Local government agencies along the Front Range would be prohibited from imposing “crash taxes” to recoup costs from responding to traffic accidents under a bill that received initial approval Monday.
Rep. Spencer Swalm, R-Centennial, proposed the crash-tax ban after Denver last year considered imposing fees on nonresident drivers to help balance its budget.
“I just thought that was a bad idea,” Swalm said during the debate. “I thought it would set off a tit-for-tat war in the urban area.”
House Bill 1059 originally outlawed the crash-tax statewide, but Swalm ran into several snags. Among them was a bill passed two years ago by Rep. Cheri Gerou, R-Evergreen, that allows rural emergency responders to help impose fees to recover costs.
So Swalm amended his bill to impose the ban only on local governments along the Front Range, stretching from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins.
Government agencies could still charge a fee or seek reimbursement from their own residents for costs incurred by police officers, firefighters and other first responders to a motor-vehicle crash.
And nonresidents in some cases could be charged certain costs, such as for the cleanup of hazardous materials and costs incurred by providing ambulance service.
An official vote is expected today.
Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, whose district includes Clear Creek County, pointed out that emergency crews there have to respond to “a lot of pretty ugly-looking accidents” on Interstate 70.
“I agree with Rep. Swalm’s bill that fees to respond to accidents are not the way to make them financially solvent, but I want members to think about the future solvency of our first responders,” she said.
But Rep. Beth McCann, D-Denver, said the legislature shouldn’t be telling local governments what they can and cannot charge for.
“I think that’s up to their residents,” she said.
Kevin Bommer, a lobbyist for the Colorado Municipal League, questioned how Swalm could amend the bill to exclude rural areas but still include tiny towns such as Lochbuie, Gilcrest and Hudson.
“I think it would come as a great surprise to the people of Gilcrest that they’re in an urban area,” he said.
“Is it a perfect list? Probably not,” Swalm said. “But they are on the Front Range.”
Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327 or lbartels@denverpost.com
