Both political parties applied praiseworthy efforts to creating a funding source for Colorado’s roads. What was planned was a sales tax, about half a cent, which when used for bonding would have provided approximately $650 million in statewide construction work.
Always aware that major highways on the Front Range can consume all of whatever is raised, this legislation designated sizable percentages of the proceeds for county and municipal uses. The Colorado Department of Transportation would have been assured 35 percent of the funding, local governments would have received 50 percent and 15 percent would have funded multimodal improvements statewide.
We would argue that CDOT clearly needs more than what was included – its needs are estimated at several billion dollars – but the divisions otherwise were good ones.
Then came the Senate Finance Committee and a party line vote which ended the legislation. Approval of the tax increase, had it moved forward to pass both chambers, would have been put on the November ballot for Colorado voters. That is what TABOR requires.
Because of the Republican action in committee, the full Senate did not have a chance to debate the merits of the legislation. That is disappointing – since the proposal was a bi-partisan one – and the extensive work needed on Colorado’s roads may have to wait another year.
There still may be a ballot effort, perhaps organized by contractors working in the state and major civic groups, but a referred measure, coming from the legislature, is more likely to be successful. That the legislature deems a ballot question worthy of going to the voters is worth a few percentage points.
Many people ask, why not raise the state gasoline tax which is paid at the pump? Because that source polls poorly; drivers say they do not want to pay more for their gasoline.
And the revenue a gas tax provides is somewhat uncertain. Vehicles are increasingly more efficient, and electric cars, while few in number now, should be growing in popularity.
Without a statewide effort to fund Colorado’s highway needs, state divisions are increasingly stepping up to fund their own needs. La Plata County, for example, came close to adding a mill levy on two occasions. This is not desirable for the state. The jurisdictions with taxing potential will be able to fund their own roads leaving many parts of the state behind, including CDOT’s overarching system.
The legislature needs to regroup and step back up with a funding package to take to the voters. Without that, the state’s roads will further deteriorate.
Colorado’s strong economy is the envy of the nation. It is time that the state invests in its future.
