In addition to swearing in new council members and electing a new mayor pro tem, Boulder City Council on Thursday evening unanimously gave the green light to policies concerning photo radar vans, a new historical landmark and 2023 supplemental budget appropriations.

First, the Council approved a resolution on its consent agenda to designate some streets in the city as “automated vehicle identification corridors.” Boulder has used photo radar vans to enforce speed limits for 25 years, and previously, the vans could only be used in school zones, active construction zones or residential areas with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour or less. But the passage of a new state law earlier this year allowed cities to start using the vans and other automated vehicle identification systems on any street or portion of a street designated as an automated vehicle identification corridor.According to a city memo, there have been three speeding-related fatal crashes in Boulder in 2023. The city hopes that the expansion of the photo enforcement program will reduce these speed-related crashes, reduce overall speeding and improve safety in the community.

To that end, Boulder has designated 24 major road segments as automated vehicle identification corridors so that photo radar enforcement can be used along these roadways. The corridors include Broadway/Colo. 93 from U.S. 36 to the south city limits, U.S. 36/28th Street from Broadway to South Boulder Road/Table Mesa Drive, and Foothills Parkway from the Diagonal Highway to South Boulder Road/Table Mesa Drive.

However, the memo notes, “additional coordination is required with the Colorado Department of Transportation prior to automated enforcement beginning on state owned streets.” More information and a full list of affected roads is available in the city memo at bit.ly/48f0zfO.

Next, after a brief public hearing, the Council said yes to approving 604 Mapleton Ave. as a historical landmark, which will be known as the Eastman-Reid-Collins House. The property was already part of the Mapleton Hill Historic District, but the owner of the property wanted individual recognition for the building.

Historic landmarks in Boulder should have historic, architectural or environmental significance, according to the city’s significance criteria established in 1975. The Eastman-Reid-Collins House was built in 1913 for stockbroker and businessman Frank Eastman and his family. A city memo stated the house has also been associated with the Eastmans and other well-known Boulder families. It’s also architecturally noteworthy and is a prominent visual landmark in the area.

And finally, the Council agreed on supplemental appropriations to the 2023 budget. Boulder routinely does two scheduled budget adjustments, or adjustments-to-base, every fiscal year. These are typically done in May and November to account for unforeseen expenses as well as grants, donations and other unbudgeted revenues.

Based on the most recent adjustment-to-base, city staff asked the council to approve an additional appropriation of nearly $10.3 million across all funds. A staff presentation showed those funds coming from $5.6 million in unbudgeted revenue the city has received, $503,600 in grant revenue and an existing fund balance of $4.1 million in unobligated city funds after reserves. That money will help fund city projects such as Parks and Recreation programming, transportation improvements and sustainability initiatives.