NEDERLAND - The Nederland Board of Trustees (BOT) met on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, to discuss the 2026 Town Budget and Fee Schedule.

Preliminary discussion of the budget began on September 16, and it was continued through a special Work Session on September 30, during which the Board attempted to reconcile with a $400,000 deficit in the General Fund. 

Decarbonization

The BOT first approved the Town applying for a Jurisdictional Support Subaward from the Building Decarbonization Program, which is part of the Denver Regional Council of Governments’ (DRCOG) Building Policy Collaborative. 

Those who participate in the collaborative are eligible for funding to support the Town’s capacity “to adopt local building decarbonization policies with the goal of reducing building-related climate pollution emissions community-wide.”

Sustainability Coordinator Cass Grady and Community Planner Britt DeMinck have determined that, if Nederland is a recipient of the Subaward, the funds could be used to provide Town staff with specialized training, including for professional LEED Certification and Building Performance Institute certifications. 

Nederland can apply for up to $50,000, with no matching funds required. A second round application for additional funds, taking place in Spring 2026, would be more competitive and would include matching funds, which are as of yet undetermined. 

Budget matters

During the BOT’s 2026 Budget Work Session on September 30, Trustees reviewed each of the Town’s funds, starting with Utilities, which will initiate a 3% increase in both water and sewer rates in 2026, due to inflation. 

The cost of building permits and code enforcement will increase, as the Planning and Zoning department expects to take a hit of over $50,000, because of the loss of projected paid parking revenue. A faulty Level 3 EV Charger has also caused 2026 revenue projections to be lowered from $10,000 to $4,000. 

The Streets Department’s fund will see an increase in expenditures due to salary increases, health insurance costs, and building and vehicle maintenance. As a result of budget constraints, funds allocated for CDL training for Streets employees may be cut. 

The Parks Department’s fund had its 2026 revenue projections adjusted, particularly in relation to donations, as the Parks Department did not receive any donations in 2025. The retirement fund was decreased by $3,000, as Parks employees are not contributing to the fund. The building maintenance budget was increased because of some necessary repairs. 

In regard to the $400,000 deficit in the General Fund, Town Treasurer Rita Six detailed to Trustees how she had already cut a significant amount from the deficit, including a deduction of about $70,000 by eliminating the Public Engagement position entirely from the 2026 budget.

Town Manager Jonathan Cain introduced the following suggestions for further mitigation of the deficit: to shut down the Engage Nederland website platform, as the Town’s new website, once active, would make it redundant; to reduce the General Fund allocation to the Nederland Food Pantry from $9,000 down to $4,000; and to cut the Boulder County co-responder program, as the Town would be unable to fund the position without grants.   

Another suggestion was to close the Visitors Center through winter, as the business has been suffering staffing issues—resulting in the biggest decrease in revenue reflected in the General Fund—and the building itself requires some maintenance. 

The BOT approved shutting down the Engage Nederland platform, and shuttering the Visitors Center until May, with the intention of reopening it with a fresh business model.

Trustees wished to return to the matter of decreasing Nederland Food Pantry’s allocation after seeing an adjusted draft budget. 

Draft budget  

That draft budget was reviewed by the Board during the October 21 meeting, with Town Treasurer Six going over each fund, as well as detailing the sales tax revenue for 2025.

The Town has received $1,502,961 in sales tax revenue through August of 2025. The overall sales tax revenue in 2024 was $2,296,258. 

 As the recent Lakeview Fire, which destroyed up to 20 businesses at the Caribou Village Shopping Center, is a factor impacting the 2026 budget, Six informed the BOT that the Town had received $147,000 so far this year from Shopping Center businesses. 

In relation to the General Fund, Six explained how, since the Board last reviewed the budget, she has adjusted the expenditures and projected revenue regarding the Visitors Center being closed from October to May, as well as reducing the Streets Department’s CDL training budget. She also adjusted the budget to reflect the deactivation of the Engage Nederland platform. 

Due to these measures, the deficit was reduced from $400,000 to $304,000. 

Town Manager Cain specified that, in the wake of the Lakeview Fire, the Town was prioritizing helping businesses reopen and focusing on community needs, rather than overemphasizing lost sales tax revenue. 

“We’re in a critical situation for Nederland, but it’s not a time for panic,” Cain said. “It’s a time for being deliberate and careful with our spending choices.”

Cain stated that Town staff was reducing expenditures and redundancies within their department budgets. He added that, regarding reducing expenditures, he was willing to forgo a yearly salary increase in order to reduce the deficit.

He added that by mid-year 2026, the Town should be able to provide better sales tax projections, and that a supplemental budget could be drafted and passed at that time in order to give the Town time to ease into its tight budget through the first part of the year. 

2026 fee schedule 

Trustees reviewed the latest draft of the Town’s 2026 Fee Schedule, which includes a fee increase for renting Chipeta Park for events, and also institutes a deposit policy for rentals of the park. 

A festival permit fee was added, as well as a cleaning fee for “large events” at the Nederland Community Center, and an off-hours staffing fee of $30 an hour, also for events at the center. 

There were slight increases to the water and sewer usage fees, as well as to the fees for using fire hydrants. The application fee for Short Term Rentals was raised from $175 to $400, and the annual renewal fee for rentals was raised from $100 to $300. 

The BOT tabled the matter of where $107,000 in unspent ARPA funding should be allocated within the budget, as Trustees requested more information regarding the total cost of a 2026 contract for a co-responder to assist law enforcement. The co-responder position was originally funded through 2025 by a grant. 

Cain suggested that a $25,000 portion of the ARPA funds could be allocated to a Health and Human Services non-profit such as the Nederland Food Pantry in exchange for the $9,000 allocation given to the pantry from the General Fund.

The remaining $82,000 could go toward paying for a co-responder, though Cain hypothesizes that another $40,000 may still be required in order to fund the position for a full year. As most Trustees were not in favor of adding $40,000 to the General Fund deficit, the Board opted to wait for further information. 

The Nederland Board of Trustees meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at 7 p.m. and can be attended either online or in person at the Nederland Community Center. 

For more information go to: https://townofnederland.colorado.gov/board-of-trustees.