Colorado § 32-9-102 - Legislative declaration.

§ 32-9-102. Legislative declaration.

(1) The general assembly determines, finds, and declares:

(a) That the creation of the regional transportation district will promote the public health, safety, convenience, economy, and welfare of the residents of the district and of the state of Colorado; and

(b) That a general law cannot be made applicable to the district and to the properties, powers, duties, functions, privileges, immunities, rights, liabilities, and disabilities of such district as provided in this article because of a number of atypical factors and special conditions concerning same.

(2) The general assembly further finds and declares that:

(a) Transportation is critical to daily life and commerce, yet our methods contribute to several challenges facing the region, including air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, affordability, public health, safety, accessibility, and equity;

(b) Expanding mass transportation presents a vital opportunity to reduce household transportation costs, decrease pollution, reduce congestion, minimize fatalities and serious injuries while improving access to key destinations, particularly for transit-reliant populations, and stimulate regional economic development; and

(c) Therefore, the regional transportation district shall prioritize providing fast, frequent, reliable, and safe service to maximize ridership levels across the region.

(3) The general assembly further finds and declares that:

(a) Senate Bill 25-161, enacted in 2025, directed the regional transportation district to maximize ridership levels across the region and created a regional transportation district accountability committee. The accountability committee was created to evaluate and make recommendations related to governance, workforce retention, and paratransit services.

(b) The accountability committee was composed of a diverse set of appointments representing key constituencies of the district, including local governments, district board members, transit riders with disabilities, transportation equity advocates, environmental advocates, financial experts, and more;

(c) To carry out its statutory responsibilities, the accountability committee implemented a robust process guided by a neutral facilitator, which generated thirty-one recommendations supported by a majority of the committee;

(d) The accountability committee identified several systemic challenges facing the district, including low and stagnating ridership, mounting budget challenges, a loss of public trust and confidence, and a lack of a coordinated, strategic vision;

(e) The accountability committee identified several governance-related challenges facing the district, including the large size of the board;

(f) The accountability committee found that the size of the board posed challenges to briefing members, development of productive working relationships among members, reaching common understandings, and navigating difficult decisions. Those findings echo the 2021 RTD governance evaluation final report, which stated: "Best practice shows that as governing boards grow in size, the efficacy of their work decreases."

(g) The accountability committee also identified the lack of competition for elected seats and the lack of expertise on the board as governance-related challenges facing the district. According to the secretary of state, out of one hundred seventy-two district electoral contests occurring since 1980, forty percent were uncontested. The accountability committee identified a need for key areas of board expertise to ensure the board could provide the necessary policy leadership and fiscal oversight to guide the district through its challenges.

(h) While the district has served the region for decades under its current governance model, the accountability committee determined that the structures, practices, and expectations that may have been adequate in the past are no longer sufficient to meet the scale, complexity, and urgency of the district's current and future challenges;

(i) The accountability committee concluded that the current governance structure does not adequately provide the level of expertise, accountability, and strategic leadership required to support the district's scale, fiscal complexity, and regional importance, and that there is an urgent need for reform; and

(j) The accountability committee further concluded that the district is at a critical crossroads, the district's current governance structure does not work in the present and will not work in the future, and significant change is needed in the form of a different district governance structure.

(4) The general assembly further finds and declares that this Senate Bill 26-150, enacted in 2026, advances implementation of the regional transportation district accountability committee recommendations that are relevant to the regional transportation district statutes, while some recommendations were made directly to the district or other key stakeholders. The general assembly expects the district to execute and report on the status of all recommendations of the 2025-2026 accountability committee, regardless of whether those recommendations are implemented in this Senate Bill 26-150, enacted in 2026.

Source: L. 69: p. 714, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 89-20-2. L. 2025: (2) added, (SB 25-161), ch. 186, p. 810, § 1, effective May 13. L. 2026: (3) and (4) added, (SB 26-150), ch. 152, p. 841, § 2, effective August 12.

Cross references: For the short title ("Modernizing the Regional Transportation District Act") in SB 26-150, see section 1 of chapter 152, Session Laws of Colorado 2026.