The following letter was sent to Colorado’s senators on March 29, 2017
Colorado State Capital
200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203
Honorable Senators of Colorado,
Vail Valley Partnership (VVP) is the regional chamber of commerce representing Eagle County, Colorado. Our organization has over 860 member organizations, representing over 80% of the local workforce from Vail Pass to Glenwood Canyon.
I am writing today in support of SB 262, and as important, the amendments which will be offered thereto. SB 262, as you know, proposes to repeal and replace the SB 228 funding mechanism/formula with a fixed appropriation for the balance of the 3 years left in the 228 commitment. The proposal and its fixed appropriation to transportation present the opportunity to restore transportation in the general fund on a long-term basis without harming other aspects of the budget and provides the path for inclusion of an existing general fund source into the transportation funding/finance debate — HB 1242 in particular, but certainly in whatever form the final resolution should take.
We encourage you to show your support for this important legislation. It is our belief that dedicated transportation funding will have a positive impact on the state of Colorado and that SB262 – with dedicated funding appropriations – can serve as the base funding for transportation.
We are especially enthused about the opportunity for amendments to extend the timeline for funding to help achieve the goal of having “existing revenues” in the transportation funding package for which we and many others have advocated. Additionally, passage of $160M in existing General Fund revenue, when connected to HB 1242, would allow the sales tax rate in HB 1242 to be decreased to a .46% increase rather than the proposed .62%. Such reduction could make the tax increase more palatable to voters and would provide more tax capacity for local governments while providing the same level of funding ($702M/year) for the proposal.
The board of governors of VVP is also supportive of HB1242 and believes that SB262 is a key component to finding a bipartisan referendum that can be put forward to the voters of Colorado with support from both sides of the political spectrum.
Thank you for your consideration,
Chris Romer
President & CEO
Vail Valley Partnership