By Peggy B. Graham | Left Hand Valley Courier
During the Boulder County Commissioners’ public comment session on April 3, several Niwot residents addressed the commissioners with significant concerns about the detrimental effects of the current minimum wage ordinance on Niwot‘s small businesses.
Ordinance 2023-4, which took effect on January 1, 2024, established the minimum wage for unincorporated Boulder County at $16.57 per hour this year, $1.76 higher than the neighboring incorporated towns and cities, except Boulder, which is still lower than the county ordinance.
The ordinance mandates annual increases, reaching $25 per hour by 2030, and then further adjusting in accordance with the Consumer Price Index. Notably, most larger municipalities within Boulder County have opted out of this increase, leaving Niwot and unincorporated county businesses solely affected.
The monthly public session offers a three-minute speaking opportunity for residents to address concerns they have regarding county issues. Niwot business owners Nick Little of Noblestar Technologies, LLC, Steve Gaibler of Garden Gate Cafe, Anne Postle of Osmosis Art and Architecture, along with Niwot residents Jason Christopoulos, Peter Brandes, and Tony Santelli, passionately articulated the negative impacts of minimum wage disparity.
Little initiated the discussion, stating that the ordinance’s intended regional approach had failed due to the opt-out of larger municipalities. He emphasized that unincorporated Boulder County small businesses were unfairly burdened, having already witnessed the closure of two flagship restaurants and an increase in vacancies.
Little stressed the “structural disadvantage” faced by Niwot businesses competing with areas adhering to the lower state minimum wage. He said, “This is not a level playing field. This is a structural disadvantage. Artificial Intelligence (AI) models are validating what the business owners have been saying all along. Without regional cooperation, these wages will backfire.” Little told the commissioners that this is “a war you don’t need to fight.”