Thread: Boulder Voters: Non-Citizens Could Serve on County Boards?

City Council pay raise, non-citizen measures to go to voters
Boulder leaders approve charter changes for fall ballot

By Ryan Morgan (Contact)
Tuesday, August 5, 2008


Boulder voters will be asked to give elected leaders a pay raise this fall, and they’ll also have the chance to change the city’s charter to allow people who aren’t U.S. citizens to serve on city boards and commissions.

Those were among five proposed charter changes the City Council decided to send to voters this fall at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Members of the council decided to ask city voters to raise elected leaders’ pay from the roughly $5,000 a year to about $12,000 a year. Supporters said Boulder City Council members make less than their counterparts in similarly sized cities — those on Longmont’s City Council pull down $12,000 a year, for example, while Fort Collins’ elected officials make $7,560 annually.

On Tuesday night, critics said they want to make sure they don’t discourage voters from renewing a 0.38 percent sales tax that helps pay for police, fire, parks and recreation and other services.

“While it would be nice to be compensated more on par with other communities, I am very uncomfortable with putting this on, because there is going to be tax language on the ballot, too,â€

That is pure insanity.