After much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth, the RTD Board voted last week not to pursue voter approval for additional FasTracks funding in 2011.  The full story is available here:  Denver-area voters won’t see FasTracks sales-tax vote in November.  In summary, by a nod of 13-1, the RTD Board bowed to overwhelming indications of weak support this year for such a tax increase initiative.

For those who read my recent newsletter (which you can access through the following link:  April FasTracks Newsletter), I felt there were a number of good reasons for going to the voters this year.  Additional financial support for FasTracks would help us take advantage of low construction costs and would be an immediate catalyst for new job growth.  Further, and most important to me, additional tax financing would accelerate the completion of FasTracks, bringing bus-rapid-transit and commuter rail service to Boulder County much sooner than we can with existing resources.

Of course, we would achieve none of the above benefits if voters rejected a sales tax increase for FasTracks in 2011 . . . and that is what the political consultants, financial supporters and the public were telling us would happen.  Staff did a wonderful job summarizing the case against a FasTracks vote in 2011, as you can see here: RTD Staff Recommendation – 2011 Ballot Initiative.  In the end, the vast majority of my Board colleagues agreed with the staff recommendation and decided this was not the year to seek additional funding.

I note that the RTD Board took the unusual step of passing a resolution explaining its decision regarding a 2011 FasTracks ballot initiative.  The full text is available here:  Resolution Concerning a 2011 FasTracks Election.  In a key closing line, the resolution states, “The Board has adopted a financial plan which assumes a 2012 election and the Board will make every effort to comply with that plan.”  In other words . . . watch for us in 2012!