Colorado lawmakers are making another attempt to reform the state鈥檚 largest public transit provider.
would require the Regional Transportation District to set goals that align with the of greater transit use. Other measures in the sprawling 26-page bill are aimed at increasing transparency, accountability, and worker retention.
The result, sponsors hope, will be a transit agency that shakes off its and grows into a powerful part of the state鈥檚 to reshape its cities to be less car dependent and more affordable.
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鈥淒enver鈥檚 a world-class city,鈥� said Rep. Meg Froelich, a Democrat who chairs the House transportation committee and is a bill sponsor. 鈥淒enver deserves world-class transit.鈥�
RTD is an independent entity funded mostly by a local sales tax and governed by a publicly elected board of directors. Colorado lawmakers and governors have criticized and tinkered with the agency, though two sweeping legislative attempts to reform it both failed in recent years.
Froelich is confident the third try will succeed. Last year鈥檚 drew fierce opposition the elimination of many of the board鈥檚 elected seats and giving the governor more influence over the agency.
This time around, the bill eschews any explicit shifts in power away from the elected board. But it would direct RTD to more closely coordinate with state and local governments.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really trying to make 鈥檈m love each other,鈥� Froelich said, referencing
The requirement for RTD to align with state goals to increase transit service and usage would complement a recent move by its board of directors, which a target of increasing boardings by about 5 percent.
The bill also would add two non-voting members to the RTD board to be appointed by the Denver Regional Council of Governments and the Colorado Department of Transportation. An external RTD accountability committee would be resurrected as well; a previous iteration its work in 2021.
Julien Bouquet, chair of the RTD board, said the body will formally take a position on the bill in coming days. But he said early discussions among its members indicate a willingness to work with legislators 鈥� and to suggest some changes to it as well, especially to governance provisions in the bill.
鈥淲e鈥檙e open partners to it,鈥� Bouquet said. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 definitely 鈥� some things that we want to amend.鈥�
Other dynamics have changed since last year, too. RTD board members have resisted past reform efforts, often saying the state contributes relatively few dollars to the agency. A , however, will soon pump tens of millions of dollars a year into public transit across the state and into RTD.
Froelich said the bill has the support of Gov. Jared Polis, though his office did not respond to requests for comment. Its first hearing for next week.
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