Boulder City Council shows mixed support for proposed mental health tax

Most members of the Boulder City Council said on July 31 they are not yet ready to support a proposed countywide sales tax that would generate an estimated $15 million annually for mental health services. Several councilmembers said the measure needs more time and refinement, stating they had some hesitation about backing it without greater clarity on how the money would be spent.

“I would hope that it would be implemented in ways that were transformative,” Mayor Aaron Brockett said during last Thursday’s council meeting. “I’m a little bit — actually more than a little bit — worried about the timeframe.” 

The current draft of the proposal would impose a 0.15% countywide sales and use tax to fund prevention, crisis response, addiction treatment, recovery services and programs to help residents navigate the mental health system. The funding would support both county-run services and grants to private providers. Some of the revenue would be used to sustain existing programs funded with one-time federal stimulus dollars, such as mental health navigation services and a non-police response team for mental health emergencies. Boulder County commissioners plan to hold a public hearing on Aug. 12 before deciding whether to refer the measure to the November ballot.

Some councilmembers said they were concerned about using a sales tax to fund mental health programs because such taxes disproportionately affect lower-income residents. Others said they would prefer waiting until the 2026 ballot after more public engagement.

However, a few councilmembers said they would support the tax this year, citing urgent needs and growing uncertainty about future state and federal funding for safety-net services.

“I really wish we were living in more certain times and had time to wait,” Councilmember Nicole Speer said. 

The council’s reluctance to fully back the tax reflects recent tension between councilmembers and Boulder County’s commissioners over how to pay for some of the region’s most pressing issues. Several councilmembers said they were unhappy with how the county decided to spend revenue from the 2023 Affordable and Attainable Housing Tax, a ballot measure the city had supported, in part because the county ignored a key priority raised by the council to pay for permanent supportive housing.