Farmers, Small Businesses Protest the County's Minimum Wage Mandate; County Experiencing Annexation Mania

August 2025

Since our last update, some issues are ramping up!  Here's a quick rundown on what's new in rural Boulder County. 

Important Dates Ahead:  

• September 4:  Open public comment session, Boulder County Commissioners, 9:00 am at the County Courthouse in Boulder.  Any issue not on the Commissioners' regular agenda may be addressed in 3-minute oral comments.  (We know for sure that some residents will be expressing their concerns about the minimum-wage provisions enacted by the Commissioners.  See the Hot Topic below for more on this.)

  
  

• September 9:  Public input event related to the update of the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan.  Check the City of Boulder website for details on how to give your input to this plan, which covers the City of Boulder and some surrounding parts of unincorporated Boulder County.

  
  

Here's What Has Happened Since Our July Newsletter

Hot Topic #1:   Opposition builds to the Commissioners' uneven implementation of minimum wage increases.  

• A 2023 ruling by the Commissioners to increase the minimum wage in unincorporated Boulder County, which began taking effect in January 2025, is drawing the opposition of Boulder County farmers and businesses in the areas affected. 

• At issue:  The wage increase is not County-wide, and none of the incorporated municipalities (Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette, Lyons...) have signed on to the Commissioners' plan. 

• The result is that all of Boulder County's farmers, and businesses in ~20 unincorporated towns such as Niwot, Hygiene, Gold Hill, and Allenspark, are being forced to pay a higher minimum wage than exists for the County's larger municipalities.

• The farmers and businesses have banded together to communicate about the fairness issues created by the uneven implementation of the accelerated minimum wage scale.  See their website, Keep Boulder County Farms and Jobs.

• As of January 2025, the minimum wage now stands at $16.57/hour in unincorporated Boulder County but is $14.92/hr in the State of Colorado and most Boulder County municipalities (and even higher than the City of Boulder's minimum wage). 

• The Commissioners' decision ramps up the minimum wage to $25/hr by 2030, and the current ~11% disparity increases to a ~40% difference in 2030.

• Farmers have stressed that the increases would put Boulder County farmers out of business, ending the availability of local agricultural produce at farm stands, farmers markets, and stores in the County.

• Farmers and Niwot small business owners held a rally on August 12 to draw attention to the issue.  With a backdrop of farm tractors and the Front Range, they spoke about the job and economic impacts that have already been experienced.  Read press coverage in the Left Hand Valley Courier, the Rocky Mountain PBS, and the Boulder Daily Camera (paywall). 

• They followed up by speaking at the Commissioners' open public comment session on August 14.  Here is a link to watch the video of the hearing. They'll also speak at the Commissioners' September 4th open comment session.  They've been speaking at these monthly open comment sessions for the past several months.

• The message may have finally gotten through.  Commissioner Claire Levy, who is open to revisiting the minimum wage issue, has scheduled an administrative meeting for September 9 with Commissioners Stolzmann and Loachamin. (This is not a public meeting.)

The Pro-RURAL Alliance is concerned about this issue because of its potential to devastate farming in Boulder County.  We are also concerned about small business owners in the County's unincorporated historic townships.

• ACTION (before Sept 9 if possible):  Write to the Commissioners to express your views on this issue:  commissioners@bouldercounty.org  Check the farmersandjobs.org website for information to help you with your email.  Your email will be especially effective if you can send it before their September 9 internal discussion.

• ACTION:  Consider attending the September 4 open public comment session of the Commissioners.  Even if you don't speak, your attendance will help send the message that the community cares about fairness in applying the minimum wage throughout the County, and the community cares about the future of farming in the County.

Hot Topic #2:  Does Boulder County have a case of Annexation Mania?? 

We're seeing so many annexation/development efforts, we've now decided to collect them as a Hot Topic.  We are aware of four annexations of land in unincorporated Boulder County now under discussion (one in Longmont; three in Lafayette).  We've covered these in past newsletters, but they're collected here to highlight what we're now calling a general issue, "Annexation Mania."  Although the proposed development numbers are not known for some of these, it is likely that these proposals represent a combined increase of over 1,000 housing units.

• Longmont annexation/Quail Road development proposal for 310 apartments, with fractions of the 310 under discussion as possible for-sale units: This is a 17-acre site at the northeast corner of Clover Basin Drive and Airport Road in Longmont (it is a County "enclave" within Longmont).  Residents mounted a strong campaign earlier this year to argue that the area is saturated with apartments and to make that case that for-sale housing, and a lower density, are more needed and compatible with the surrounding single-family homes.  On June 17th, the Council voted 4-3 to refer the proposal into the annexation review process, but the vote does not imply approval or that annexation will occur.  Although the developer held the required neighborhood meeting in July and raised the possibility of more for-sale units, many questions could not be answered and there were no firm plans presented.  Here is news coverage of the story.  We encourage concerned citizens to stay engaged in the process, which will include more public hearings and meetings. The Council vote was close.  Council members have expressed continued concerns about the very valid issues raised by the community, and stated their desire to achieve the appropriate housing use for the property. The video of the June 17 council meeting is linked here (jump to 3:43 in the video to view the Quail Road issue discussion).

• The Lafayette eastern "Gateway" annexation of 78 acres gains support for open space instead of development (Baseline Rd and 119th Street):  In May, the Lafayette City Council found that the Gateway annexation petition meets the eligibility requirements for annexation. This vote does not imply that annexation and development will be approved.  The petition for annexation includes a proposal for development that seeks commercial and high-density residential zoning, though details of that proposal remain unknown.  Community members have a different future in mind:  Open Space.  The citizen group Preserve Lafayette argues that the City and/or County should acquire the ~78 acres north and south of Baseline Road and 119th Street and preserve it as open space, as identified in the Lafayette Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan. It is also included in the Lafayette Open Space Board's annual proposed open space acquisition/conservation projects list for a joint purchase with Boulder County.  See news coverage here.  The mayor of Erie, Andrew Moore, has announced his support for the open space idea.  The City's website for this annexation is linked here. 

