HomeMy WebLinkAbout942 - SUPPORTING equitable transportation funding for the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRBoulder City Council
RESOLUTION NO. 942
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF AN EQUITABLE ALLOCATION OF STATE
AND FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS TO TI~E METROPOLITAN
DENVER REGION
WHER~AS, the Colorado Transportation Commission adopts long range plan resource
allocations of all state and federal transportation revenues; and
WHEREAS, the metropolttan Denver region constitutes 56 percent of the state's
population and contributes 52 percent of the transportation dollars allocated by the
Colorado Transportahon Commission; and
WHEREAS, the metro Denver region's share of the Colorado Department of
Transportation's (CDOT's) long range plan resource allocations was 46 percent m the
November 1998 Statewide Transportahon Plan adopted by the Colorado Transportation
Commission; and
WHEREAS, the metro Denver region's share of the Colorado Department of
Transportation's long range plan resource allocarions was reduced to 34 percent m
November 1999, and 36 percent m the June 2001 State Resource Allocation Program
which was part of the Statewide Transportation Plan adopted by the Colorado
Transportation Commission; and
WHEREAS, the most recent Transportarion Resource Allocation for FY 2005 - 2030,
dated November 12, 2003, further reduces the metro Denver regton's share of state
transportation revenues to less than 28 percent; thereby making it difficult for the Denver
metro area to address its congestion problems; and
WHEREAS, this reduction m metro Denver's historic share of state transportation
revenues translates to a reduction in transportation funding for the fifty murucipalities and
counttes m the metro Denver region of $1.9 billion compared to the 2025 plan just two
years ago, and a reduction in funding for the metro Denver region of $ 4.2 billion
compared to what we would have received just five years ago; and
WHEREAS, this reduction in metro Denver's resource allocatiop provides the
businesses and residents of the Denver region only 54 cents back for every dollar
paid in taxes, and metro area citizens deserve a better return on their tax dollars; and
WH~REAS, the federal Transportation Equiry Act foi the 21st Century (TEA-21)
gu~rantees that each state is to receive at least 90.5 percent of every dollar it contributes
to the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund, and the Coloiado congressional
delegation strongly suppoited this guaranteed mimmum ieturn to donor states, and
WHEREAS, this same principle of transportation funding equity should apply to the
allocation of state transportation revenues by the Colorado Transportation Commission to
each of the 15 transportatron planning regions m the State of Colorado, including the
metro Denver region;
WHEREAS, this unwarranted departure from the historic allocation of state
transportatron revenues to the metro Denver region will undermine the state's capacity to
address both rural and urban transportatron needs in a balanced manner and will impact
negatively on the metropolitan Denver economy which already is struggling as the third-
most congested region in the nation, and
WHEREAS, severe congestion jeopardizes the Denver region's quality of life for all of
its residents, and impedes the Denver region's ability to expand existing businesses and
attract new businesses,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO, THAT: the Crty of Boulder expresses its strong
opposition to the substantial and inequitable reduction m the share of state transportation
revenues allocated to the 50 municipalities and counties of the metro Denver region m
CDOT's proposed FY 2005-2030 Transportation Resource Allocation, dated November
12, 2003, and further requests that the Transportation Comrmssiqn reject this proposed
Plan Allocation and direct CDOT to submit a modified Plan Allocation that addresses the
state's transportation needs in a balanced and equitable manner which ensures that each of
the state's transportatron planning region receives no less than 90 percent of the estimated
value of revenues contributed from that region
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, copies of this resolution will be sent to the
Denver Regional Council of Governments, the Colorado General Assembly, Governor
Owens and any other interested parties.
RESOLVED this seventeenth day of February, 2004.
Mayor
Attest:
City Clerk on behalf of the
Director of Finance and Record