Just how much Colorado’s General Assembly should put toward funding the $9 billion wish-list for transportation projects across the state is still unresolved between the House and Senate.

A series of ballot proposals, unveiled last week by a coalition – Move Colorado, led by the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce – would ask voters to increase the state sales tax, although by how much isn’t yet decided. There are four options. Three seek a half-penny to a one-penny increase in sales tax. A fourth has a half-penny sales tax hike with the additional requirement that the General Assembly would dedicate $150 million per year in state general fund revenue to transportation projects.

Senate Republicans have had their own proposal, for $300 million in state general fund revenue, which has been awaiting a hearing from the Senate Finance Committee for more than a month. Their proposal would ultimately ask voters to approve state-issued bonds, which would bring in about $3.5 billion for high priority projects.

House Democrats have yet to introduce a single bill on the subject, although Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran of Denver said Monday that transportation is still her number one priority, although she’s been shy about specifics.

Senate President Kevin Grantham of Canon City said Monday that he’s looking for “the right deal, not the quick deal,” and that discussions are ongoing with both Gov. John Hickenlooper and his budget director, Henry Sobanet. Grantham said House Democrats have yet to say just what number they want, whether $300 million is too high or some other number.

Grantham said his chamber will be ready to move on the transportation bill, Senate Bill 1, when the General Assembly gets a little closer to the March 20 revenue forecast, which should make clear just what’s available in the budget.

Regarding the Move Colorado proposals, Grantham said it would be “an easy out” to rely for anyone who doesn’t like the Senate deal to rely on the outside ballot measures. But it will sacrifice a good opportunity to use existing funds, Grantham said. He also predicted that whatever proposal Move Colorado comes up with is doomed to fail. If any proposal form the Chamber was going to be successful, it would have happened last year, he said.

Grantham said there is already polling available on similar proposals, at around 50 percent approval or so. That’s without the negative advertising that would undoubtedly follow it. Grantham said in order to be successful, a ballot measure needs to poll right out of the gate around 60 percent to 65 percent. “It’s not worth” the effort to gather petitions, he said.