We have two big problems facing us here in Boulder. The first is how we address the ongoing Aspen-ization of Boulder, which I covered in this post.
The second big problem is how do we fund the city. Yes everything is fine right now with 29th Street open. But over the next 20 years we are going to be caught between the decline in sales tax revenue and the increase in necessary city services.
And both will come from the same source, the aging of Boulder's citizens. As the baby boomers retire, the entire country is getting older. The percentage of people entering the range from active retirement through to managed care is increasing every year and will do so for the next 20+ years.
And in Boulder it will advance faster than the population at large. As Boulder gets more expensive that also increases the average age as older people tend to have more money and so we drive out the young, especially those with families, and replace them with people close to or retired.
Cities in Colorado get the majority of their income from sales tax and this is set in state statue. So we are dependent on sales tax income. But as people get older they make fewer purchases on taxable goods and more on services. At age 70 they don't buy a car (taxable) but they may have round the clock nursing (not taxable). So tax receipts starts a long steady decline.
At the same time, seniors require more city services than the average citizen. And when the city steps in to help, it can take a lot of time and effort because people are getting involved with government programs for the first time and have to be walked through it. The list goes on.
How do we address this? Even adding a Walmart is a band-aid that holds the problem back for a couple of years. This is a systemic problem with no clear answer. But one thing is clear, if we don't figure out a long term solution then each council will desperately embrace whatever development proposal will raise a bit more money each year. And that is guaranteed to provide a non-optimal solution.
Where do we want to go - that is the key question. The rest is details. And that is why it is essential that we elect a council with a diverse set of backgrounds and views. Because a council composed of similar opinions cannot solve this problem, and won't even try.
This election decides if we will control our city's future or if the city's budget will control us.
