Vehicle Climate Fee
Consultation has concluded
Addressing climate change is an important priority at the city. The City of Boulder has adopted aggressive climate and sustainability goals, including 100 percent renewable electricity and an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The city’s current revenue for climate programs is insufficient to meet these targets, especially in light of the urgency that is now known.
Staff has evaluated a number of revenue options, especially related to reducing transportation, which accounts for more than a quarter of our community's emissions. Based on that evaluation, council has directed staff to pursue the development of a proposed Vehicle Climate Fee, which includes gathering community feedback on a possible fee structure and uses.
The proposed fee amount would be added to the cost of car's annual registration and will be determined by the mile per gallon (MPG) of the vehicle. More efficient vehicles would pay a lower fee, and electric vehicles would be exempt. The fee is expected to be between $10 and $50 per vehicle each year.
Addressing climate change is an important priority at the city. The City of Boulder has adopted aggressive climate and sustainability goals, including 100 percent renewable electricity and an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The city’s current revenue for climate programs is insufficient to meet these targets, especially in light of the urgency that is now known.
Staff has evaluated a number of revenue options, especially related to reducing transportation, which accounts for more than a quarter of our community's emissions. Based on that evaluation, council has directed staff to pursue the development of a proposed Vehicle Climate Fee, which includes gathering community feedback on a possible fee structure and uses.
The proposed fee amount would be added to the cost of car's annual registration and will be determined by the mile per gallon (MPG) of the vehicle. More efficient vehicles would pay a lower fee, and electric vehicles would be exempt. The fee is expected to be between $10 and $50 per vehicle each year.
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Submit your ideas for how the funding from the proposed Vehicle Climate should be used!
about 5 years agoFunding from the proposed fee will go to on-road transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions including developing infrastructure, creating program offerings and driving market transformation.
Additionally, staff will be piloting a Participatory Budgeting process to allow community members to determine how a portion of the revenue from the fee will be used.
Tell us your ideas! What should the city use the funds collected from the proposed vehicle climate fee for?
elemdoubleuabout 5 years agoInvest in Bike Infrastructure
Improve the bike infrastructure such that we have a connected, safe, and efficient network of bike paths and protected bike lanes for all ages to get around the city.
0 comment1mjwynnealmost 5 years agoThis is just another way for Boulder City to try to rake in more $$. When will this stop in Boulder?
0 comment0elemdoubleuabout 5 years agoCommunity Education & Events
In order shift from climate impacting motor vehicles to more sustainable transportation, we need a culture shift. Some ideas include: - Have people skilled at marketing and public communication educate the public on how sustainable transportation can transform our city: not only mitigate the effects of climate change, but also improve the quality of life of the people of Boulder by creating a more vibrant and safe city - "Car Free Sundays" / "Car Free Zones" -- Some cities do a car free day or zone which can show how vibrant a city can be without cars flowing through it, and open eyes to how our city is so car centric. - Public art that educates on the issue - Education materials, open houses, booths at events, speak to large employers
0 comment0elemdoubleuabout 5 years agoCity Busses: Fast, Free, & Frequent
City of Boulder busses should be free for residents and visitors to incentivize transit use, and to speed up trips by not requiring those without passes to insert cash. The bus should be fast (adding bus only lanes and signal prioritization) and frequent so that it can actually compete (and maybe beat!) with the time it takes to drive.
0 comment1elemdoubleuabout 5 years agoCommunity Wide EcoPass
EcoPasses should be available to add residents, regardless of employer or neighborhood. According to the 2014 TMP, studies have calculated that the auto driver only pays for 10 to 60% of the true cost of an auto trip. We should be subsidizing transit *at a greater rate* than we subsidize auto driving.
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What do you think the average fee should be?
about 5 years agoRecent ground-breaking scientifically proven reports show that there is still a narrow window to prevent catastrophic climate change and argue that some form of carbon pricing (e.g. a tax on greenhouse gas emission) will be necessary.
If the proposed Vehicle Climate fee were set to recover the true societal costs of vehicle emissions, it would be about $250/year for an average gasoline vehicle. This would obviously be a financial burden for Boulder residents, so staff is modeling fee options around $10-50 per vehicle, depending on the mileage.
Additionally, staff is investigating several options to address equity including:
- tying the amount of the fee to the value of the car, so that the tax does not unfairly burden people with lower incomes (similar to the ownership tax);
- rebates for people with low-income (using the same income threshold as the food tax rebate);
- rebates for service workers who rely on specific vehicles; and
- rebates for residents that can prove a very low mileage per year.
What do you think the average fee should be?
MichaelAalmost 5 years agoDo not subsidize any private vehicle, including EVs. Focus on green alternatives, like expanded transit and bike infrastructure.
EV subsidies benefit the wealthy at the expense of the poor. Improve transit options for an even greener yet more equitable solution.
0 comment4Robalmost 5 years agoNo new fees or taxes.
The odds of $10-$50 per year making anyone drive less seems pretty low. Tying the fee to valuation seems odd as I assume older cars would be higher polluters due to less strict emission laws at the time of manufacture. Another thought, Maybe prevent the photo speed vans idling in place all day.
0 comment2Brent Halseyabout 5 years ago$0
This is a terrible way to raise money that is not directly tied to climate impact. A yearly fee is an all or nothing sunk cost that won't encourage people to drive less on a day by day basis. It would be like implementing the plastic bag fee as an annual license to use as many plastic bags as you like. Additionally, it does nothing to address the majority of SOV trips in Boulder from in commuters. Instead, Boulder should pursue: -a congestion fee for driving in or into Boulder -a parking tax for all employees driving to work any given day -promoting a statewide gas tax. This is the most direct correlation to climate impact These methods provide a nudge every day one chooses whether to drive their car or use more sustainable transportation. This is the gradual shift we want to encourage!
3 comments5Thurman Gearyalmost 5 years agoTax the drivers in India and China. Stop making staff driven assumptions then asking a question that you have already made up your mind on
0 comment0gwedoguidoabout 5 years agoCharge non-Boulder registered cars $25 every day to enter the city from 6am - noon. My gas car sits while I walk to work. Charge commuters
Commuter toll
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Key Dates
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May 14 2019