Boulder City Council on April 23 directed city staff to keep the municipal airport open indefinitely, a decision that likely brings to a close one of the city’s most contentious land-use debates in years and could lead the city to accept federal grant money that could further limit future efforts to close the facility.
The narrow 5-4 decision was made by straw poll at a study session, without a public hearing and without an official recorded vote. Mayor Aaron Brockett, Mayor Pro Tem Tara Winer and Councilmembers Taishya Adams, Matt Benjamin and Rob Kaplan voted in favor; Councilmembers Tina Marquis, Ryan Schuchard, Nicole Speer and Mark Wallach opposed.
It is one of several significant policy decisions the council has made through informal votes in recent months, and it has prompted some members to question whether that approach is appropriate for decisions of such consequence…