The state is considering changes to transportation funding that could cut Durango’s mass transit services by 50 percent or more.
The Colorado Department of Transportation’s changes could leave the city with more than a $1 million budget shortfall, and the city would be left with limited options, City Manager Ron LeBlanc told the Durango City Council on Tuesday.
“This would be a disaster for the Durango Transit system,” he said.
The city would have to consider options such as asking voters to approve a dedicated funding source, such a sales tax, or possibly closing the Durango Transit system, he said.
CDOT is changing how it distributes some federal grant money for transit services because in 2016 the demand for grants far exceeded available funds, according to a notice by the agency.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Christina Rinderle signed a letter addressed to the governor that outlined the effect cuts would have on service.
To absorb the cuts, about 50 percent of the of the city’s service, including the route to Mercy Regional Medical Center, would have to be eliminated, the letter stated.
LeBlanc said a time frame for the state to adopt the changes had not been set, so there is time to lobby CDOT and the governor’s office for change.
“We want to get out in front of this issue before it is solidified,” he said.
Director of Transportation and Sustainability Amber Blake is sending a letter to CDOT that raises questions about the process of the possible reallocations, and it asks if there may be a more equitable way to redistribute funds. It also proposes how cuts stemming from the change could be minimized.
Changes would largely hurt Western Slope transit services. In addition to Durango, it would effect Roaring Fork Transit Authority, Steamboat Springs and the Southern Ute Community Action Programs, which runs the Road Runner Transit, among others.
The Front Range would stand to benefit, LeBlanc said.
“It’s not a fair proposal that brings parity among the various systems,” he said.
Other groups in town, including the Business Improvement District, the Southwest Center for Independence, the San Juan Basin Health Department, Manna Soup Kitchen and other groups are also sending letters to CDOT about the harm the funding cuts would cause.
mshinn@durangoherald.com