m-Agenda Resolution 1394 7A FRPRD packet

City of Boulder City Council Agenda Item Meeting Date: October 15, 2026

Agenda Title Consideration of a motion to adopt Resolution 1394 in support of Front Range Passenger Rail District Ballot Issue 7A; and setting forth related details.

Staff Contact • • •

Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde, City Manager Blythe Bailey, Director, Transportation & Mobility Department Jean Sanson, Policy Advisory, Transportation & Mobility Department

Draft Motion Language Staff requests council consideration of this matter and action in the form of the following motion: Motion to adopt Resolution 1394 in support of the Front Range Passenger Rail District Ballot Issue 7A; and setting forth related details.

Executive Summary The purpose of this item is to provide Council with the opportunity to take an official position through Resolution 1394 on Ballot Issue 7A to authorize a 0.333% sales tax and provide the borrowing authority to the Front Range Passenger Rail District for the construction, operation, and maintenance of Colorado Connector Passenger Rail service between Fort Collins and Pueblo.

Council Action Options Option

Outcome

Define and adopt a modified motion

Council would need to define any modifications or amendments to the draft motion language. This will likely require staff to bring back an amended version

Deny the motion or take no action

If this motion is denied, proposed Resolution 1394 would not be adopted

Refer back to staff

If Council refers this item back to staff, we would need clarification on what Council was looking for, time to draft amendments and get the item back on an agenda

Approve motion language as drafted

If the motion is approved, proposed Resolution 1394 would be adopted

Alignment with City Plans and City Council History Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience (SER) Framework and Citywide Strategic Plan Alignment SER Framework Goal Area Accessible and Connected: The SER Framework Goal Areas help inform ballot measure options, with Ballot Issue 7A helping to support the SER Accessible and Connected goal of a safe, accessible, and sustainable multimodal transportation system. Citywide Strategic Plan Strategy 7: Invest in and Maintain a Transportation System with Diverse Multi-Modal Choices to Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled and Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The Colorado Connector, as outlined in Ballot Issue 7A, proposes a dedicated funding mechanism that aims to "remove vehicles from highways and increase travel capacity." This initiative will connect travelers to key destinations such as employment centers, colleges, sports arenas, and entertainment hubs along the Front Range. It will also invest in improvements around stations and enhance local connections to rail stations. Consequently, this tax ballot measure supports the Citywide Strategic Plan's Accessible and Connected priority, specifically Strategy 7.

Alignment with Additional City Plans Ballot Issue 7A is consistent with the goals and implementation strategies identified in the following adopted plans and studies: • • • • •

Sustainability, Equity, and Resilience Framework Boulder Citywide Strategic Plan (2024-2026) Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan (including the 2026 update) City of Boulder Transportation Master Plan (2019) Boulder Transit Village Area Plan (including the 2023 update)

City Council History A request was made by Mayor Aaron Brockett at the October 1, 2026 City Council meeting to take a position of support of Ballot Issue 7A. City Council unanimously approved this request. In response, staff has drafted a proposed resolution.

Analysis Summary: Ballot Issue 7A will appear on the November 3, 2026, ballot asking Front Range Passenger Rail District voters to fund the Colorado Connector Passenger Rail service. If the measure passes, a 0.333% sales and use tax would be paid by people and businesses making taxable purchases within the Front Range Passenger Rail District, including those purchases made within the City of Boulder. The tax would include all exemptions under Colorado law including, but not limited to, gasoline, food, residential electricity and gas, prescription drugs, and medical supplies. As background, passage of Ballot Issue 7A would generate revenue to expand Joint Service/Starter Service, which is the initial passenger rail service of three daily round trips between Denver and Fort Collins that is expected to begin operating in 2029, with a stop at Boulder Junction. Joint Service is funded through existing commitments from the Regional Transportation District (RTD) and fee revenues. Ballot Issue 7A revenues would support the phased expansion of this initial service, as fully described in the Front Range Passenger Rail District Financing Plan (August 2026) and summarized here: •

