Steve Gaibler, owner of Niwot’s Garden Gate Cafe for 25 years, has begun cutting staff hours this year by leaving positions unfilled when someone quits. That’s how he’s managing the rising minimum wage in unincorporated Boulder County. But at a recent rally with Niwot farmers and business owners, he admitted he’s not sure his breakfast-and-lunch café can keep up with the yearly hikes that will push wages to $25 an hour by 2030.
To cope, Gaibler cut 50 hours a week and asked employees to take on extra duties. Every $1 increase adds $1,000 a week to his payroll, he said. “It’s just unsustainable,” he explained. “Restaurants already operate on razor-thin margins. Labor is our biggest expense. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for survival. This is the definition of unintended consequences. You’re destroying the businesses that provide jobs.”
In November 2023, Boulder County’s three commissioners unanimously approved staggered increases, covering all workers in unincorporated areas, including minors. They hoped cities and towns in the county would follow to create a regional standard, but none have done so.
On Jan. 1, the wage in unincorporated Boulder County rose to $16.57 per hour—nearly $2 above Colorado’s $14.81 minimum and $1 higher than Boulder’s $15.57. Longmont, Louisville, and Lafayette still follow the state’s rate, though Longmont is considering an increase. The city will host a “fishbowl” feedback session on Aug. 25.
Since 2019, local governments have had the authority to set their own minimum wages. Denver was the first, followed by Boulder County and Edgewater. Denver’s rate will climb to $19.29 an hour in January, one of the highest in the country. Boulder’s City Council approved incremental hikes but capped its minimum at $18.17 by 2027—still below Boulder County’s $25 target.
Labor advocates praised Boulder County’s move, but a coalition of farmers and business owners is asking for a pause. At a Tuesday rally in Niwot, they urged residents to send letters and speak at commissioners’ meetings. County officials confirmed receiving “hundreds” of letters but gave no exact number. The coalition estimates about 600. A Niwot Community Association survey found 97% of 141 respondents want the county to either reduce the wage to the state level or freeze it until surrounding cities catch up.
“Without regional cooperation, these wage hikes backfire,” said Nicholas Little, owner of Noblestar Technologies and head of the Niwot Business Association’s task force. He warned that a steep increase in only unincorporated areas will shut businesses down, costing jobs and hurting the very workers the policy aims to protect.
Unincorporated Boulder County includes Allenspark, Coal Creek Canyon, Eldorado Springs, Gold Hill, parts of Gunbarrel, Hygiene, and Niwot. It makes up about 12% of the county’s population and 5% of its workforce. Small restaurants, retail shops, and farms are the most at risk, Little said, noting the closures of two Niwot restaurants—1914 House in 2024 and Farow in January 2025. Niwot Pizza also relocated to Longmont last June after decades in town.
“It threatens the survival of the town,” said Tony Santelli, past president of the Niwot Business Association and former co-owner of Niwot Tavern. “There will be a tombstone that says ‘Niwot.’”
Santelli and others at the rally voiced frustration that commissioners haven’t revisited the wage issue since 2023. Commissioner Claire Levy, who leads the board on minimum wage, said she’s open to revisiting it if at least two of the three commissioners agree. The topic will likely come up at an administrative meeting in a couple of weeks, but any changes wouldn’t take effect before Jan. 1.
When they approved the hikes in 2023, commissioners cited the “crushing need” identified by groups like the Emergency Family Assistance Association and Sister Carmen Community Center due to Boulder County’s high cost of living. In 2022, the Colorado Center on Law and Policy estimated that a single adult without children needed $19.44 an hour to afford life in the county.
“We wanted to enact a wage to make it more affordable for people to live here,” Levy said. “We had hoped that increasing the wage in unincorporated areas would set a path for other communities to follow.”
Commissioners debated whether to exempt workers under 18 but decided against it. “If you are doing an hour of labor on behalf of a business, you ought to be paid the same as an adult,” Levy said. Still, she argued that raising wages is only part of making Boulder County livable. More affordable housing and child care are also essential. She stressed that retail and restaurant owners shouldn’t bear the full burden of broader economic pressures.
Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann, however, has pushed for even higher wages. After an April public comment session, she argued that Boulder County’s living wage exceeds $50 an hour. “We cannot continue to have businesses succeed by exploiting workers,” she said.
Many business owners and farmers bristled at that remark. “My workers are like family,” Gaibler said. “I do everything I can for them.”
Michael Moss, who runs Kilt Farm near Niwot, said the hikes could devastate farming, especially labor-intensive vegetable operations. He stepped back from farming this summer to focus on policy issues, including minimum wage. Farmers, he said, already face rising costs for supplies and tariffs while competing with larger producers in Weld, Larimer, and out-of-state. And just one hailstorm can wipe out profits for the season.
“A 10,000-acre farm in California can produce lettuce mix on a scale we can’t,” Moss said. “I can charge more for quality, but if we keep raising prices, customers will walk away. Our margins are already thin. Farming is tough everywhere, but it’s especially costly here. If I’m forced to sell below production cost, it just doesn’t pencil out.”
He said about 90% of the county’s vegetable farmers have joined the Keep Boulder County Farms and Jobs coalition calling for a pause. “If this ordinance isn’t changed, we’ll lose much of what makes Boulder County vibrant,” he warned.
Alison and Seth Steele, owners of Niwot Market, echoed those concerns. Their independent grocery store sells local produce and serves as a community hub with events like summer dinners and July 4 pancake breakfasts. Alison said rising wages will force them to raise prices, making it harder to compete with large chains.
“We can only raise prices so much before people stop shopping here,” she said. The market often employs teens in their first jobs, but paying them $25 an hour isn’t feasible. She also worries about pay scales. “If I start a cashier at $25, what do I pay a manager? We’d have to cut jobs. Having a higher minimum wage in small towns doesn’t fix the high cost of living. It’s not solving the problem at all.”
Jay French, owner of Hygiene Feed and Mercantile, said he may stop hiring teens if the wage keeps climbing. Training them requires time he can’t justify at $25 an hour, and it leaves less money for adult salaries. “It will possibly be a back breaker,” he said. “Where’s that precipice?”
At Ollin Farms outside Longmont, Mark Guttridge worries about the future of his teen internship program. This summer, he employed 16 teens at nearly $17 an hour—up from $12. “It’s already limited how many kids we can hire,” he said. “At $25, I don’t even know if that program will exist. Small farms and restaurants hire the most high school workers. Why would you cut that opportunity? I’m dumbfounded.”
Guttridge noted that he already pays adult workers above the county minimum. “The commissioners underestimate how well we treat employees,” he said. “If you don’t pay a living wage, you won’t have employees. It doesn’t need regulation.”
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Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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