Niwot LID Advisory Committee seeks candidates for upcoming vacancies

Boulder County is seeking applications for three openings on the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee, a nine-member independent board that "prioritizes expenditures of the LID sales tax revenue," and makes recommendations to the county commissioners, who serve as the board of directors for the district.

The Niwot LID was formed in 1992 and was authorized to collect a half-percent sales tax to pay for street, drainage and other improvements in Old Town, beginning in 1993. In 2007 following a successful Niwot effort to change state law, voters in the LID approved a measure that increased the sales tax to one percent and allowed revenues to be used for marketing and promotional materials, as well as to pay for capital and transit-related projects. Although the LID still owed Boulder County for the street and drainage improvements on Second Avenue, the county allowed the new revenues to be used for the purposes permitted under the new state law.

The original debt was paid off in December 2010, and since then the entire 1% sales tax revenue has been available for expenditures that benefit the business district. Another Niwot-led effort to change state law allowed funds to be used for events and allowed expansion of the LID boundaries. Because Niwot is unincorporated, the LID sales tax is the only direct source of tax revenue for improvements that benefit the local improvement district.

The Advisory Committee meets monthly to consider requests for funding and discuss other district-related business. In the past 12 months, the committee has approved disbursements for construction of the new public parking lot, as well as repairs to Spear Man Lodge tree sculpture. It also helped fund recurring events including Wine About Winter, as well as new events to replace those canceled by pandemic concerns. The committee is also responsible for updates and revisions to the Niwot Strategic Plan, which serves as a roadmap for future planning and and LID expenditures in the community. The plan was first adopted in 2011 and has been revised twice.

The LID Advisory Committee holds its meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at the Mountain View Fire Station on Niwot Road at 7 p.m. However, due to ongoing public health concerns, these meetings will be conducted virtually via Microsoft Teams until further notice.

The application period will be open from Dec. 11 through Jan. 15, 2021. New five-year terms for two business community representatives and a residential representative will begin in March 2021. LID members are limited to two consecutive five-year terms. Leaving the board are business representative Bruce Warren and resident Jim Eastman, whose second terms end on Feb. 28. Business member Mary Coonce, who completed the term vacated by Harris Faberman in 2018, is eligible to serve again. Other current members are Eric Bergeson (Niwot Business Association representative), Scott Firle (resident), Bruce Rabeler (business), Lisa Rivard (resident), Cornelia Sawle (business), and Laura Skaggs (Niwot Community Association representative).

The county is also recruiting members for other local advisory boards, including the Area Agency on Aging. For more information, call the Boulder County Commissioners' Office at 303-441-3501. To apply, please visit https://www.bouldercounty.org/government/boards-and-commissions/vacancies/