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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Hey, RTD riders and transit advocates!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>This is a long one, but I wouldn’t bug you if it wasn’t important.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>In this update:</span></b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p></o:p></span></p><ul type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Important correction: the Board meeting is Wednesday, not Tuesday<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>What's at stake on May 27<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>What the Board will actually vote on<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>The Board is not united <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Crickets about paratransit<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>What about those reserves?<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>A note on what we don't know yet<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>What you can do right now<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Thursday planning meeting <o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Note on upcoming service changes:</span></b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'> I'll be sending a separate message in the coming week or so with details on the upcoming June 7 service changes, including updated route schedules, once RTD makes that information available. There's actually some genuinely good news in there, so stay tuned.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Important Correction: The Board Meeting Is Wednesday, Not Tuesday</span></b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>If you've heard that the upcoming RTD Board meeting is next Tuesday, please update your calendar — it's actually Wednesday, May 27 at 5:30 PM. Same location, same stakes, just one day later. Don't let a wrong date be the reason you miss it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>What's at Stake on May 27</span></b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>As many of you know, RTD management has been pushing hard for the Board of Directors to approve sweeping cuts to bus and rail service starting January 3, 2027. We're talking about a recommended 20% reduction in service — and if an anticipated $40 million state grant doesn't come through, that number jumps to 36%. More than a third of RTD's entire system, gone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>The reason is real: RTD is facing a $215 million structural deficit, driven largely by the end of federal pandemic relief funding. Management has already identified $84 million in non-service cuts — layoffs, contract eliminations, vacancy freezes, and the like. But they're telling the Board that isn't enough, and that cutting service is unavoidable.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>What the Board Will Actually Vote On</span></b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>The May 27 meeting is not a vote on which specific routes get cut. It's a vote on whether to authorize the overall strategy and dollar target — essentially giving management the green light to proceed with planning cuts at this scale. If they approve it, the clock starts ticking. We won't know which specific routes are on the chopping block until September, when RTD publishes its proposed changes. The final vote on specific cuts comes December 1.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>So, May 27 is the moment to make noise before any decision gets locked in.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>This is not a done deal. Board member Karen Benker, who chairs the Finance Committee, has said flat out she cannot support 20% cuts, and has been pushing alternatives including fare increases, furloughs, and reduced overtime. Directors Matt Larsen, JoyAnn Ruscha, and Michael Guzman have all called publicly for going to voters for new revenue rather than cutting service. We have allies on that board. They need to see us in that room.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>And here's the part that should give every board member pause: if the Board approves this proposal, they aren't just authorizing a plan — they're locking themselves into one. They would be giving management a mandate that service must be cut by these amounts, on this timeline. They would be voluntarily boxing themselves into a corner with no room to maneuver if new information emerges, if the CTE grant comes through at a different amount, if a better alternative surfaces, or if public pressure reveals that specific proposed cuts are unacceptable to the communities they serve. Why would an elected board of directors deliberately surrender that flexibility before a single public meeting on specific routes has been held? That's not fiscal responsibility — that's handing management a blank check and calling it a plan. The Board should be demanding options, not foreclosing them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Crickets on Paratransit</span></b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Here's what management didn't tell the Board, and what we need to say loudly and clearly: their entire presentation on this crisis — a 50-page document — never once mentioned paratransit. Not once. Under the ADA, RTD is required to provide complementary paratransit service within three-quarters of a mile of every fixed route. Cut the fixed routes, and the paratransit service area shrinks with them. For blind, low-vision, and disabled riders, that's not an inconvenience — it's losing the ability to get to work, to medical appointments, to life itself. That silence from management is not an oversight. It's a choice, and we need to call it out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>What About Those Reserves?</span></b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>RTD has roughly $800 million in reserves. Before you get too excited, three of those four buckets are genuinely restricted: one maintains the minimum operating cash cushion required by RTD's own financial policies, one is earmarked for replacing aging buses and rail cars, and one is legally set aside for completing the FasTracks expansion that voters approved back in 2004. Those are legitimately off-limits.