Ownership note: HealthyBoulderKids.org is under new ownership. This page concerns the former Healthy Boulder Kids campaign. The current site was not involved with or affiliated with that campaign.
The former Healthy Boulder Kids coalition organized in 2016 to place a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages before Boulder voters. This page explains the initiative, its proposal, the campaign surrounding Ballot Measure 2H, and the result using contemporary reporting and official records.
How the Initiative Began
An April 22, 2016 Westword report documented the coalition’s filing and linked directly to this initiative URL. The report identified Jorge De Santiago of El Centro AMISTAD, Nicole Christensen of CrossFit Roots, and Dr. Eric Harker among early supporters.
The filing began the process of qualifying the proposal for Boulder’s November 2016 ballot. Contemporary coverage described the initiative as a local public-health campaign focused on sugary-drink consumption, health inequities, and funding for community wellness programs.
What the Coalition Proposed
The proposal called for a two-cent-per-ounce excise tax on distributors of covered sugar-sweetened beverages. It used an added-sweetener threshold and excluded categories including 100% juice, infant formula, milk products, alcohol, and beverages for medical use.
The campaign estimated approximately $3.8 million in annual revenue. The proposal directed the money toward administering the tax and supporting access to drinking water and healthy food, nutrition education, physical activity, and other community-health programs, especially for residents with lower incomes or greater chronic-disease risk.
The 2016 Campaign
Measure 2H became what contemporary reporting described as Boulder’s most expensive ballot contest at that time. A post-election Westword report placed opposition funding above $503,000 and support funding above $824,000, including $200,000 from Michael Bloomberg.
Opponents argued that the measure would raise grocery costs. Supporters emphasized that the legal tax applied to distributors of covered beverages and that the revenue would fund local health programs. Businesses could nevertheless choose to pass some costs through the supply chain.
Election Result and Implementation
Boulder County’s official election results record 32,767 votes for Measure 2H and 28,021 against it, a 53.90% to 46.10% result.
The tax took effect on July 1, 2017. The City of Boulder’s current sugar-sweetened beverage tax page explains the present distribution tax and the Health Equity Fund supported by its revenue.
Related Campaign Records
For the measure’s structure and vote, see the Ballot Measure 2H overview. For supporters who can be verified in surviving contemporary coverage, see the endorsements record.