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2004-30

A RESOLUTION

SUPPORTING AN EQUITABLE ALLOCATION OF STATE AND FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION DOLLARS TO THE METROPOLITAN DENVER REGION

WHEREAS, the Colorado Transportation Commission adopts long range plan resource allocations of all state and federal transportation revenues; and

WHEREAS, the metropolitan Denver region constitutes 56 percent of the state's population and contributes 52 percent of the transportation dollars allocated by the Colorado Transportation Commission; and

WHEREAS, the metro Denver region's share of the Colorado Department of Transportation's long range plan resource allocations was 46 percent in the November 1998 Statewide Transportation Plan adopted by the Colorado Transportation Commission; and

WHEREAS, the most recent Transportation Resource Allocation for FY 2005-2030, dated November 24, 2003, reduces the metro Denver region'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 in metro Denver's share of state transportation revenues translates to a reduction of 4.2 billion dollars compared to what would have been received just five years ago by the fifty municipalities and counties in the metro Denver region; and

WHEREAS, this reduction in metro Denver's resource allocation provides the businesses and residents of the Denver region only 54 cents back for every dollar paid in taxes; and

WHEREAS, the federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) guarantees 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 Colorado congressional delegation strongly supported this guaranteed minimum return to donor states; and

WHEREAS, the 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 transportation planning regions in the State of Colorado, including the metro Denver region; and

WHEREAS, this departure from the previous allocation of state transportation revenues to the metro Denver region will undermine the state's capacity to address both rural and urban transportation 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 that the City of Lakewood strongly recommends an equitable allocation of State and Federal transportation revenues to the fifty municipalities and counties of the metro Denver region in CDOT's proposed FY 2005-2030 Transportation Resource Allocation, dated November 12, 2003; and further requests that the Transportation Commission reject the 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 transportation planning region received no less than 90 percent of the estimated value of revenues contributed from that region.

INTRODUCED, READ AND ADOPTED by a vote of 8 for and 0 against at a regular meeting of the City Council on March 22, 2004, at 7 o'clock p.m. at Lakewood Civic Center, 480 South Allison Parkway, Lakewood, Colorado.

Stephen A. Burkholder, Mayor

ATTEST:
Margy Greer, City Clerk