Boulder County approves $1 million Eldorado Springs wastewater debt measure for November ballot
Commissioners amended and approved a November ballot question for up to $1 million in wastewater debt, to be repaid through future special assessments on properties in the Eldorado Springs improvement district.
Boulder County commissioners, serving as the Eldorado Springs Public Improvement District board, voted Aug. 25 to ask voters to authorize up to $1 million in 20-year debt for improvements to the community’s wastewater treatment plant.
The board approved Resolution 2026-003 as amended, reducing the preliminary proposal from $1.2 million. The ballot language sets a maximum total repayment of $1.44 million and a maximum effective net interest rate of 4%. Staff told commissioners the anticipated State Revolving Fund loan rate is 3.25%.
The question is scheduled for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. The resolution directs election officials to transmit it to the Boulder County clerk by Sept. 4.
The financing is intended to address a November 2025 notice of violation and cease-and-desist order from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, identified as order DO-250911-1 and connected to wastewater permit CO0047651. The available county records do not itemize the specific permit violations.
The county’s project solicitation describes the work generally as improvements to increase system reliability, improve operational efficiency and support continued compliance with CDPHE requirements. Staff said the project was about 60% designed as of the meeting. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2027 and finish by November 2027.
If voters approve the borrowing, repayment would come through special assessments rather than a property-tax mill levy. The district plans to create Eldorado Springs Local Improvement District No. 3, with boundaries matching those of the public improvement district. The LID would be established after the election through a public hearing and board action and would remain in place until the debt was repaid.
Properties within the ESPID/LID boundaries could be subject to the assessments. A 2024 county resolution establishing the ESPID described the district as including approximately 138 dwellings and other occupied buildings while excluding 27 parcels identified as vacant land. The financing records available for this report do not include a current parcel-by-parcel list, equivalent-residential-unit allocation table or dollar assessment schedule, so individual property amounts cannot yet be determined.
The assessments are expected to use the district’s equivalent-residential-unit system, but the Aug. 25 materials did not include the final assessment method or property allocations. The State Revolving Fund loan application is due Oct. 5, 2026, under CDPHE’s published application calendar. That is a general agency deadline, not a project-specific notice. Loan approval and creation of the LID remain contingent on voter authorization.