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A Win for Farmers and Small Businesses, and Encouraging News for Conservation Easements in Longmont

  • Chris Ennis
  • 7 days ago
  • 6 min read

November 23, 2025


This month we have a new issue on our Rural Radar to tell you about; news about the resolution of one item we had written about over the last few months; some local election news that bodes well for a critical rural issue in Longmont; and other updates.


Important Dates Ahead:  


Brief Updates: What Has Happened Since Our October Newsletter


Longmont Elects New City Council that Leans Favorably Toward Conservation Easements and the Kanemoto Issue


  • A pre-election voter guide by the nonprofit Conservation Easement Preservation Society (CEPS) surveyed City Council candidates on their positions on the proposed annexation and termination of the Kanemoto Estates Conservation Easement in southwest Longmont, and other issues related to conservation easements and growth/development/conservation issues.


  • Residents' legal challenge of Boulder County's conditional termination of the Kanemoto CE is still pending in the Court of Appeals. If that challenge is ultimately unsuccessful, the issue of annexation might go to the Longmont City Council. Development of the 40-acre parcel with over 400 housing units could only proceed if the Council approved annexation and approved the development. Residents kept a close eye on the recent Longmont election.  If it ever comes down to a vote, it appears that the Council now has a majority who support the position to preserve the Kanemoto Estates Conservation Easement.


  • Statements of the elected candidates in the pre-election voter guide, and other statements of the candidates and continuing council members, suggest that the new City Council will be supportive of the preservation of Kanemoto and other conservation easements. We are encouraged by their statements... but of course, a favorable outcome is not guaranteed.


  • The Voter Guide may be viewed here.  The election winners were Susie Hidalgo-Fahring (mayor-elect), Matthew Popkin, Jake Marsing, and Crystal Prieto. Sean McCoy and Diane Crist continue their service on Council, and the 7th member (filling the seat vacated by Hildago-Fahring's election to mayor) will be decided in an upcoming special election.


Commissioners Vote 2-1 to Scale Back Their Schedule of Minimum Wage Increases  


  • The Courthouse was again packed, this time for the November 20th final hearing about a new ordinance to moderate the schedule of increases in the minimum wage. If unchanged, the current schedule ramps up the minimum wage to $25/hour by 2030, but only in unincorporated Boulder County. This schedule puts businesses and farmers in the unincorporated areas at a disadvantage, because all other areas of the County (covering the majority of the population, in municipalities including Boulder, Lafayette, Louisville, and Longmont) have lower minimum wage rates.


  • The unevenness of the minimum wage rates in Boulder County is at the heart of the issue. Farmers and small businesses in unincorporated areas (such as Niwot, Hygiene, Gold Hill, and others) brought the issue to the attention of the Commissioners throughout the spring and summer of this year.


  • Over 3 hours of public comments were heard during the meeting on November 20.  The video of the meeting can be viewed here.


  • The Commissioners' 2-1 vote favored the new ordinance, which aligns the unincorporated Boulder County minimum wage with the City of Boulder's minimum wage in 2026 ($16.82/hr), and thereafter increases it in line with the change in the Consumer Price Index (estimated to be 3% per annum). This would put the 2030 minimum wage at $18.93/hr.

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[graph by Longmont Leader]


  • The farmers and small businesses are very relieved at the result, which will help to preserve their ability to farm and do business in unincorporated Boulder County. (See their message, at the bottom of this email.)


  • Our Pro-RURAL Alliance was particularly concerned about this issue, because the original minimum wage schedule placed the future of farming in the County at risk, and was harming small businesses in the unincorporated County.


  • We're still concerned, because of the remaining unevenness in the County's minimum wage rates.  All of the County's municipalities except for Boulder have rates aligned with the State of Colorado's rate, which is currently $14.92/hr. This is almost $2 per hour less than the newly adopted unincorporated County 2026 rate of $16.82/hr.


