Transportation still waiting for a permanent solution.
What the New Colorado Budget Means for Small Business
While
Colorado’s recently passed $27 billion budget was not as bleak
as originally expected, this year’s legislative session still failed to provide
a permanent solution to the crumbling transportation system.
The
new budget, which begins with the new fiscal year on July 1, does allocate $210 million to roads. It also increases the
general fund by $50 million, keeps college spending about the same and raises
K-12 funding slightly. That’s an improvement from the budget Gov. John
Hickenlooper originally submitted in November.
But
a measure that would have raised $3.5 billion from bond sales to
expand the state’s highway infrastructure was defeated in the House—frustrating
news for business owners and legislators who have been working toward a
solution for years.
“We’re
sorry that the Legislature was unable to come to a solution for a permanent
funding source in order to improve our transportation system,” said NFIB
Colorado State Director Tony Gagliardi. “We’re talking about getting our roads
up to what they should be and our bridges back to a safe condition.”
NFIB
members need to be able to get their products to market, and if the state
doesn’t have suitable roads and bridges, that directly hurts sales, says
Gagliardi.
House
Republican leader Brian DelGrosso expressed frustration that the bond sale
measure failed to pass.
“I
said transportation was a high priority for me on Day One,” he said, according
to The Denver Post. “The speaker of the
House said transportation was a high priority for her on Day One. The governor
said transportation was a high priority for him in his State of the State. We
have the opportunity to do something this year and stop kicking the can down
the road.”
The
Colorado Department of Transportation has said
it would need $1 billion more a year to maintain and build roads, according to
the Associated
Press.
