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Colorado lawmakers propose shrinking RTD's board

Esteban L. Hernandez

Front view of a white city bus on a busy street, with a digital route sign reading "40 40th & Collo Stn". Blurred pedestrians stand in the foreground as red traffic lights glow overhead. — An RTD bus in Denver in 2024. Photo: Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) board of directors could shrink by nearly half under a new proposal from state lawmakers aiming to overhaul the troubled agency.

Why it matters: RTD has struggled for years with safety concerns, slumping ridership and unreliable service across the eight Front Range counties it serves — and lawmakers argue its 15-member board is too large to fix those problems efficiently or effectively.

State of play: Bill co-sponsors state Sens. Matt Ball (D-Denver) and Iman Jodeh (D-Aurora) said Monday the measure would cut the board to nine members in an attempt to improve accountability and accelerate decision-making.

RTD's board is nearly half the size of the state Senate, which Ball said makes consensus and oversight difficult. A smaller board could result in a more "nimble" operation that acts faster and more proactively, he added.

Between the lines: The proposal would also raise salaries and shift power toward the governor, who would appoint four of the nine members.

What's next: The board will review the bill to determine its impacts on the policymaking body and its customers, RTD spokesperson Tina Jaquez said in a statement.

If approved, the changes would apply to the 2028 board elections, and would require redrawing current district maps for RTD.

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Colorado lawmakers propose shrinking RTD's board

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