Heads Up May 2, 2025

Boulder’s first ever Community Assembly kicks-off with the first meeting of assembly members on Saturday, May 3. A Community Assembly is a public process designed for learning and problem-solving. Ours will discuss and learn about 15-minute neighborhoods, or neighborhoods in which your daily needs can be met within a 15-minute walk or ride.

Thank you to Mayor Brockett and Commissioner Levy for agreeing to join us to welcome and thank Assembly members on behalf of Boulder City Council and the Boulder County Commission.

Following a robust outreach process, we received 232 applications and have confirmed 48 participants who meet or exceed our representation model goals. The model ensures a minimum of three participants in each diversity category, supporting broad demographic and geographic representation across the Boulder Valley. It also includes many individuals who have not participated in their local government previously.

The assembly will be conducted fully bilingual in English and Spanish, with live interpretation, translated materials and both large and small group facilitation offered in Spanish.

The assembly’s content and balance of perspectives have been guided by the Assembly Advisory Group, a team of local community leaders who will also be available to support participants throughout the process.

As an innovation in democratic engagement, this process has drawn the interest of researchers. The assembly will be studied by two research teams: the Federation for Innovation in Democracy, North America and the CU Boulder Center for Communication and Democratic Engagement, which is also providing our lead and table facilitators. These teams will conduct pre- and post-assessments and help us learn and adapt as we go.

The assembly also includes an artist team participating through the city's Experiments in Public Art program, helping to creatively capture and reflect community insights.

Please note that assembly meetings are not open to the public and member names will remain confidential until later in the process. Media will not be permitted to attend sessions but will receive information approved by the assembly. To address transparency concerns, brief summaries and learning highlights from each session will be shared on our Community Assembly page at ABoulderFuture.org.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Community Engagement Manager Brenda Ritenour at ritenourb@bouldercolorado.gov.

In May of each year, the city evaluates its water supply to determine whether customer water use restrictions should be imposed under the city’s Drought Plan. These evaluations are primarily based on three key sources: Boulder Creek Watershed snowpack levels in the mountains west of Boulder, the city’s allocation of water from Northern Water’s Colorado-Big Thompson Project (CBT), and the city’s reservoir storage levels.

As of May 1, 2025, snowpack water content, the city’s CBT allocation and city reservoir storage levels are all within normal ranges, though snowpack and reservoir storage are slightly below average. However, the city’s water supply reservoirs are expected to fill this year.

As the key water supply factors are largely within normal ranges, water restrictions are not necessary at this time nor anticipated for this summer. Staff will continue to closely monitor conditions and may recommend additional measures if needed.

Water conservation is one of our strategies for managing supply variability. We provide resources to renters, property owners and businesses in Boulder to support wise use of water through the Water Conservation Program, which is guided by the city’s Water Efficiency Plan. This includes trialing different sustainable grass conversion methods, piloting smart meters for monitoring near real-time water use, and partnering with organizations like Resource Central to provide financial support for lawn replacements, free irrigation audits, and free webinars, with additional discounts in support of income-qualified community members.

For questions, please contact Kim Hutton, the city’s water resources manager, at huttonk@bouldercolorado.gov or 303-441-3115, or visit the city’s website.

Consistent with all other city facilities, a No Overnight Parking policy will be implemented in Civic Area lots in the coming months. This includes the Library, Age Well Center, Penfield Tate, New Britain, Park Central, Atrium, Tea House, and BMoCA lots.

This decision was made following weeks of data collection showing minimal use and in direct response to feedback we have received from vendors and businesses that partner with us on special events. The change is expected to reduce the need for temporary signage and vehicle towing, saving both time and money.

New signage will indicate the following restricted hours:

• Penfield Tate Lot: No parking from 1 a.m. – 5 a.m. (to accommodate occasional latenight meetings and activities)
• All other Civic Area lots: No parking from 11 p.m. – 5 a.m., consistent with Parks & Recreation lots City staff and fleet vehicles are exempt.

Staff who require overnight parking should reach out to parkingservices@bouldercolorado.gov for details on the COB Staff Overnight Parking Permit.

For more information, contact Director of Community Vitality Cris Jones at JonesC@bouldercolorado.gov.

Regards,

Nuria