In case you don’t receive my quarterly FasTracks newsletter (and let me know if you want to receive it in the future), I am pasting below the cover story I wrote about the RTD Board’s decision not to move forward with a 2010 ballot initiative to increase the FasTracks sales tax:

________

Last month, the RTD Board decided not to seek additional funding support for FasTracks in 2010.  I believe it was the right decision, but it wasn’t an easy one to make.

There were several appealing reasons for taking our case to the voters this November.  First, as we begin to recover from one of the worst economic recessions in history, the region would benefit tremendously from the jobs that additional FasTracks construction activity would create.  It also is unlikely that construction costs will ever be lower than they are today. 

Still, as I said prior to the Board decision to postpone another FasTracks election, “The voters are reeling.”  It seems that nearly everyone is suffering from the economic downturn.  Poll results confirm this impression, with about half the respondents telling us that they are having difficulty keeping up with personal household bills.  Clearly, this is not the time to ask citizens for additional financial support.

Despite the Board consensus to forgo a FasTracks vote during the 2010 election, I did not want to lose momentum on completing this transit investment program within a reasonable timeframe.  Seventy-seven percent of voters in the Denver metro area continue to support the goals of FasTracks.  I also believe that metropolitan regions, such as Denver, which invest in infrastructure during these difficult economic times will be among the first to recover. 

To that end, I asked my colleagues to support a resolution I drafted, “Commitment to Path Forward.”  (You can access a copy the resolution by clicking on the following link:  Commitment to Path Forward.)This resolution outlines a clear course toward providing voters with the opportunity to support additional FasTracks funding as early as 2011.  The resolution further details the steps leading to a final RTD Board decision on an election date, including the pursuit of all avenues of alternative financial support, identifying opportunities for cost efficiencies, preparing all FasTracks corridors for construction and working with stakeholders to draft the necessary ballot language.

With unanimous Board support for my resolution, we close the books on a FasTracks vote in 2010, but commit ourselves to a path forward in pursuit of timely build-out of the FasTracks transit network.

________

Further coverage regarding the RTD Board decision concerning a FasTracks ballot initiative is available through the following links:

Littleton Independent:  FasTracks hike won’t be on 2010 ballot.

Denver Post:  http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_14879221.