A recent survey of likely Boulder voters shows they’re inclined to extend a sales and use tax to support infrastructure projects.

Probolsky Research, a California-based research company with a Denver office, surveyed 400 likely voters on their support of potential tax items for the November ballot, and what they want addressed by the city. That survey showed respondents support an extension of the existing 0.3% Community, Culture, Resilience and Safety Sales and Use tax, or CCRS tax, for capital infrastructure.

The tax was set to expire in 2036 and has has funded capital projects such as the completion of Fire Station 3, renovations to the East Boulder Community Center and various Pearl Street Mall improvements. The survey results were presented to the Boulder City Council at its June 26 meeting, which then indicated interest pursuing the CCRS tax.

According to language used in the survey, the tax could go toward improvement projects such as roads, enhancements and maintenance toward bike lanes and sidewalks, open space trails, and police and fire stations, among others. The language also says up to 10% of tax revenue would be used to fund a grant pool for nonprofit organization projects that “serve the people of Boulder” and related grant program administration costs.

According to materials for council from its May 8 meeting, the city expects the tax to raise $15 million annually.

Of the surveyed likely voters:

• 63.5% said they would support the extension of the CCRS tax without a sunset and 23.5% said they would not support it. The remaining 13% said they were unsure.

• 60.5% said they would support the CCRS extension with a sunset in 2050, 24.5% said they would not and 15% were unsure.

The margin of error on the survey was 5%.

The council will again discuss this topic at its July 24 and Aug. 7 meetings. Final content for the 2025 ballot must submitted by the city clerk to Boulder County by Sept. 5.

In 2021, Boulder voters supported a 15-year extension of the 0.3% sales tax that funds capital infrastructure projects in the city. The capital infrastructure tax was approved by voters in 2014 and extended for four years in 2017.

Other takeaways

The survey showed 82% of those respondents were white. That racial makeup drew frustration from Councilmember Taishya Adams, the only person of color on the Boulder City Council.

Of the respondents, 2% identified as Black or African American, which is eight people. Six percent identified as Latino or Hispanic, and 5% identified as Asian or Pacific Islander. People in the American Indian/Alaska Native category were 0.3% of respondents, and the remaining 3.3% were “unsure” of their identity.

“I have significant concerns that 2% of 400 is eight people who were Black. … That is not sufficient. Similarly with our Latino/Latina and Hispanic communities, of which 6% responded — that is 24 people,” Adams said in the meeting. “Once again, we find ourselves with an over-representation of white respondents, 328 people. My requests would be for the next round to do broader engagement of our … non-white residents.”

According to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 77.7% of the city of Boulder identifies as white and not Hispanic or Latino. About 11% of people in Boulder identify as Hispanic or Latino and 5.8% identify as Asian.

Additionally, 19.5% of survey respondents said they would like to see the city reduce funding for arts and cultural programs, and 18.3% would like to see the city reduce funding for affordable housing.