Task force addresses minimum wage in Niwot area

Niwot business leaders have formed a task force to address growing concerns about the rising minimum wage in unincorporated Boulder County.

The group consists of business leaders, with representatives from the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee, the Niwot Business Association, and Left Hand Grange No. 9, as well as area farmers.

At a Jan. 23 meeting at The Wheel House in Niwot, committee members discussed how the minimum wage ordinance enacted by the Boulder County Commissioners last year negatively impacts businesses in Niwot by forcing them to pay a higher minimum wage for salaried employees than anywhere else in Boulder County.

So far, the commissioners have turned a deaf ear to the concerns raised, in spite of reports that new businesses look elsewhere when they discover that the minimum wage in unincorporated Boulder County will rise to $25 per hour by 2030 under current legislation.

Committee member Tony Santelli, former president of the NBA and former owner of the Niwot Tavern, was hopeful that the committee could convince the commissioners to pause the scheduled increases until the rest of the county catches up to the unincorporated county's minimum wage. Santelli urged the committee to acknowledge the high cost of living in Boulder County, and attempt to win the hearts and minds of Boulder County residents. "But we need to follow, not lead," Santelli added.

The committee reported that Mary Coonce, treasurer of the LID, noted that sales tax collections in Niwot for 2024 are down approximately 9% through November of 2024 compared to 2023 revenues. The closing of 1914 House restaurant at the beginning of the summer has affected revenues, and the recent closing of Farow restaurant is expected to further affect sales tax collections.

Jim Dorvee, president of Left Hand Grange No. 9, noted that the ordinance also affects Boulder County farmers, who are also subject to the increase.

The committee discussed the possibility of hiring a public relations consultant to help address the issue. The Boulder County Commissioners first addressed an increase in the minimum wage with the Boulder County Consortium of Cities, as required by the enabling statute, which encourages a regional approach to setting a minimum wage. But when the cities in Boulder County balked at raising the minimum wage, the commissioners went ahead and passed the ordinance, hoping others would follow.

To date, only the City of Boulder has enacted a local minimum wage ordinance setting the minimum wage at $15.67 for 2025. That ordinance is below the minimum wage in effect in Niwot, which is $16.57 per hour for 2025. Statewide, the minimum wage is $14.81 per hour for 2025.