The sound of one agency's budget deficit struggle

摘要

These days, the sound of elected officials struggling to address existing or projected budget deficits is deafening. In some state capitol rotundas, citizens also are weighing in, pumping up the volume another notch. The cacophony isn't just about ledger lines. In some instances, the roars are about reaffirming or redefining the role of government. Whether we reaffirm, redefine, merely tweak or simply keep shouting remains to be seen. The impact on rail? Potentially, it's huge. It depends on the region/state/com munity budget in question. Take the scenario playing out in Denver. In 2004, Denver-area voters approved a sales tax measure to fund the Regional Transportation District of Denver's (RTD) FasTracks program, a $4.7 billion initiative to build 119 miles of light- and commuter-rail lines throughout the metropolitan area and redevelop Denver Union Station by 2017. Plagued by high material costs and a dramatic decline in sales tax rev enue, FasTracks is now a $6.7 billion program. If RTD can't find additional revenue sources, the agency won't finish FasTracks until 2042, as Associate Editor Angela Cotey notes in this month's cover story (see page 18).