The upcoming Boulder County commissioners hearing about Boulder County Open Space tax extensions is scheduled for Thursday this week: >>> August 17 (Thursday) at 9am (Resolutions 2023-068 & 2023-069; items # 1 and #2 on agenda).
Details on this proposed ballot issue is posted at: https://boco.org/Ballot-Issues You can testify by attending in person at the court house or attend virtually by this zoom link: https://boco.org/BOCC-2023Ballot Webinar ID: 160 404 9536 If you attend in person, it is best to register for public comment in advance via this link: https://boco.org/InPerson-2023Ballot Written comments can also be submitted in advance by sending to: commissioners@bouldercounty.org
(I intend to submit written comments in advance, the text below, as well as testifying in person.) These ballot items would extend for 15 years an open space tax 0.05% for “purpose of acquiring, improving, managing and maintaining open space lands and other open space property interests”.
Proposal for ballot language be more explicit to require:
“Rapid transitioning to organic agriculture shall begin immediately for all county owned and otherwise county controlled lands, beginning immediately and progressively 100% attained as certified organic as promptly as possible but by no later than beginning of crop year 2030, meaning October 1, 2029; and such certified organic transitions are also explicitly applicable for all county owned/controlled agricultural lands which must meet USDA certified organic agriculture on all county open space agricultural lands; and all other Boulder County lands must also achieve comparable companion organic management practices by this same schedule using only independently certified organic products by Organic Materials Research Institute (OMRI), and these same conditions shall be applicable on all other county owned or managed lands such all rights of ways, roads, county property lands and facilities (whether owned or otherwise controlled), and including but not limited to all forested, grasslands, waters, wetlands, grazing, and non-agricultural lands.”