DENVER—Democratic lawmakers formally introduced their proposal to raise money to fix roads and bridges on Friday, scaling back the initial fee hike in the first year of the plan.
Originally, Sen. Dan Gibbs, D-Silverthorne, and Rep. Joe Rice, proposed charging the owners of passenger cars and smaller sport utility vehicles a total of $41 a year in extra fees. However, their latest proposal (Senate Bill 108) would start by charging those vehicle owners total of $32 in fees for the fiscal year that starts this July.
Starting in July 2010, the extra fees would rise to a total of $41. In the years after that, the amount of the fee would rise with inflation.
The fees are based on weight and would apply to all vehicles, from motorscooters to buses and trucks.
Rice said lawmakers lowered the fee in the first year because of the economic downturn but don’t want to put off raising fees altogether because repair costs keep increasing.
“We’ve been trying to strike this balance,” Rice said of the proposal, which has been endorsed by Gov. Bill Ritter.
The plan calls for the state to sell bonds on the new revenue stream, so Rice said phasing in the fee won’t slow plans to start repairs this year.
Gibbs and Rice have been talking to Republican leaders at the state Capitol but so far none have signed on to support the plan. Gibbs said those talks would continue.
Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry, R-Fruita, said lawmakers are wary of imposing fees because of the economy, but said the bill will get lawmakers talking early in the session about how to find more money for transportation. He said Republicans favor trying to take money from severance tax revenue or from the state’s budget before raising fees.
