Boulder City Council prepares for annual retreat by mulling over 2022 workplan

Jan. 12—In 2022, Boulder intends to continue its focus on recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, according to City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde.

By framing the year as a recovery year, the city manager said she hopes it will give Boulder City Council a chance to re-evaluate its priorities while leaving space "for important recovery work as the city emerges from the challenges of the pandemic."

"(Recovery) means instead of furloughing folks and limiting non-essential services in the midst of the pandemic, we'll be focusing on restoring services for our community ... and focusing on the hiring and retention of talent to alleviate the strain of employees who have picked up the slack for many of those employees previously furloughed," Rivera-Vandermyde said.

Resources remain constrained and stretched by limited staff, ongoing capital projects, ongoing pandemic response and more, according to information presented in a Boulder City Council study session on Tuesday.

Every department is feeling the strain of capacity, the city manager noted.

"When you furlough over 700 people, it leaves a gigantic hole in an organization," Rivera-Vandermyde said.

Though its focus will be on continued recovery, many projects are in the works in the city. Boulder expects to complete community engagement and planning and adopt its new Boulder Police Department master plan in 2022.

It also is looking to allocate the remainder of its American Rescue Plan Act funding, some of which could go toward addressing the impacts of homelessness.

The East Boulder Subcommunity Plan is likely to be adopted in 2022, and Boulder continues to work on its Alpine-Balsam project, a redevelopment project at the former Boulder Community Health campus between Alpine and Balsam avenues.

Additional infrastructure for bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements as well as consideration of new greenhouse gas emissions reductions measures are slated for 2022.

The presentation given by Rivera-Vandermyde on Tuesday included the percentage of completion for projects that already are in the works.

City Council member Matt Benjamin said it would be helpful if there was more context around that. If a project is 90% complete, for example, does that mean it could wrap up in two weeks or two years?

"I think it's just a recognition that not all work is linear," he said. "That first 50 (percent) could go really quick and then that last 50% could take two years. I think just understanding how that plays out is not just good for us in helping with (the) workplan, it's really helpful for the community."

In terms of its 2021 accomplishments, despite the pandemic-related constraints, Boulder completed the majority of the items that were listed as City Council priorities.

It also completed dozens of other projects, all of which were outlined in the staff memo for the meeting.

Among the work highlighted by the city was the start of the Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Services program; approval of the CU South annexation agreement; adoption of new climate goals and targets; installation of protected bike lanes on Folsom Street; and its response to the mass shooting at King Soopers.

Members of the City Council expressed gratitude for the amount Boulder accomplished, particularly given the many challenges the city experienced.

The City Council will convene for its annual retreat on Jan. 21 and 22. The meeting will be virtual. It is the time when members of the City Council can officially decide whether to add new priorities to its upcoming workplan. Each member presented new ideas in Tuesday's study session.

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