[Colorado-Talk] Access-on-Demand Discussion at the RTD Board Meeting Tuesday Night

[Nate Trela]

This is actually the kickoff of what should be our final push to shape the
future of Access on Demand, with RTD set to discuss it at only a few more
meetings before a final vote tentatively set for May. One important thing
to note is that almost half of the board is new, winning seats in November.
That means they were not part of the discussion last year and none have a
real public record on where they stand on Access on Demand.

The votes on the operations committee against the additional funding all
came from new board members. They are:
Chris Nicholson, District A (central Denver south of Colfax Ave, Capitol
Hill, Upper Downtown, and the city of Glendale)
Kathleen Chandler - District F (including Aurora stretching across the
reservoirs and Buckley)
Brett Paglieri - District M (including Golden, Lakewood, Wheatridge and
Edgewater)

Those three members actually went on to vote against funding the program at
all. That would not have affected the program's funding in RTD's already
approved budget but still could have derailed the request for the
additional funds. They portrayed their votes as fiscally prudent, saying
more funds could theoretically be added later if the board felt they were
needed.

The other new board members are not part of the operations committee, so
they did not vote on Feb. 12 on the additional allocation. But they will
vote on the funds on Feb. 25. They are:
Chris Gutschenritter - District D(south Denver, Englewood, parts of South
Denver, Littleton, and Jefferson County)
Matt Larsen - District E (western Aurora, parts of Centennial, and
southeast Denver)
Patrick O'Keefe - District H
Karen Benker - District I

I provided district descriptions where I could find them. You can look up
who exactly is your board member and get contact information at
https://www.rtd-denver.com/about-rtd/board-of-directors. Just jump to the
first edit field and put in your address.

It would be great to encourage all of the board members - including the
eight holdovers from the last board - to approve the $2 million in funding,
especially if you can share how you (or someone you know) benefits from the
program. Here's a sample message you can adapt:

Hello,
I'm writing to  ask that you vote on Feb. 25 to approve the additional $2
million in funding needed to ensure the Access on Demand program can
operate through the end of 2025.
While RTD staff is developing recommendations for changes to the program to
ensure financial viability, it is crucial that the program be fully funded.
It has been a complicated process that has required significant discussion
between staff and the community, and these dollars are crucial to making
sure the program can operate while the process continues.
As you know, Access on Demand has been life-changing for people with
disabilities throughout metro Denver. It has enabled unprecedented freedom
of movement, providing opportunities to live, work and more deeply engage
in our community than is possible with traditional paratransit.
(This would be a good place for personal examples)
As you make decisions over the coming months that will reshape the program
for years to come, I am asking that you fulfill your responsibility to keep
this program running for the calendar year.
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