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>But the fourth bucket — about $227 million in what RTD calls unrestricted reserves — is real money. Board chair O'Keefe tried to wave this away at the April 21 meeting, saying "There's not a Scrooge McDuck vault where we're carrying, keeping all our gold coins and stacks of bills. It is a budget exercise first and foremost." With all due respect to Director O'Keefe, that's not the whole story. That $227 million could be used as a bridge to give RTD time to pursue a permanent revenue solution — for example, a ballot measure in 2028 asking voters for additional funding, which management itself has already recommended. If voters approved new funding in 2028, it could begin flowing in 2029, potentially closing the gap without the kind of draconian service cuts currently on the table.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>What We Don't Know Yet</span></b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>As of right now, we don't have the presentation that management will actually give to the Board next Wednesday. RTD has not yet posted the agenda or packet for the May 27 meeting — which, given that the meeting is less than two weeks away, is itself worth noting. We expect it to be posted sometime this week, and we'll share it as soon as it's available. There's a chance we'll have it by Thursday's planning meeting, which would let us dig into the specifics together in real time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>When management presented their cuts in April, the Board's reaction, by all accounts, was one of stunned silence. Management may come back with a revised, perhaps more moderate proposal in response to that reaction — or they may dig in and push hard for the full 20% cut regardless, betting that the urgency of the budget deadline will carry the day. We're preparing for both scenarios. Either way, the core message from our community doesn't change: we demand transparency, we demand a full paratransit impact analysis, and we will not be railroaded into silence on a timeline designed to limit public input.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>What You Can Do Right Now</span></b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>First and most importantly: come to the meeting in person on Wednesday, May 27 at 5:30 PM at RTD headquarters, 1660 Blake Street in Denver. I can't stress this enough — showing up in person is more powerful than showing up on Zoom. When the Board looks out and sees a room full of people who depend on this system, it lands differently than a list of names on a screen. So, if you can get there, please get there.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>If you absolutely cannot attend in person, you can join via Zoom. I’ll post the registration link here as soon as it’s available, likely later this week.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Second: send a written public comment to <a href="mailto:RTD.Directors@rtd-denver.com">RTD.Directors@rtd-denver.com</a>. Comments submitted before the meeting become part of the official public record — every board member sees them. Feel free to tell your story; or just three sentences will do it. Tell them you rely on RTD. Tell them cuts to fixed routes shrink your paratransit coverage. Tell them the Board should demand a full paratransit impact analysis before voting on anything.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>It’s time to rally!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>We fought them on Access-on-Demand, and we made a difference. Management wanted to gut it, and the Board adopted something far more reasonable. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Recently, RTD even called out the Colorado Center for the Blind by name in their official June service change documents. That's what happens when this community shows up loud and proud.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>This time, they’re counting on us to stay home. Let's disappoint them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Wednesday, May 27. 5:30 PM. 1660 Blake Street, Denver. Be there.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>But First — Join Us Thursday Night</span></b><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Let’s get together on Thursday at 6 pm via Zoom. We'll go over everything we know, help each other prepare public comments, and make sure everyone who wants to speak on Wednesday feels ready and confident to do so. If you've never made public comment before, this is exactly the place to start. We’ll help you every step of the way.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>Zoom Info:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Join Zoom Meeting<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><a name="_Hlk176187575"></a><a href="https://nfb-org.zoom.us/j/96873949405?pwd=OGt0TzZ0SjJRWmlGdTJzYTBacW9xdz09"><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk176187575'><b>https://nfb-org.zoom.us/j/96873949405?pwd=OGt0TzZ0SjJRWmlGdTJzYTBacW9xdz09</b></span><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk176187575'></span></a><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk176187575'><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><span style='mso-bookmark:_Hlk176187575'></span><p class=MsoNormal><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Meeting ID: 968 7394 9405<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Passcode: 123456<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>---<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>One tap mobile<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b> +17207072699,,96873949405# US<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>Dialing Instructions<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>• Call 720-707-2699<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>• When prompted for a meeting ID, enter: 96873949405#<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>• If asked to enter a participant ID, simply press #.<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>The National Federation of the Blind of Colorado was built on one foundational belief: that blind people, working together, can change what it means to be blind in this world. We have fought for the right to work, to travel, to live independently and with dignity. Access to public transportation isn't a nicety — it's the infrastructure that makes all of that possible. When they come for our buses, trains and vans, they’re coming for our independence. And when the NFB of Colorado shows up together, in one voice, in one room, history has shown that we are a force that cannot be ignored.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>See you Thursday. Then next Wednesday. Let's get to work.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>-Tim Keenan,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'>State Transportation Chair<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='mso-ligatures:none'><a href="mailto:tkeenan@cocenter.org">tkeenan@cocenter.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>