3/30/2026
Hello GDT members! Thank you to everyone who attended our March 19 monthly meeting and participated in group discussion around RTD reform. In the past couple days the GDT leads received the final draft of the RTD reform act, and after many hours of review and debate the leads voted unanimously to put GDT in an AMEND position. If our amendments are adopted we will move to a SUPPORT position.
Our most important amendment ask is this, that the RTD reform act require that one appointed seat currently allocated to DRCOG instead be allocated to the city and county of Denver. This is a critical amendment, and without it being adopted or another amendment which similarly substantively addresses our concerns with the 2 DRCOG appointees we cannot support this bill outright.
Next, GDT requests a 6/3 or 7/2 board structure. The will of our membership is clear, appointments are critical for the success of the board but a 6/3 or 7/2 board is a better balance. We would consider supporting a 5/4 board should other amendments be adopted.
Finally, RTD board members should be paid better. The bill triples their pay to $36k annually but this is still substandard for the region. We recommend pay be set at the same level as state legislators (~47k annually).
GDT has long held the position of being a fierce advocate for RTD whether through influencing board elections or legislative reform efforts. This time is no different. If legislators are willing to step up to fix RTD with substantive, effective reforms, then GDT will work right alongside them to ensure that RTD becomes the world class transit agency that our region deserves. As with previous bills, GDT will always be a productive and collaborative stakeholder and coalition partner.
We will likewise advocate alongside ATU and our partners in the disability community if they bring forth amendments. We are proud that this bill incorporates a first in the country voting seat for ATU on the board, and we look forward to continued engagement with all involved parties as we work to ensure passage of an amended, thoughtful, comprehensive, and well-considered RTD reform act. See the Bill Summary below, and our full positions toward the end of this post.
Bill Summary
Section 1: Names the bill the, “Modernizing the Regional Transportation District Act”
Section 2: Statutory legislative declaration discussing the Accountability Committee (AC) process and conclusions, which found that RTD’s current governance structure is not sufficient and that reform is necessary for RTD’s long term success, while stating that this bill will advance the AC’s recommendations relevant to the legislature.
Section 3: Implementing all paratransit recommendations verbatim from the AC. Requiring RTD to report on the implementation status of all other recommendations made to RTD by the AC by December 31, 2027.
Section 4: Requires the Office of Legislative Legal Services (OLLS) and the Legislative Council Staff (LCS) to apportion 5 board director districts by September 15, 2027, taking into account the most recently available ridership data as provided by RTD. These 5districts will be used for the 5 directors elected in the 2028 election.
Requires the Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission in every decennial year (2030, 2040, etc…) to apportion 5 director districts, taking into account the most recently available district ridership numbers.
Raises the threshold for petitioning onto the ballot to 1000 from 250.
Sets out that board members may serve up to 2 4-year terms
Section 5: Adding the word, “elected” to references of board members along with other small wording tweaks in 32-9-112.
Section 6: Clarifies that the board may select a board chair for a term of 2 years, that board chairs may serve for multiple terms, and that the board may also select a chairperson pro tempore, treasurer, and secretary.
Section 7: sets the threshold for action by the board to be a majority of 9 (5 votes) instead of a majority of 15 (8 votes).
Section 8: Starting in 2028, raises board director pay to $36k annually, adjusts director pay to inflation or deflation, and sets the board chair salary at 150% that of a regular director.
Section 9: Sets the RTD board as consisting of 9 directors, 5 elected by voters of the district and 4 appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. The terms of board members on the current board shall expire December 31, 2028 and a new board will begin January 1, 2029.
Clarifies that the duties of the board include: setting policy objectives that directly increase ridership, evaluating the GM/CEO with performance measures in alignment with RTD’s strategic plan, ensuring that the general counsel reports directly to the board, and developing a fiscally responsible budget.
The structure of RTD appointments is as follows:
- Appointees must collectively possess expertise related to the following areas:
- Finance;
- Land use and multimodal transportation planning;
- Transit operations; and
- Transit agency programs serving disproportionately impacted communities.
- The governor shall appoint all 4 appointees, and all must be confirmed by the Senate.
- 2 appointees are at the discretion of the governor;
- 2 appointees must be drawn from a list of nominees provided to the governor by DRCOG;
- The list must contain at least 3 times as many names as there are available DRCOG slots on the board;
- DRCOG must give preference to nominees who possess experience and/or background in the expertise areas;
- DRCOG must make an effort to ensure their nominees reflect the geographic and demographic diversity of the district.
- The governor shall give preference to appointees who have expertise in multiple of the required areas.
- At least one appointee must be a current or former member of the union that represents the largest collective bargaining unit of the district (currently ATU 1001).
Out of the 9 directors seated on January 1, 2029, 2 of the 5 elected directors and, 1 of the discretionary gubernatorial appointees, and 1 of the DRCOG appointees shall have terms which expire after 2 years, while all others have 4-year terms. This creates a stagger such that about half of the board turns over every 2 years.
Creates vacancy procedures for appointed board members. Allows the governor to remove appointed board members for malfeasance in office, neglect of duty, failure to regularly attend meetings, or any other cause which renders the director incapable or unfit of discharging their board duties. If a member is absent from two consecutive meetings without reasonable cause the board chair shall notify the governor who may remove that absent director and appoint a qualified replacement for the remainder of the term.
Requires prospective appointees to disclose conflicts of interest to the governor and relevant committee of reference in the general assembly prior to confirmation by the senate, and shall disclose any additional conflicts of interest that may arise. Failing to disclose conflicts of interest constitutes cause for removal by the governor.
Section 10: Bill set to go into effect on August 12, 2026 unless a referendum is filed pursuant to Article V of the Colorado Constitution, in which case this bill will be voted upon statewide in November 2026. (This is known as a petition clause and is the standard bill enactment clause) (edited)
Our Amendments
Section 3: Paratransit & Reporting (3)(d)
- Position: Amend
- Recommendation: We recommend asking RTD to generate a report and provide data; however, we don’t want to add too many reporting requirements and costs. Reporting requirements require RTD to focus employee time on legislature-mandated requirements rather than focusing on issues that are relevant to ridership growth and the agency’s immediate needs, and are not always effective in actually promoting efficacy, transparency, and good governance.
Section 4: Redistricting
- Position: Support
- Recommendation: Currently this section does not clarify what “taking into account ridership” for the purposes of redistricting actually means. Being more specific here will ensure that RTD’s unique needs (i.e., weighting towards people who use the system) are taken into consideration. The leads don’t have specific suggested language right now as these changes will require more thought.
Section 8: Compensation
- Position: Amend
- Recommendation: Make director compensation follow the same language as state legislators (25% of a county commissioner). Board compensation dictates who can afford to run for these races. Additionally, it increases competition in RTD board races. Leadership does not have a consensus regarding a flat pay structure vs the board chair getting a larger salary.
Section 9: Board Structure & composition
- Position: Amend
- Board size recommendation: Support a 9 person board, however our preference is for a 7/2 or 6/3 board with majority elected representation. Based on views expressed by our membership, we can consider a 5/4 structure but it is not our preferred board structure
- Board composition recommendations: Maximum of 1 completely discretionary gubernatorial appointee, 1 governor appointee with union or former union experience (ATU), 1 City of Denver appointee, and maximum of 1 DRCOG Appointee.
- Additional recommendations: Tie Disproportionately Impacted Communities language to language used in the environmental justice act; otherwise component groups ok (finance, planning, DIC, union)
Note: Any section that is not explicitly mentioned above will be supported as written.
-June Churchill