Quote:
Originally Posted by TakeFive
FasTracks Update
RTD Explores Money Options To Catch Up On Unfinished FasTracks Trains
JUN 19, 2019 By NATHANIEL MINOR - CPR
Nice recap of where FasTracks currently sits.
bunt, wong, or anyone smarter than myself, I have a couple of questions?
Is there even a sunset provision in FasTracks and if so how does it work. My understanding is that the operating expenses come from the generic six-tenths percent that RTD collects. Deductive reasoning has me thinking that the FasTracks specific tax can/would be used for maintenance and replacement over time. This would actually be comforting to know that needed replacement costs are already built in via the existing FasTracks tax. Obviously the majority of this tax is currently used to pay off the bond funding used during construction.
|
I mean.... that PPT link lays out some alternative solutions not really discussed in the article (earmarks, etc). However, nobody in CO has enough political sway in DC to pull off something like that. Could the voters vote in a new chunk of tax increases to fund a train from FoCo to Trinidad while tossing in the NW line? Sure..... but I doubt that will happen. I still think RTD, and local municipalities should invest more in true BRT. It can work just as well as the train, at a fraction of the cost. With Bustang continuously exceeding ridership expectations, I don't see why this isn't explored more.
Another fly in the ointment here is the CO supreme court decision that could pave the way to have TABOR repealed by the voters. If that happens, all bets are off.