Denver November 2004 Election
If nothing else, FasTracks should be a boon to employment for the metro area, according to the Denver Post [September 8, 2004, "Transit plan is tied to jobs"]. Jon Caldara is quoted as saying, "When was the last time the Denver chamber did not love a massive tax increase and public works project?" "Public works construction is the crack cocaine of the Denver chamber of commerce." From the article, "The projected economic impact of RTD's proposed $4.7 billion FasTracks transit plan on the metro Denver economy: It will create about 6,200 direct and indirect jobs annually through the 12-year construction period. Those jobs will generate $2.9 billion in total earnings, $2.4 billion in consumer spending, $90 million in state income tax and $46 million in state and local sales taxes. After completion, the FasTracks system will support about 2,500 new local jobs with an annual payroll of $150 million. The proposed increase in RTD's sales tax - from 0.6 cents to 1 cent per dollar - would cost a metro-area family with an average annual income of $61,000 about $86 in additional taxes next year. Source: Study prepared for the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp."
The editorial staff of the Rocky Mountain News is not so hot on FasTracks [September 8, 2004, "Hold on - not so fast, FasTracks fans"]. They write, "What metro Denver needs is a truly integrated transportation plan geared toward limiting further deterioration of our mobility. FasTracks isn't that plan - and that is why it deserves defeat."
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