Castle Rock – Residents in the Douglas County seat will decide Tuesday if the Regional Transportation District will provide enough service for the cost of a tax increase.
Voters will get to choose whether the town is all in or all out of the RTD tax district and, separately, part of a tax district that repays the debt on Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver.
About one-fifth of the city of 35,000 pays into the funds.
For at least the near future, the RTD decision will gauge residents’ support to develop the eight-county transit system for commuters in the growing south metro community. The Town Council opposes both taxes.
“I just think for the money we’re being asked to pay, we’re not getting enough back,” said Mayor Ray Waterman.
Currently, only part of the town is in RTD and the stadium district. The original 1994 deal allowed the town to opt out, but new parcels annexed by Castle Rock automatically were part of the tax districts.
The mishmash of tax rates led state legislators to approve the special vote in Castle Rock to decide whether the entire town was in or out of the RTD and stadium districts.
If approved, RTD would get about $5 million annually from a citywide 1 cent sales tax, the same rate residents throughout the transit district pay. RTD would use the funds to add parking lots for bus service to Denver, a shuttle service to light-rail stations and other enticements, worth about $2.4 million.
Katie Kruger, who serves on the board of Castle Rock’s in-town shuttle service, said she supports mass transit but is no fan of the RTD proposal.
“Castle Rock is a bedroom community, and we definitely need peak-hour transit to Denver and to Colorado Springs,” she said.
But, she added, the town should explore programs that can connect with RTD and Colorado Springs services.
Last year, Castle Rock joined the Front Range Express with a federal grant and assistance from Colorado Springs. The service runs between Fountain and Denver, with stops in Colorado Springs, Monument and Castle Rock.
RTD is not taking sides on whether residents should support its services. “RTD welcomes the opportunity to provide expanded transit services throughout Castle Rock, and we await the voters’ decision,” spokesman Scott Reed said.
As for the 0.1 percent tax for Invesco Field, which would generate $500,000 annually, Waterman said Castle Rock wasn’t part of the original agreement to borrow the money and gets little benefit from the stadium, nearly 30 miles away.
Staff writer Joey Bunch can be reached at 303-820-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com.
