rtd Archives

Hickenlooper’s call for special districts to pay for special session doesn’t sit well with lawmakers on both sides

Oct 2, 2017

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When Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper called lawmakers back to the state Capitol for Monday’s special session, he also had another plan: how to pay for it. The governor’s idea was to ask special districts affected by a drafting error in Senate Bill 17-267 to pay the tab, around $25,000 per day. But representatives of some of…

Colorado legislature’s special session to start with 2 bills, full action

Oct 2, 2017

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Marianne Goodl

As lawmakers return to the state Capitol for a special session Monday, they’ll be dealing with at least two bills intended to fix a drafting error that has led to quite the dust-up between Republicans and Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper. Senate President Pro-Tem Jerry Sonnenberg, a Sterling Republican, dismissed rumors on Sunday that Republican Senate…

RTD surprised by Aurora’s response to proposed light-rail cuts

Sep 21, 2017

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Adam McCoy, special to Colorado Politics

Even with cuts to service, Aurora’s light-rail R line would be sustainable. That’s the pushback from Regional Transportation District spokesperson Nate Currey in an interview with 9news’ Kyle Clark after Aurora characterized proposed cuts to the rail line as premature and said the district hasn’t done enough to market the route. RTD’s proposed cuts to…

Hickenlooper addresses rhetoric over special session, says it should be simple, not partisan

Sep 19, 2017

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Marianne Goodl

Gov. John Hickenlooper Monday responded to criticism from Republican lawmakers and others about the special session he called last week to address a mistake made in the hospital provider fee law. The measure, signed into law on May 30, is intended to spare hospitals from a greater than half-billion budget cut in 2017-18. The law…

Aurora: RTD’s proposed cuts to city light rail line ‘premature’

Sep 18, 2017

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Adam McCoy, special to Colorado Politics

A proposal to scale back light rail service on a route exclusive to Aurora has miffed city officials who are characterizing reductions as unfair and premature. The Regional Transportation District has targeted the 10.5-mile R line, which runs through the city along Interstate 225, for reduced service due to poor ridership. But, as the city…

Gov. John Hickenlooper names Michael Hartman to head Colorado Department of Revenue

Jul 12, 2017

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Ernest Luning

Gov. John Hickenlooper on Tuesday announced that Michael S. Hartman will be taking over as executive director of the Colorado Department of Revenue at the end of the month. He’s replacing Barbara Brohl, who said last month she would be stepping down after six years in the position. Hartman is senior vice president at Mutual…

DU, Colorado light rail stations seen as mobility hubs

May 24, 2017

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Mike McKibbin

After nearly a decade, Denver Regional Transportation District’s University of Denver and Colorado light rail stations need to become more visible gateways to surrounding communities, rather than the “back doors” they now represent to their neighborhoods, according to a study of the two stations and their mobility possibilities. “It is time these stations transition from…

Barbara Brohl to step down as Department of Revenue chief this summer

May 22, 2017

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Ernest Luning

Gov. John Hickenlooper on Monday announced that Colorado Department of Revenue Executive Director Barbara Brohl is stepping down from the position she has held for nearly six years. During her tenure, Brohl helped put in place the world’s first regulatory system for the recreational marijuana industry created by Colorado voters with a 2012 constitutional amendment.…

Construction litigation reform roller-coaster concludes with unthought-of unanimous votes

May 11, 2017

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Ernest Luning

It was almost anticlimactic when the bipartisan construction defects litigation reform bill passed unanimously in the Senate on May 4, sending the much-anticipated legislation to Gov. John Hickenlooper’s desk. While there had been plenty of drama surrounding the measure throughout most of April, after the governor, House sponsors and prominent stakeholders announced a deal had…

Noonan: TABOR is 25 and too alive and too well

Apr 7, 2017

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Paula Noonan

Colorado’s population in 1992 was 3.5 million. Census projections put the state’s population in 2017 at 5.5 million. In 1992, 812,308 citizens – 53.68 percent of voters – said yes to the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR), and 700,906 citizens – 46.32 percent of voters – said no. Not to make too fine a point,…