2440 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO
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Advocacy News
The Boulder Chamber's advocacy efforts never rest. We are constantly watching, analyzing and speaking up to create a vibrant and supportive economic environment.
Stay up to date on city, county and regional policy discussions that impact your business. Bookmark this page for updates on top advocacy issues, and follow us on Twitter @boulderadvocacy.
Questions? Contact Angelique Espinoza, Public Affairs Manger at (303) 938-2077.
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Boulder Explores Municipalizing PowerThe Boulder Chamber supports the goals of clean energy and innovation that the City of Boulder seeks to achieve in exploring municipalizing Boulder’s power. But like any entrepreneurial venture, it carries risk. We will continue as honest, open minded brokers, protecting Boulder’s economic health and the interests of Boulder’s businesses vigilantly by advocating for a rigorous fact-based analysis and transparent evaluation process.
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City of Boulder Transportation Master Plan Update
The City of Boulder has begun a year-long, integrated community planning process to update the 2013 Transportation Master Plan (TMP). An open house is scheduled to present the latest update in the TMP process, Complete Streets Bicycle Innovations Open House onThursday, May 9 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Alfalfa’s Community Room, 1651 Broadway. At their April 23rd Study Session, Council discussed funding mechanisms to maintain or expand the city’s existing transportation system, in the form or a Transportation Maintenance Fee or Tax (TMF), potentially on the November 2013 ballot. The draft report on a TMF and Council Study Session materials are available here.
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Civic Area Master Plan UpdateCouncil members expressed general support for staff recommendations at the June 11 Civic Area Master Plan presentation. Next steps include an Open House to be held on July 11 in advance of a Study Session on July 30. Plans are expected to finalized fall 2013. View the Civic Area presentation here, or visit www.bouldercivicarea.com for more information. |
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Civic Pad next to St. Julien
While ideas regarding potential uses of the Civic Pad site adjacent to the St. Julien Hotel have been thick on the ground, financing and the partnership opportunities for getting that project off the ground have not been as plentiful. Since 1995 when the space was initially set aside for a complex site plan for a building as large as 37,000 square-feet with 20 percent of developed floor space dedicated to a civic benefit, three separate task forces have grappled with the issue. An added wrinkle is a non-compete clause with the hotel regarding food service.
To move forward in advance of the deadline, Task Force IV has issued an RFI calling for submissions from "qualified, experienced developers or development teams." They are suggesting a “layer cake” approach, wherein each level of the building could house three uses. For a copy of the RFI, contact Ellen Cunningham at the City of Boulder via email.
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Cone Zones on U.S. 36If you, your employees or colleagues commute on U.S. 36, you will want the latest information on how the Express Lanes construction project impacts you. The good news is...there's an app for that!
CDOT Mobile App for iPhone/iPad
You'll also find helpful planning information on the 36Commuting Solutions "Prepare Your Workforce for US 36 Express Lanes Contruction" page as well as on the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) project page. |
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Boulder Chamber 2013 Policy AgendaThe Boulder Chamber has been elevating our region as the best place to live, work and play for over 100 years. Our advocacy and outreach are important member benefits, working for you to help create a stronger regional economy. The Guiding Principles for Advocacy and 2013 Policy Agenda guide our efforts and represent the synthesis of member input, research and deliberation by the Community Affairs Council, and final decisions by our Board of Directors.
Our Policy Agenda reflects the uniqueness of our business community, which values and recognizes environmental and social sustainability as part of the economic equation. It has been crafted to addresses the issues that affect you and your business most directly.
Priority action areas include advocating for space for Boulder businesses to grow, engaging with Xcel and the City of Boulder to advance cleaner, cost-effective energy for Boulder businesses, working with our regional partners to ensure Boulder gets its fair share of efficient FasTracks investment, promoting voluntary commercial building energy efficiency, broading participation in civic leadership, and focusing on jobs and the economy for the Boulder area. We welcome your comments. Click here to tell us what you think. |
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Immigration Reform Bill UpdateUpon receiving an exclusive briefing on the draft immigration reform bill from Senator Bennet’s staff, we authored a Guest Opinion that appeared in the Daily Camera on May 26. Immigration is a key economic issue for Colorado and Senator Bennet is one of the “gang of eight” senators who drafted the legislation. Our high-tech and agricultural sectors are particularly impacted by our broken immigration system, and have been involved in creating real, viable solutions. A press release on the Senator’s website states, “To help strengthen our economy this bill increases the number of H-1B visas for high skilled jobs. It also includes a new INVEST visa, which Bennet included in the bill. Immigrant entrepreneurs who seek to start new businesses and create jobs in the United States would qualify for this new visa. Specifically, it would create a new, three-year visa for individuals who are able to meet certain revenue, job creation and initial investment requirements.” For more information, contact Monisha M. Merchant | 303-455-7600 | Senior Advisor for Business Affairs | U.S. Senator Michael F. Bennet Links: |
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Federal Marketplace Fairness Act2013 has been a turnaround year for The Marketplace Fairness Act, an idea championed by brick-and-mortar sellers for more than a decade. In a rare bipartisan approach, the amendment to the 2013 budget was passed out of the Senate, and will likely next be introduced as a separate bill. Proponents of the measure include a majority of governors and over 300 business, labor, and state and local government organizations, who say that the Act would enhance states’ rights regarding sales and use tax collection authority and in the process level the playing field for all merchants. Opponents of The Marketplace Fairness Act, which include Facebook, Amazon and other members of NetChoice, believe that the existing state sales tax, requiring applicable tax on all purchases, online or offline is sufficient, and that Congress should not give states new tax powers unless it also requires radical simplification of the present sales tax situation. Online-only sellers with less than $1 million in remote sales annually would be exempt, estimated to be nearly 99 percent of such sellers. Participating states would be required to provide businesses with software for tax collection calculated by ZIP code. While the federal budget bill remains in contention, the changes will not go into effect. |
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Local Impacts of Federal SequestrationSenator Michael Bennet expressed concern that the Federal Sequestration violates the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, and may delay the opening of US Patent and Trademark satellite offices, including the Denver office scheduled to open in 2014. Senator Bennet's June 4, 2013 press release noted that, "In the case of the Patent Office, the sequester does not apply. It is funded by the fees it collects, and not tax dollars."
Title I Reduced Allocation to 8 schools 1.5 FTE $125,000 |
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RESOURCES:
Organizations and contacts that can assist business community concerns:
Boulder County District Attorney - Consumer Affairs Division
Emergency Preparedness Information - Boulder Office of Emergency Management