School & Special Districts
Front Range Passenger Rail District Ballot Issue 7A0.333% sales and use tax and debt for Front Range passenger rail
Sourced facts
Official ballot title
SHALL FRONT RANGE PASSENGER RAIL DISTRICT TAXES BE INCREASED $295,000,000 ANNUALLY AND BY WHATEVER AMOUNTS ARE RAISED ANNUALLY THEREAFTER, AND SHALL FRONT RANGE PASSENGER RAIL DISTRICT DEBT BE INCREASED $580,000,000, WITH A REPAYMENT COST OF $785,000,000; TO CONSTRUCT, OPERATE, AND MAINTAIN COLORADO CONNECTOR (COCO) PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE ON COLORADO’S FRONT RANGE AND CONNECT COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING PUEBLO, COLORADO SPRINGS, STERLING RANCH, LITTLETON, DENVER, WESTMINSTER, BROOMFIELD, LOUISVILLE, BOULDER, LONGMONT, LOVELAND, AND FORT COLLINS; IN ORDER TO: • REMOVE VEHICLES FROM HIGHWAYS AND INCREASE TRAVEL CAPACITY; • CONNECT TRAVELERS TO EMPLOYMENT CENTERS, COLLEGES, SPORTS ARENAS, AND ENTERTAINMENT HUBS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE; AND • INVEST IN STATION AREA IMPROVEMENTS AND LOCAL CONNECTIONS TO RAIL STATIONS; BY ESTABLISHING A 0.333% SALES AND USE TAX (EQUAL TO ONE THIRD OF A PENNY ON A $1 PURCHASE), WITH EXEMPTIONS PROVIDED UNDER COLORADO LAW, INCLUDING THOSE FOR GASOLINE, FOOD, RESIDENTIAL ELECTRICITY AND GAS, PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES; AND TO RETAIN ALL SUCH REVENUES, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CONTRIBUTIONS, AND ANY INVESTMENT INCOME ON REVENUES AND DEBT PROCEEDS, AS A VOTER-APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE UNDER SECTION 20 OF ARTICLE X OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION; AND REQUIRING THAT ALL SUCH DEDICATED REVENUES BE REVIEWED ANNUALLY BY AN INDEPENDENT AUDITOR AND A ROTATING GROUP OF CITIZEN TAXPAYERS WHO LIVE IN THE DISTRICT?
Verbatim from: 2026 State Ballot Information Booklet / Blue Book (Colorado Legislative Council)
Summary
Asks voters in the Front Range Passenger Rail District, which includes Denver, to approve a 0.333% sales and use tax and up to $580 million in debt to build, operate, and maintain Colorado Connector (CoCo) passenger rail service between Pueblo and Fort Collins.
Plain-language summary written for this guide from the sources below.
What a YES vote does
The Front Range Passenger Rail District is authorized to establish a 0.333% sales and use tax (with the listed exemptions), increase district debt by $580,000,000 with a repayment cost of $785,000,000, and retain the revenue as a voter-approved revenue change, for Colorado Connector (CoCo) passenger rail service.
What a NO vote does
The proposed district tax and debt increases are not authorized.
Plain-language description, not official text. The Denver Ballot Information Booklet and TABOR notice do not include official yes/no vote descriptions for this measure.
How it got on the ballot
- Referred by the Front Range Passenger Rail District Board of Directors, Resolution No. 2026-32, approved Aug 28, 2026, under C.R.S. 32-22-109. [Front Range Passenger Rail District: Resolution No. 2026-32]
- Board vote: 14–1 (per news report; minutes not located). [News: “Sales tax for Front Range passenger train heading to Colorado ballot in November” (The Gazette, Aug 28, 2026)]
- Authorizing legislation: SB26-172. [Colorado General Assembly: SB26-172]
Official fiscal information
- Estimated maximum dollar amount of proposed tax increase in first full fiscal year: $295,000,000. (Estimated)
- Estimated first full fiscal year spending without the increase: $100,000. (Estimated)
- Fiscal year spending: 2022 $83,136 (actual); 2023 $1,470,744 (actual); 2024 $3,569,335 (actual); 2025 $13,424,784 (actual); 2026 $6,544,584 (estimated); 2027 $144,000,000 (estimated, first partial fiscal year); 2028 $295,000,000 (estimated, first full fiscal year).
- Proposed bonded debt: principal $580,000,000; maximum annual repayment cost $35,000,000; total repayment cost $785,000,000.
- Current district bonded debt: $0.
From the official source’s fiscal section. Figures marked “(Estimated)” are estimates or projections in the source.