Boulder County Ballot Questions 200 + 201: Should BoCo add 2 commissioners?

What does it mean?

200 - Should we add 2 commissioners to the current board of 3?

201 - IF we add two commissioners, should the county be divided up into 5 districts, with one commissioner elected from each by the voters who live in that district OR should the county stay at 3 districts (which may or may not be reconfigured) with the 2 additional commissioners serving at-large, meaning they are elected by voters throughout the entire county?

Will it cost anything?

Not directly. Commissioners are paid, with their salaries determined by state law. Two more commissioners will add roughly $330,000 to the budget (including pay and benefits). That money will come from the general operating budget, and is 0.04% of the overall county budget.

5 districts vs. 3 - Things to consider

Per state law, districts have to be “fair and equitable” and based on population

See a map of the current districts

Because Boulder and Longmont each make up roughly ⅓ of the population, they will either serve as 2 of the 3 districts or, in the 5 district model, have to be divided up to make sure the districts are roughly equal in population size

Adding at-large commissioners could give Boulder and Longmont voters more power. Because they are population centers, voters there would each get 1 commissioner from their district, and have the most say over the at-large candidates

Proponents of 5 districts say it could give greater representation to voters in smaller towns and rural areas, since the population (and therefore voting power) of Boulder and Longmont will be diluted

Why you might want to vote for this

Boulder County’s population has grown, but its governing body has not

The issues facing local government have grown more complex: wildfires, housing affordability, homelessness, public health crises

Proponents say it could result in better governance. With a three-member board, one person is essentially always the swing vote on divisive issues. More voices could require coalition building and therefore more thoughtful policy making

Why you might not want to vote for this

It will add slightly to the county budget

2 of 3 current commissioners are opposed, saying it could slow their work and make governing less efficient

One note on campaign spending

A handful of wealthy individuals, including two former tech CEOs, contributed large amounts to this campaign:

Boulder mayoral candidate Aquiles La Grave - $10,000

Dan Caruso - $25,000

Kent Thiry - $45,000 (through his family trust)

Denver-based election reform group called Courageous Colorado, an advocate for ranked choice voting alongside Thiry, also donated $10,000

Total fundraise: $104,738.65