About 75 percent of those attending RTD’s first public meeting on the future of FasTracks said Thursday they are either very supportive or somewhat supportive of RTD raising more money — possibly with a tax increase — to construct the entire project by 2017.
The Regional Transportation District is about $2 billion short of what it needs to complete the transit expansion project by 2017, the date promised to metro voters in 2004.
Over the next month, RTD will hold 16 meetings to gauge public reaction to a number of FasTracks options, including a sales-tax increase for the project or alternatives that call for RTD to build what it can with existing funds.
At the meetings, officials are polling attendees instantaneously on their preferences using small electronic, hand-held devices.
About 100 people attended the first meeting at RTD’s Denver headquarters.
RTD officials said this week they would consider going back to voters for a sales tax increase of between 0.2 to 0.3 percentage points — 2 to 3 cents on each $10 purchase — to fully construct FasTracks by 2017.
In 2004, voters approved a tax increase of 4 cents on $10 for the transit expansion. The 2004 vote boosted RTD’s total sales tax to 1 percent.
Last month, RTD said the cost of building all of FasTracks by 2017 had jumped to $7.9 billion, about $2 billion more than what the agency expects to have for the project without an infusion of new money.
Officials blame the increase largely on the soaring price of construction materials and higher-than-expected costs for acquiring land for key rail lines.
Bill Leake of Evergreen and William Tracy of Denver attended Thursday’s midday meeting and both were surprised at the strength of support for considering a possible tax hike. In the straw poll, Leake backed the tax-increase option while Tracy did not.
“If Denver is going to be a viable city, it has to have good mass transit,” Leake said.
Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com
