Mayors stand ground: No FasTracks cuts
By Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Originally published 08:19 p.m., July 21, 2008
Updated 09:44 p.m., July 21, 2008
Chris Schneider © The Rocky
Trace Boyd holds up quarters for his mother, Jessica Boyd, as she buys tickets for FasTracks in downtown Denver.
Metro-area mayors say they will oppose any talk about RTD cutting back on their FasTracks corridors in the midst of a budget crisis.
But they're not ready to say more tax money is the answer.
"Longmont citizens voted favorable on this in 2004 just because of what the package offered to people up here," said Roger Lange, Longmont's mayor. "To offer something different isn't fair to voters and it isn't the right thing. Not serving Longmont is just not an option as far as we are concerned."
RTD officials conceded last week that with costs up markedly over what it budgeted four years ago and revenues from the tax voters approved not bringing in as much as expected, it won't be able to deliver the same program voters were promised by 2017.
Instead, the agency must consider scaling back the scope of some of the projects, delaying their full buildout, asking voters for more money or finding massive savings through privatization.
It won't be easy. Mayors along the FasTracks corridors say they want the full project to be built, and they want it by the 2017 completion date. While that leaves a new tax bailout as the remaining large-scale option, none endorsed it right out of the box. RTD first needs to put definite dollar amounts on its dilemma.
"Nobody in any corridor is going to welcome a push-back of opening dates," said Arvada Mayor Bob Frie. "Nobody welcomes the idea of more taxes, but with gas prices as they are, people are anxious for FasTracks to get built. They may be willing to pay more money for it. I don't welcome that debate though. RTD is in a tough spot.
Added Longmont's Lange: "RTD might just have to go for more money, that might be the reality of it."
The Boulder County city of Longmont sits at the farthest point on the longest proposed FasTracks corridor, the 41-mile Northwest Rail commuter train project. As such, it would be a seemingly easy call to scale back the end of the line to Boulder, the originally planned stopping point for the corridor back before it was expanded for the FasTracks program.
Last year, when the entire FasTracks program leaped from the $4.7 billion package presented to voters to a new total of $6.1 billion, the Northwest Rail project's share went from $565.1 million to $684.4 million.
But Lange has allies in what looks to be a united front of city and county elected officials, who are defending their neighbors' interests for the sake of their own turf.
Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer put it most graphically: "It won't work to try to gore just one ox. This was a regional effort and we figured out an answer so that everybody benefited. Now we need to make sure that in any new answer, everyone still benefits."
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, whose core city would be the last to suffer cuts because most of the corridors originate at Denver Union Station, closed ranks with Lange, his outermost counterpart.
"I think we're committed to the full scope of work and to the timeline," Hickenlooper said. "I am no less committed to that than the mayor of Longmont is. We all worked on this together and therefore, the preferred thing is to build what was promised and certainly, if there are any changes, they should be fairly shared."
Political analyst and pollster Floyd Ciruli said the problem for RTD seeking another tax hike is twofold. First, RTD's trust with the community has been broken by not being able to deliver on the original plan.
"The problem is lack of trust in government, and given the promises they made, even with the extenuating circumstances of inflation in construction, it really empowers the opponents, many of whose arguments against it four years ago were fulfilled," Ciruli said. "RTD underpriced it and overpromised it."
The second problem RTD would face is the poor state of the economy, a bad time to ask voters for anything even if they like it.
"The bottom line is that people are anxious and their discretionary income is tightening, making it very difficult to make a case for raising taxes," Ciruli said. "RTD has one argument, people like transit, and if anything it's even a bigger alternative given $4 a gallon gas."
Cal Marsella, RTD general manager, said the agency is focused on building the full lengths of the nine FasTracks rail corridors and a tenth corridor that involves a dedicated bus, car-pool and toll lane on U.S. 36. His staff plans to present new budget numbers and financial plans to the RTD elected board by mid-August.
"We're certainly going in with the goal of building what we went to the electorate with in every corridor," Marsella said.
Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy is in a city where the only FasTracks project under contract, the West Corridor light rail, is starting early construction. Even so, he's not taking an "I got mine already" attitude.
"From the regional perspective, our line will be that much better if the whole system gets built out," Murphy said. "This is a regional issue and it's going to take a regional solution, and all options need to stay on the table for now."
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July 21, 2008
9:48 p.m.
Suggest removal
openmind writes:
Good luck using eminent domain on Mike Shanahan.
RTD could have purchased the old Denver Post building from willing sellers but now they plan on condemning it and screwing the owners. Get a load of this.
http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/art...
July 21, 2008
9:54 p.m.
Suggest removal
BJG writes:
will there ever be a line to the airport, or is that on the Slow Track?
July 21, 2008
10:05 p.m.
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reddog writes:
Looks like the dude really needs a ride in the pic.
July 21, 2008
10:52 p.m.
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sldfkd writes:
For whatever reason, they say the line to the airport will be the least-ridden. I'm not sure why, but that's what I've heard.
July 21, 2008
11:14 p.m.
Suggest removal
newsreader1 writes:
If RTD can't deliver on the FasTracks program we voted on, the tax increase needs to be repealed. By law, we did not approve a scaled-back system, and we did not agree to spending an extra $1.4 billion. The cost estimate they sold us was simply a lie. Construction costs have gone up, but the original estimate was unrealistic regardless.
If the extra $4.7 billion was spent on metro area roads, the new facilities would serve WAY more people. Mass transit is great in theory, but it only serves a fraction of the people who drive every day. Heck, almost everyone who does use light rail drives to the stations. Light rail simply fails to get you where you want to go, when you want to get there. That new line running up I-25 takes forever, is expensive as hell, and has no parking at the stations. It's a pain in the a$$ to use.
Roads people.....it's what made this country great. Don't worry, we won't be burning gasoline in cars forever. New, cleaner technology is on the way.
July 22, 2008
1:01 a.m.
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SteveM writes:
sldfkd writes:
For whatever reason, they say the line to the airport will be the least-ridden. I'm not sure why, but that's what I've heard.
This is the same thing everyone said about every airport line ever built and it's always proven to be 100% backwards. But, there are, by far, more groups who lobby AGAINST an airport line than any other: Rental Car Companies, Off-Site Parking Companies, On-site Gas Station Companies, Private Shuttle and Bus Companies, nearby Restaurant and Hotel Chains that rely on people staying there because they cannot get down town conveniently. In no case where an airport transit line has been built has any of these businesses suffered at all. But convincing them that they won't suffer isn't easy. Why would anyone pay $8 a day to park off-site when they could park in a free Park-n-Ride and take the train for $2.50 each way? Well, a lot of reasons? (a) Speed: if you are behind and fear being late to catch a flight, you don't know the rail line schedule but you know the off-site parking will be open and waiting for you. (b) Closer convenience: some people don't like thinking their car is at a Park-n-Ride for a few days, and some Park-n-Rides don't permit multiple day unlimited parking. When you get home, you don't have to wait for a train again, you can just hop a shuttle. And so on. But, fear of loss of business is a key motivator in negative lobbying against change. You can come up with reasons why any number of these businesses won't see much of any change in their business due to a rail line. Usually, the only businesses that see a change are (a) the transit system [more riders and fares colleted] and (b) on-site airport parking garages [decrease in usage].
July 22, 2008
7:33 p.m.
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twambolt writes:
Looks like the mayors are building a case for RTD to instigate another tax increase. From the options they are laying out, it is either a tax increase or selling a strip of land (that will divide the cities) to a foreign investment company. Will we need to apply for a passport to ride the rails then?