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The agency is implementing cost-saving measures in 2026 to maintain service levels, fulfill core functions, and retain its workforce

DENVER (Dec. 3, 2025) –– The Regional Transportation District (RTD) Board of Directors approved a $1.5 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2026, an amount that includes appropriations for operating expenses, state of good repair work before carryforwards, and debt service. The Budget Book is available on RTD’s website at www.rtd-denver.com/budget. The adopted budget aligns expenses with RTD’s Strategic Plan, minimizes impacts to transit service delivery, and retains the agency’s people power needed to deliver its mission. The 2026 budget was first made available on Oct. 10 for public inspection.

“The 2026 budget includes an overview of cost-saving recommendations to more closely align expenditures to projected revenue,” said General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson. “RTD will take a disciplined approach to managing expenses in the year ahead, and the agency is proposing implementation of a variety of opportunities that reduce costs and ensures good fiscal stewardship.”

The approved $1.5 billion in appropriations is before capital carryforward expenditures from the 2025 budget. Excluding the impact and timing of East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), RTD’s revenue budget is expected to increase 6% to $1.141 million over the 2025 budget. The agency’s labor and purchased transportation expense comprise 60% of operating expense in next year’s proposed budget.

RTD’s primary source of revenue, 69% in the approved 2026 budget, comes from the collection of a one-percent sales and use tax in the Denver metro area. The sales and use tax is subject to external market factors, including inflation, recessions, and the availability of goods and services. The agency’s finance team closely and regularly monitors financial forecasts, year-to-date expenses, and revenue projections to guide fiscal year budget development. The budget also accounts for uncertainties in the financial climate for government agencies and private businesses alike.

The Business Research Division (BRD) of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business conducted independent third-party research to provide semi-annual sales and use tax forecast models to RTD in September 2025. The BRD projected a 1% increase in sales and use tax revenue in 2026, with a forecast of $877 million versus their latest forecast for 2025; $877 million in 2026 is 3% lower than the 2025 budget, as their projections for 2025 declined since RTD adopted the 2025 budget in November 2024. For 2026, this revenue amount is forecasted to comprise 77% of RTD’s expected funding sources before the $138 million impact of East Colfax BRT. BRD’s medium forecast financial models are used by RTD to develop its annual budget and five-year financial forecast.

The agency plans to pare back funding for service contracts in 2026 that did not meet the anticipated budget costs for 2025, resulting in a projected $17 million savings. The agency’s closed (legacy) pension plan contribution for salaried employees is budgeted at $7 million in 2026 as compared to $15 million in 2025, because the plan is considered adequately funded. Other reductions in the budget include delayed hiring for 81 vacant positions to yield $7 million in savings. Modifications to overtime are projected to deliver savings of $5 million.

RTD plans no reduction in force for 2026 in the budget; however, it excludes an allotment for a cost-of-living adjustment or merit increases for non-represented employees. In October 2025, the agency implemented a cost-saving measure impacting non-represented RTD employees who received a merit increase as a one-time lump sum distribution in 2025 that resulted in $4 million in savings for 2026.

The Board amended the 2026 budget to exclude $20 million in debt financing for cutaway vehicles used for paratransit and FlexRide services. The plan includes defeasance – or prepayment – of $57 million in 2026 debt obligations to strengthen the agency’s fiscal performance. The approved 2026 budget includes no change to the FasTracks Internal Savings Account balance which is currently $192 million. The capital replacement fund is proposed at $166 million, though not expected to be sufficient to cover capital requirements through 2030. The operating reserve of $227 million is set at three months of operating expenses according to fiscal policy.

RTD will monitor expenditures throughout 2026 to identify further savings opportunities, while avoiding actions that would postpone funding for preventative maintenance or equipment replacement. The Board will continue to incorporate a budgetary monitoring system that charges expenditures against approved appropriations. RTD’s FY 2026 budget complies with Colorado Local Government Budget Law and the budget will run from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2026.

DENVER (Aug. 26, 2025) –– The Regional Transportation District (RTD) announces the appointment of Patrick Preusser as RTD’s Chief Operations Officer (COO). Preusser was selected following a national search and brings more than 28 years of experience at major U.S. transit systems and in cities around the world. He will join RTD on Tuesday, Sept. 2, filling the role that was vacated after the previous COO retired in 2024.

“Over the course of his career, Patrick has been recognized for fostering strong relationships, uniting diverse teams and guiding organizations through growth, change and complex service environments. He brings great knowledge and experience, as well as a deep respect for public service, and he is dedicated to advancing safety, reliability, customer experience, and innovation in public transportation,” RTD General Manager and CEO Debra A. Johnson said.

Preusser most recently served as Chief Operating Officer of the Utah Transit Authority and has held senior leadership roles with the City and County of Honolulu Department of Transportation Services, the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro). He managed national passenger rail programs for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), within the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Preusser also contributed to international transportation projects in the cities of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Kabul, Afghanistan.

“I am proud to serve an industry that leads the way with innovative mobility solutions, making our communities better places to live, work and play” Preusser said.

Nationally, Preusser serves as a member of the American Public Transportation Association’s Rail Transit Operating Practices Working Group and Bus Operations Committee. In 2022, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appointed him to the Transit Advisory Committee for Safety, which provides strategic safety guidance to the USDOT and the Federal Transit Administration. Preusser has also participated in the Eno Center for Transportation’s Multi-Agency Exchange Program, collaborating with peers at RTD, LA Metro, Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority, and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.

Preusser holds master’s degrees in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and Transportation Management from the University of Denver, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix. He is a certified Project Management Professional and Transit Safety and Security Professional, credentials that reflect his commitment to safe, reliable, and well-managed transit services. His contributions have been recognized with honors that include the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s Foreign Service, Excellence, and Team Awards; the FRA’s Meritorious Achievement and Excellence Award; and recognition as one of Mass Transit magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” in 2017.

RTD announced the promotion of Brett Feddersen today as the agency’s inaugural Chief Information and Technology Officer (CITO). Feddersen brings more than 20 years of experience in IT strategy and operational management.

Feddersen earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Computer Information Systems, from Colorado Mesa University. He received a graduate degree in Leadership and Organizations from the University of Denver, with an emphasis in Strategic Innovation. He has completed the Leading, Educating and Developing (LEAD) leadership development program at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. Additionally, Feddersen is a published author of project management books producing review guides and practice exams for both the Project Management Professional (PMP) and CompTIA Project+ certification exams.

Feddersen first joined RTD in 2015 as Manager of Shared Technical Services, implementing device standards that reduced user wait times. In October 2023, he assumed the role of Acting Senior Manager of IT, where he led the TransIT ARCHITECTED initiative, a project that improved operational effectiveness and resulted in an increase in customer satisfaction of the technology division.

Prior to RTD, Feddersen worked at the City of Boulder, for which he served as Assistant Director of Application Services. His work in the IT department earned the city recognition from the Center for Digital Government for best practices in citizen engagement and digital solutions.

Feddersen is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and a LEAN IT Professional (LITP), with additional certifications including Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) V3 Foundations. He graduated from the Eno Center for Transportation’s MAX (Eno/MAX) Program in 2022 and RTD’s Leadership Academy in 2019.

As the CITO, Feddersen will help steward RTD’s long-term IT vision and lead important initiatives in support of the agency’s mission.