• Two other proposed Lafayette annexations:  (1) Annexation and development is proposed for 19.5 acres located at 9850 and 9776 Arapahoe Road, just west of City of Lafayette boundaries.  The formal application for this, known as the "Boulder Creek" annexation, has not yet been submitted. The developer has held a required neighborhood meeting for this proposal. (2) Another proposal for annexation and development, known as "The Range at Lafayette", is also on Arapahoe Road, just a half mile away at the intersection of Hwy 287. Negotiations between Erie and Lafayette on a water-related issue have taken place and they have reached an agreement. You can read about it here. The required developer-led public meetings for this proposed annexation have taken place, and the parcel has been found to be "eligible" for annexation.  The City's website for The Range is linked here.

Decisions on Other Applications and Issues We've Previously Mentioned

• Commissioners will decide August 26th on application for a dog kennel on eastern Niwot Road:  This is a special-use application by the homeowners at 12350 Niwot Road for a dog kennel on 10 acres zoned agricultural. Docket SU-24-0003 was conditionally approved by the Planning Commission on July 16.  The issue goes now to the County Commissioners for a final decision, at a hearing on August 26.  The Boulder County Planning & Permitting staff recommends conditional approval of the application, with conditions related to kennel soundproofing and other matters.  Read news coverage here.

• Feedstore Commons proposal approved.  [This is a little off our topic of rural preservation, but we thought you might be interested because of the feed store's long history of serving the needs of rural Boulder County.]  On July 23rd the County conditionally approved a proposal for a small mixed commercial/residential development, to replace the feed store operated for years by Steve and Kay Rollman in downtown Niwot.  Four storefronts will be on the ground floor, and four residential two-bedroom units will be above.   Here is the link to the County's document containing the plans (scroll waaaayyyy down, it's several pages long).  After a 14-day waiting period, the Commissioners did not elect to call up the issue for discussion, so the proposal is now approved and moving forward.  Here is a link to the news story.

Up and Coming on the Rural Radar

Potential land swap deal to develop a composting facility for Boulder County: Issue tabled by Longmont City Council. 

This issue is in limbo while the Longmont City Council considers legal issues. It was tabled by the Council on July 29 and there are no further updates on the City's timeline.  Read about this in news coverage here.  The Council meeting, including vigorous public comments that occurred, can be viewed in the video posted here.  Additional media coverage by the Boulder Reporting Lab is linked here.

BACKGROUND:  It would be great to have a composting facility in Boulder County, and the Commissioners have noted that it aligns with the County's environmental and sustainability goals.  But is this land the best place for it?  Even composting advocates have doubts. 

• There have been many letters to the Longmont  Times-Call newspaper, calling out wildlife and contamination concerns and objecting to the "repurposing" of a current Longmont-owned open space parcel (the "Distel" property) to become an industrial composting facility operated by Boulder County. In exchange, a portion of the nearby "Tull" property would become open space.

• Both properties are in Weld County but are owned by the City of Longmont and managed by different City departments (Distel by Open Space, and Tull by Utilities and Public Works). 

• Read about this potential Longmont/Boulder County partnership and the associated issues in news coverage here, and visit the County's website about this issue and the City of Longmont website about this issue.

• Former Commissioner Ron Stewart has commented that the proposal violates the trust of the public, who have repeatedly supported open space taxes and expect permanent protection of purchased open space lands. [link to Times-Call story, possible paywall]

• The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, when requested by the City of Longmont for their recommendation, met on June 23 and rejected the proposal as submitted, citing lack of evidence showing net benefit to open space.

• It next was to go to the City on July 22nd, but the City postponed that first reading and public hearing, and instead went into executive session about legalities.  This led to the July 29 Council decision to table the issue for now.

• Read more news coverage here (Times-Call, possible paywall) and here (Longmont Leader story). 

• The Council is expected to take up the issue of the land swap when the legal issues are resolved.  It would then consider the issue involving a composting facility in a subsequent hearing and vote.

Still Pending

• Kanemoto Conservation Easement:  We continue to await the ruling from the Colorado Court of Appeals.  This ruling is not expected until at least mid-November.  We will keep you posted on the outcome.  As we've previously described, this issue concerns the citizens' legal opposition to the County's conditional termination of the conservation easement and the proposed subsequent annexation into the City of Longmont and possible development of over 400 units on the 40 acres.  The Kanemoto conservation easement is near Airport Road and Diagonal Highway.

We Thought You Might Be Interested

• New nonprofit, Grasslands Colorado, advocates for wildlife and grassland habitats in Boulder and Longmont:  This newly formed nonprofit is concerned with the conservation of keystone species that depend on the grassland habitat, such as beavers, bison, wolves, prairie dogs, pollinators, hummingbirds, mountain lions, and bats.  Grasslands Colorado educates the public about wildlife issues and collaborates with landowners to reduce wildlife conflicts.  They provide grants to help landowners absorb some of the costs associated with fencing prairie dog colonies and mitigating issues, for example.  Check out their website: https://grasslandscolorado.org

• Proposed housing development threatens Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg:  In neighboring Weld County, 45 acres of land adjacent to the Wild Animal Sanctuary have been the subject of decades-long negotiations between the Sanctuary and the owners of the parcel, concerning possible development.  This is a long story that started with amicable discussions and has evolved to possible legal actions.  Read the story here (starting on page 34).

  
  

As always, thanks for reading!