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Phase 1 (Starter Service): Also known as Joint Service, Phase 1 will have three daily round trips between Fort Collins and Denver on freight infrastructure owned by private railroad partners, and eight stations including Denver Union Station, Westminster, Broomfield, Louisville, Boulder, Longmont, Loveland and Fort Collins. Phase 2 (Full Service): Phase 2 will increase service between Fort Collins and Denver to four daily round trips, adds stations south of Denver (Littleton, Sterling Ranch, North Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs and Pueblo) to extend service to Pueblo with two daily round trips, and complete the full corridor between Fort Collins and Pueblo. Phase 3 (Expanded Service): Phase 3 will add two additional round trips from Fort Collins to Denver and two additional round trips from Denver to Pueblo. Phases 4 and 5 (Expanded Service): Phase 4 will add four additional round trips from Fort Collins to Denver and four additional round trips from Denver to Pueblo. Implementation schedule. The target completion date for Phase 2 is mid-2032, or within five years of the new District sales and use tax taking effect in July 2027. Subsequent phases will be implemented over a 20-year planning horizon, and their timing will be dependent on continued collaboration and negotiation with host railroads.

Proponents: Coloradans for CoCo is supporting it. Opponents: None. City of Boulder Policy Statement: Ballot Issue 7A is consistent with Policy Statement #63 - Support funding, construction and operation of Northwest Rail and the Joint Service and Front Range Passenger Rail line as a means towards its completion. Potential Impacts to City Programs/ Operations: None.

Equity Analysis Ballot Issue 7A would advance the Front Range Passenger Rail District Delivery Plan for Colorado Connector, which states that “fares are meant to be affordable,” and the District will “explore reduced fares for specific groups to keep the service accessible, in line with federal requirements.”

Fiscal Note Estimated Fiscal Impact Narrative As per the Delivery Plan for Colorado Connector, a portion of the revenue generated by passage of Ballot Issue 7A would be returned to local communities with rail stations through a Local Return Program. For the City of Boulder, the current proposal estimates up to $3.3 million annually for 25 years ($82.5 million total) for eligible station-area improvements, such as multimodal connections and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.

Climate, Resilience, and Sustainability Considerations Ballot Issue 7A would advance the Front Range Passenger Rail District Delivery Plan for Colorado Connector (CoCo), which states that “[when] fully built out, CoCo is projected to cut about 233 million miles of driving every year and reduce climate pollution by roughly 126,000 metric tons (MT) of CO₂. That’s like taking about 29,000 gas cars off the road every year. About 9,000 MT of that reduction comes from people directly switching from car trips to rail.”

Community Engagement In alignment with past practice, staff does not conduct community engagement when researching ballot measures or drafting resolutions.

Workplan Considerations Not anticipated to impact the workplan.

Next Steps for City Council None.

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Attachment A - Proposed Resolution 1394

A - Proposed Resolution 1394

RESOLUTION 1394 A RESOLUTION INDICATING THE CITY OF BOULDER’S POSITION ON THE FRONT RANGE PASSENGER RAIL DISTRICT BALLOT ISSUE 7A, AUTHORIZING A SALES AND USE TAX TO FUND THE COLORADO CONNECTOR PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE, APPEARING ON THIS NOVEMBER’S BALLOT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO, HEREBY FINDS AND RECITES THAT: A.

The Front Range Passenger Rail District adopted Resolution 2026-32, referring the question to eligible district voters of whether to establish a sales and use tax in the district to be used to construct, operate, and maintain the Colorado Connector (CoCo) passenger rail service on Colorado’s Front Range.

B.

Under Section 13-2-4(h) of the Boulder Revised Code 1981, the city council is permitted to pass a resolution or take an advocacy position on a ballot issue and may direct staff to report that action to the public in the entity’s usual manner. Without the expenditure of public funds, an elected official also may express a personal opinion on any ballot issue, including answering questions about the issue.

NOW

THEREFORE,

BASED

ON

THE

FINDINGS

MADE

IN

THIS

RESOLUTION, ABOVE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BOULDER, COLORADO, THAT: 1. The Boulder City Council hereby supports and urges a corresponding YES vote on Front Range Passenger Rail District Ballot Issue 7A, appearing on the November 3, 2026, ballot.

ADOPTED this 15th day of October 2026.

_________________________________ Aaron Brockett, Mayor Attest: __________________________________ Elesha Johnson, City Clerk