$100 reward offered for missing yard signs protesting minimum wage increases

Eight yard signs protesting mandated annual minimum wage increases in unincorporated Boulder County have gone missing. A $100 reward has been offered by a Niwot resident for information leading to recovery of the signs.

Rural Boulder County's small shops, restaurants and area farmers are struggling to absorb minimum wage increases imposed by Boulder County which have led to the closure of once-thriving businesses in Niwot and elsewhere. The hourly rate, currently $16.57, is scheduled to continue to rise in annual increments to $25.00 in 2030. The state minimum wage, which applies to all incorporated cities in Boulder County, with the exception of Boulder, is $14.81 per hour. Boulder's minimum wage is $15.57 per hour.

The Niwot Business Association (NBA) and its ad hoc Minimum Wage Task Force are leading efforts to educate Boulder County residents about the damaging consequences of the minimum wage increases and to encourage them to communicate their concerns to the Boulder County Commissioners.

The NBA marketing committee designed and printed the signs, which included messages such as "SAVE Niwot SMALL BUSINESSES" and "RAISE WAGES LOSE FARMS." They had been placed in several locations along the intersection of Niwot Road and North 79th Street.

Commenting on the disappearance of the signs, Bruce (Biff) Warren said, "I saw them Saturday (May 24, 2025) on my way to the Rockies game, and the next morning, they were gone. I checked dumpsters near our office, but there was nothing there."

In response to a question about who could have taken the signs, Jim Dorvee, president of Niwot Hall, said it could have been someone opposed to pausing the minimum wage increase, or the county, or some other party, but noted that there was no evidence of who might have taken the signs. Dorvee continued, “We need as big a net as we can” to inform people of the issues and risks to unincorporated Boulder County businesses.

Niwot resident Tony Santelli, retired IBM executive and former Niwot Tavern owner, questioned the motive for the removal of the signs. He asked, "Why [take] them? Maybe they don't understand. Mandating a minimum wage that is currently $2 more than Longmont's and $1 more than Boulder's puts us at a massive disadvantage versus other communities."

Santelli stressed that the effort "is not anti-minimum wage or anti-poor people. The economic harm is putting [unincorporated Boulder businesses and farmers] at a disadvantage" relative to the rest of the region.

Angela Hudgins, NBA administrative coordinator, also expressed concern about the impact the increase in the minimum wage rate itself may have upon youth employment. Hudgins said, "As a local resident and mother of teenagers who have been lucky enough to find work in Niwot, I'm concerned that the minimum wage increase will reduce job opportunities for our youth. This change could make it harder for them to get those valuable first jobs where they gain experience and learn important skills."

To date, the Boulder County Commissioners have not established a lower minimum wage for unemancipated minors.

To learn more about mandated minimum wages increases, visit https://niwot.com/minimum-wage/.

To report information leading to recovery of the missing yard signs, email admin@niwot.com.