RTD faces $250M deficit as taxpayers ask where the money went

By Scott K. James | Commentary, ScottKJames.com

RTD may have real financial trouble, but riders and taxpayers deserve plain answers before service cuts or another ballot ask.

Here is a sentence every taxpayer understands:

Great, so I may get less service and still be asked for more money.

That is the kitchen-table translation of RTD’s latest problem.

Denver7 reports that the Regional Transportation District board is looking at ways to close a $250 million budget deficit, including possible service reductions and a future ballot measure for more revenue. RTD says it has been operating at a deficit since federal COVID-19 relief money ran out in 2024, and the current path is not sustainable.

Well, yes.

Temporary money has a bad habit of being temporary.

I realize that may sound harsh, but big public systems should not act surprised when one-time relief dollars stop arriving. COVID money was emergency money. It was not a lifetime membership. It was not a magic fountain. It was not supposed to become the financial equivalent of a load-bearing wall.

In normal-person English: the temporary money is gone, the bills are still here, and now the public may be asked to pick between cuts, taxes, or some combination of both.

That does not mean transit does not matter.

It does.

Denver7 interviewed RTD rider Charles Robinson, who said he uses the system three to five times a day for work, errands, and basic transportation because he does not have a car right now. For people like him, service reductions are not spreadsheet adjustments. They are missed shifts, longer days, harder errands, and fewer options.

So this cannot become a lazy “public transit bad” rant.

Plenty of people rely on RTD. Workers, students, seniors, disabled riders, people without cars, and families trying to get from point A to point B without taking out a second mortgage for parking. Service cuts usually hit hardest on people with the least flexibility.

But that is exactly why accountability matters.

Essential services require adult math.

If RTD wants taxpayers to consider putting more money into the system, RTD owes the public plain answers before it comes hat-in-hand with a ballot measure.

What happened? What changed after federal relief ended? What did RTD do to prepare for that money going away? What has already been cut, sold, consolidated, or reformed? What does “improving fare collection” actually mean? What would a tax increase buy? What service would be protected? What service would still be reduced?

And how does the public know this will not happen again in a few years with a different PowerPoint and the same sad trombone?

RTD says options include increasing income from real estate, reducing office space, improving fare collection, and modeling service cuts of 15% to 20%, depending on ridership and geography. Fine. Put every option on the table. But do it clearly.

No shiny renderings. No bureaucratic fog machine. No “service optimization” word salad that sounds like somebody fed a bus schedule into a consultant.

Taxpayers and riders can handle hard truths. What they cannot handle is being treated like the last people allowed into the room.

READ THE FULL COMMENTARY AT SCOTTKJAMES.COM

Scott K. James is a second-term Weld County Commissioner and former Mayor of Johnstown, Colorado. A fourth-generation Colorado native and 40-year radio veteran, he’s been recognized by both the Colorado Broadcasters’ Association and Colorado Counties, Inc. for his public service and communication leadership. James is a strong advocate for individual liberty, limited government, and rural communities. He lives in Johnstown with his wife, Julie, and their son, Jack.

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Rocky Mountain Voice, but even so we support the constitutional right of the author to express those opinions.