Superior council to weigh endorsement of Front Range rail tax

Superior Town Council is scheduled to consider Sept. 28 whether to endorse Ballot Issue 7A, which would impose a 0.333% sales and use tax for Front Range passenger rail. Town staff recommends approval of a resolution urging voters to support the measure.

The tax would add about $3.33 per $1,000 in taxable sales and uses within the Front Range Passenger Rail District, which includes Superior and covers portions or all of 13 counties, the district says. The ballot text lists exemptions including gasoline, food, residential electricity and gas, prescription drugs and medical supplies. Revenue would support construction, operation and maintenance of Colorado Connector passenger rail, as well as station-area improvements and local connections.

The proposed service has different funding stages. Town staff says Denver–Fort Collins starter service, expected as early as 2029, is already funded through the Regional Transportation District and the Colorado Department of Transportation. The district’s delivery plan outlines three daily round trips on that segment using existing funding commitments. An extension south toward Colorado Springs and Pueblo is conditional on new dedicated funding; the plan sets a 2032 target and notes continued work with host railroads.

The ballot text authorizes $580 million in district debt and lists a repayment cost of $785 million. Town staff describes the measure’s $295 million in annual tax revenue as an estimate for its first year. The measure also requires annual review of dedicated revenues by an independent auditor and a rotating group of district-resident citizen taxpayers.