Some Colorado lawmakers and Gov. Bill Ritter’s office are exploring introducing a late- session bill that might add $25 to vehicle registration fees and possibly up to a $7 surcharge on each rental-car transaction to raise money for the state’s distressed bridges and roads.
The measure, if approved by the General Assembly, would be an attempt to salvage at least a portion of the recommendations of Ritter’s special panel on transportation finance.
That group met throughout 2007 and decided that a minimum of $500 million a year in new money is needed for bridges and roads.
A $25 surcharge on each vehicle registration in Colorado might raise about $125 million annually and a fee tacked onto rental-car bills could raise another $50 million to $70 million.
Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, confirmed that a late bill aimed at raising money for transportation is in the works. McFadyen chairs the House transportation committee.
She said such a measure would help honor Olney Springs volunteer firefighters Terry DeVore and John Schwartz, who were killed last week when a wooden highway bridge on Colorado 96 in Crowley County collapsed after a wildfire swept the area.
“We keep hearing about the silent crisis,” McFadyen said of the state’s shortfall of money for bridge and road repair and improvement. “The wildfires in Crowley County put a face on the crisis.”
Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com
