Commerce City staff told the City Council legislative committee on Jan. 13 that the city has negotiated a subsidized RTD eco pass that would give full transit access to roughly 1,100 city employees for $20 per year per pass, a cost the city estimates at about $22,000 annually.

The program is intended to reduce commuting costs and parking demand at city facilities while encouraging transit ridership that could strengthen the case for added RTD service to Commerce City. "The city has negotiated to pay for that service for $20 per year per employee," Assistant City Manager Jeff Maxwell said during the presentation.

The nut graf: Staff said the program is inexpensive for the city on an annual basis and could be paired with other measures — microtransit, neighborhood eco-pass arrangements, and a federal/state tax credit — to broaden transit access for employees and residents.

City staff described three near-term components. First, the negotiated eco pass for employees: staff calculated the city’s yearly bill would be about $22,000, compared with a retail annual price Maxwell cited of $1,056 per person. Second, staff said the city could pursue a microtransit service (first/last-mile shuttles) linking the RTD 72nd station to major city worksites; FlexRide, RTD’s branded microtransit, is not expanding now, so Commerce City staff proposed a short-term internal shuttle using city vans followed by a competitive contract with a private provider. Third, staff said RTD offers neighborhood- or HOA-based eco-pass programs the city could help neighborhoods pursue or subsidize.

Human resources or benefits staff noted the program’s potential budget offset: "We get 50% tax credit up to $125,000 a year," a staff presenter said, referring to the federal/state alternative-transportation tax credit being used to offset program costs. Staff also said enrollment could be adjusted later (a city/employee cost split) if needed.

Council members asked about usage tracking, veterans and boards-and-commissions access. Maxwell said RTD historically tracked use but "for privacy reasons, they don't track it" in detail now; staff will work with RTD to identify how much usage data the agency will share and said internal measures (app downloads, driver counts on microtransit) could supplement RTD data. Maxwell told the committee staff will reach out to RTD about pricing tiers for neighborhood passes and whether board and commission members or veterans could be included or subsidized.

Council members also pressed staff on operations for early-shift employees and for neighborhoods with limited bus service. Staff said the microtransit study under way will recommend routes and options and that the initial microtransit rollout would focus on employee connectivity from the 72nd station to city facilities.

Staff requested guidance and permission to continue negotiations with RTD and to return with firm costs, a proposed service start date and options for neighborhood or veteran passes. Council members generally praised the proposal and asked staff to bring back pricing, implementation details and tracking options.

An administrative note: the committee heard the item as an informational study-session presentation; no formal council action or vote was recorded at the Jan. 13 meeting.