Mayor John Suthers last week signed a petition for the “Fix Our Damn Roads” ballot measure, which would fund swift improvements to Colorado highways without a tax increase.

Voters would force the state to bond $3.5 billion to fund widening of I-25 and a list of other critical highway and bridge construction, maintenance and repair projects identified as most critical by the Colorado Department of Transportation.

State leaders, in a rush to fund Medicaid and other non-essential government programs, have neglected transportation for decades. While doubling state spending, transportation funding remains static. The Legislature spent 10 percent of the budget on roads a decade ago, and today spends about 6 percent.

The public understands the political dynamics that led to this. State politicians have an insatiable appetite for taxpayer money. They claim poverty, even when the economy generates a billion-dollar revenue surplus. By allowing roads and bridges to crumble, politicians assume taxpayers will agree to a tax increase for transportation.

That is why another proposed ballot measure, promoted by the Denver Chamber of Commerce, seeks a 21 percent increase in the state sales tax to fund transportation.

If voters pass the Denver proposal, Colorado Springs will have among the highest combined sales tax rate in the country. Meanwhile, the tax increase would be of little use to the Springs or surrounding region. About 45 percent of the money would pay for transit and bike paths, or get diverted for special interest projects in select cities and counties.

“Instead of $50 million, we’d get about $18 million for local roads,” Suthers told The Gazette.

Suthers last week urged the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation to oppose the Denver Chamber’s tax increase, and support Fix Our Damn Roads.

The Colorado Legislative Council estimates the recent federal tax cuts will generate nearly $900 million in new annual revenue for Colorado by 2024. If voters pass Fix Our Damn Roads, that surplus will help pay for transportation. If they don’t, we can expect state politicians to spend it on an assortment of other, non-essential government programs.

Fix Our Damn Roads is likely to pass, if it gets on the ballot. A Magellan Strategies survey of likely voters found 73 percent support the measure, and only 20 percent oppose it.

The challenge is getting enough petition signatures.

Petition gatherers are increasingly unwelcome at summer public events. Organizers of the Greeley Stampede ordered them to leave Island Grove Park and the streets and sidewalks in and around it. Successful liberal civil rights attorney David Lane will represent the Independence Institute, which promotes Fix Our Damn Roads, in a lawsuit against the Stampede.

Lane and the institute are likely to succeed. State and federal courts consistently place the right to petition above authority of private parties leasing public property for private events. Lane successfully represented the institute in a petition-related lawsuit that cost state government hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Voters need options for correcting our transportation infrastructure. Toward that end, registered voters should look for Fix Our Damn Roads petitions and sign them. Supporters can also help ensure this makes the ballot by donating to the petition drive at: https://www.freedomfy.com/projects/fix-our-damn-roads/

Our highways and bridges are a dangerous mess. Let’s ensure voters have an option to fix them that doesn’t raise taxes.

the gazette editorial board