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Boulder Public Library Unionization News Roundup Juanita Hurtado
Headlines Tuesday Sept 30, 2025
Boulder Public Library district workers plan to launch union
Eleven workers from the Boulder Public Library District are trying to unionize. The Daily Camera reports that the workers are expecting to give a presentation on October 21st at the library’s main branch to confirm their union recognition by the library board of trustees.
The Camera reports that if the trustees don’t recognize the union, the workers will petition fellow library employees to vote on union recognition. Representatives from the library confirm that this effort to unionize is to future-proof the library’s enthusiastic worker corps.
This effort to unionize comes as library employees lost their union representation from a 2022 voter-approved tax proposal that separated the city and library district from sharing certain funds. The Camera reports that the Boulder Municipal Employees Association fell out of contract with the library district, leaving library employees without union representation.
The library district has grown to five branches, with the most recent branch, with the North Boulder branch being added within the last year. Union organizers among the eleven petitioning staff members say that programs Boulderites rely on will feel more supported if the union recognition passes.
Rocky Mountain National Park is Open Amid Government Shutdown
Amid the government shutdown, the Rocky Mountain National Park is still open. But visitor services will be limited.
The Denver Gazette reported the park is working with a “skeleton crew.” It also reported that all visitor centers will be closed, except for Fall River on U.S.-34 in Estes Park.
All park entrances remain open and fee stations are staffed. However, no fees can be collected during a government shutdown and the lack of resources is already raising concerns about vandalism and littering in the park.
Xcel asks to skip public hearings for El Paso Counties for Power Pathways
After El Paso and Elbert counties rejected Xcel’s proposed route for a high-voltage transmission line, the company filed a motion to override the decision.
The motion also asked for an expedited decision with Xcel arguing that construction delays can mount costs or founder the project all together.
On Wednesday, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission agreed to review Xcel’s motion for an override, but denied the request to an expedited decision.
The process can now take up to 250 days before a decision is reached. The proposed route for the high-voltage transmission line is part of the larger Power Pathway project. The project aims to meet Colorado’s push for renewable energy and will cost around $1.7 billion.
RTD shuts down access-to-ride
A transit program that has provided free Uber and Lyft rides for people with disabilities in the Denver metro area will now have a base fare of four-dollars and fifty-cents. The Regional Transportation District board approved the change to the Access-on-Demand program Tuesday. Michelle Dumay is a member of Denver’s Commission for People with Disabilities. She testified against the fare hike.
“When you think about what is before you as a board, as so many people have said already, it’s really about dignity, and it’s really about having an inclusive Denver,” Dumay said.
The RTD Board also decided to cut the service’s hours and how much of each ride’s cost is subsidized. Until now, the program has provided free rides for people with disabilities since it was launched five years ago. But amid growing ridership, RTD has been under pressure to find new funding for the program.
Colorado pushes cash EV incentives
The state of Colorado is increasing the credit offered to those who turn in their gasoline cars for electric vehicles from 6000 dollars to 9000 dollars. The state has had difficulty keeping electric vehicle incentives on the table after the 7,500 dollar EV tax credit was taken off the table by Trump’s big beautiful bill
Officials from the state’s energy department told the Colorado Sun, the additional 3000 dollars will be paid for by left in the vehicle exchange fund for the 2026 fiscal year. The state’s vehicle exchange launched in 2023 to help income-qualified buyers help the state switch over to electric vehicles.
The state legislature is hoping the additional cash remains an incentive for buyers who missed the cut off for the federal tax credit’s September 30 deadline.
The Colorado Sun highlights that buyers can layer current state incentives, meaning that if you have a qualifying old car and are buying a new EV under $35,000, from Nov. 3 through the rest of 2025 a buyer may qualify for a total state discount of nearly 15,000 dollars.
