 million annual operating budget.
But Boulder’s budget problems aren’t limited to the current slowdown, Assistant City Manager Paul Fetherston said. As the city’s population ages, residents spend less money at the stores and restaurants that pour money into city coffers.
At the same time, the kinds of services the city offers are getting more expensive.
In a memo to the City Council, Boulder’s budget officials outlined three tiers of cuts. The lowest, least-painful tier consists of easily-reversed measures, most already in place, aimed at keeping the city in the black in the short term through such options as a hiring freeze and a temporary ban on training and travel expenses. More dramatic cuts also are on the table.