  • The November 20th decision by the Commissioners represents a compromise that was achievable. The Commissioners hope that the more moderate schedule of increases is something that the municipalities like Longmont, Lafayette, and Louisville can now consider adopting.


  • Michael Moss of the Community Farmers Alliance wrote to members about the outcome. We're including his statement at the end of this newsletter, because it was a particularly eloquent summary of the vote's significance for farmers in Boulder County.




Opposition to Development at 8600 Baseline Road Rallies the Community


  • The community petition has already gathered nearly 900 signatures of people opposing the high-impact development of a 35-acre rural property at the west edge of Lafayette. 186 homes are proposed for the parcel, and two new roads would be created linking to Baseline road-- which is narrow, 2-lane, and clogged with traffic already during commute times.

  • You can access the petition here, and read the opposition's website here for more information.

  • We've been in contact with the residents and they've adopted some of our suggestions, including putting banners out to spread the word.

  • We'll be watching this issue closely, because it is totally out of scale with the rural residential/agricultural/open space character of the area. Please consider finding out about this issue and adding your name to the petition.


NEW ISSUE:  Equestrian Community Faces County Rezoning Issue

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  • Very recently we were contacted by members of the equestrian community about an issue that is totally new to us. Apparently, some property owners who board horses on their property have been rezoned as "commercial" by Boulder County.  Large property tax assessments come with that rezoning (to the tune of an increase in the tens of thousands).


  • Some owners have fought the rezoning, and lost.  Some subsequently sold their longtime homes because of it. Others are passing the large increases on to their boarders.


  • We don't know too much yet about this issue and its legality, nor do we know why this specific property use has been targeted by the County.  Do other Counties do this? We have LOTS of questions.


  • We did a bit of research, and we have not yet found anywhere in the Boulder County Land Use Code where commercial zoning is called for in the case of boarding horses on one's property.


  • Equestrian community members are organizing and planning to elevate this issue.  They are finding it increasingly difficult to board their horses in Boulder County, and are worried that it will soon be impossible.


  • Our Alliance is concerned about the issue, because it could lead to the turnover of many Boulder County horse properties and even their disappearance.  Perhaps it could open the door for speculative investers who want to acquire and develop these rural properties. We are also concerned because of simple fairness issues. Why call this home use "commercial," when many other businesses operate from homes throughout the County, without being rezoned as commercial? As we said: We have LOTS of questions.


  • We'll let you know more as we find out additional details.  In the meantime, if you wish to engage on this issue, please contact us and we'll put you in touch with those who are working on the issue.


We wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving and much happiness in the holiday season.  And as always, thanks for reading!


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Message about minimum wage vote, from Michael Moss, Community Farmers Alliance

(11/21/2025)



Dear friends, partners, and community members,


Yesterday, we achieved something truly meaningful together. After months of testimony, organizing, outreach, and emails, the Boulder County Commissioners voted 2–1 to adopt a moderated, regionally aligned minimum wage ordinance. This decision protects workers, sustains local farms, and strengthens the economic fabric of our county.


This victory belongs to every one of you.


To the farmers who showed up again and again, To the workers and neighbors who shared their lived experience, To the small businesses who stood shoulder to shoulder with us, To everyone who wrote emails, testified, rallied their networks, or encouraged others to get involved, Thank you.


Your voices mattered, and they were heard.


This new ordinance gives our farms and small businesses the stability they need to adapt and remain viable while ensuring that wages continue to rise every year. It creates a wage floor that municipalities can realistically align with, creating an opportunity for a future regional wage structure that lifts workers without destabilizing the local economy.


The strength of this coalition, including farmers, workers, families, businesses, nonprofit partners, and community advocates, made this outcome possible. You helped re-center this conversation around shared values, real economics, and the long-term health of Boulder County’s food system.


Today we take a moment to celebrate because this was not guaranteed, because it took courage, and because it took all of us.


Thank you for standing with the Community Farmers Alliance and with Boulder County’s farms, workers, and families.


With deep gratitude and determination,

Michael Moss

Community Farmers Alliance

 
 

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