The Board of Directors of the Front Range Passenger Rail District approved a November ballot measure, asking voters to approve a tax increase estimated to raise $295 million annually to fund the future Colorado Connector train service, at its Aug. 28 meeting.
The taxes will come from a new 0.333% sales tax that will apply only within the FRPR District, which includes major metro areas like Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Boulder, Longmont, Loveland and Pueblo. On a $100 purchase, the sales tax would be an additional 33 cents.
If approved, the ballot measure will also allow the district to issue up to $580 million in debt.
The ballot measure represents a momentous moment for the FRPR district. Created in 2021, supporters want to create a passenger rail service along the Front Range and one day extend into Wyoming and New Mexico.
Traffic and climate change are cited as key drivers of the project. A presentation on the environmental benefits of the rail service said it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 126,000 metric tons a year—the equivalent to taking 29,000 cars off the road.
Public support
The meeting began with public comment. All but one person spoke in support of the district asking voters to approve a sales tax to fund passenger rail service.
Larimer County Commissioner Kristin Stephens spoke in support of the sales tax. “We would love to see it.”
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Stephens touted the benefits of connecting the Front Range via rail. She also pushed back against the belief that the Colorado Connector would not be an economic driver, pointing to growth in other states that have developed passenger rail.
Most supporters said Colorado needed to expand its transportation options, citing traffic concerns on existing roads and highways.
Brad Vickers described the current transit and commuting options as: “Sitting in traffic—doing nothing.” Vickers added that working-class people are hurt disproportionately by the current transportation network.
Natalie Menten, an RTD Director from 2012 to 2020, said she was opposed to the sales tax. She questioned why certain areas were included in the FRPR district, and others were excluded.
“I don’t envision myself using this service,” Menten said. “I’m opposed to something I’ll be paying for on a daily basis, but rarely, if ever, will use.”
Broad director approval
“I am going to be voting in favor of this very enthusiastically,” Director Claire Levy said before the board voted. Levy described the Colorado Connector as having “transformative potential” to change how people transit around the state.
“This is going to be a piece of a larger network,” Levy said. She said it will connect, synchronize and intersect with existing transportation networks like Bustang, Mountain Rail and RTD.
Director Daneya Esgar shared Levy’s sentiment and thanked the board and supporters for their work in getting the measure in front of voters. “This isn’t an easy task. We worked very hard to get to this point,” Esgar said before making a motion to approve the sales tax request for the November ballot.
The final vote to approve the measure was 14-1, with Director Cory Applegate of the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments casting the only dissenting vote.
The measure will be decided by voters in the Nov. 3 general election.