The Colorado Connector could bring more than just train service to the Boulder area.

A ballot measure that Colorado voters will see in November for CoCo will also put money into the Front Range Passenger Rail District’s Local Return Program. That money will come from a proposed 0.333% sales tax increase that, if passed, would generate $295 million annually.

From those funds, Boulder and Longmont would get about $3.3 million beginning in 2029 and coming in annually for 25 years. The money would begin Broomfield and Louisville would get about $2.75 million and $2.2 million, respectively, every year over that same time frame. Those funds would be used for station-area planning.

“With Sundance right around the corner, Boulder can use these funds to incorporate first- and last-mile solutions, showcase local artists, and direct visitors to some of our fantastic local attractions, among many other uses,” Aaron Brockett, mayor of Boulder, said in a news release about the fund.

The money is divvied up among the communities based on population. Nine other communities will get money from the fund, if approved by voters. That includes Denver ($9.9 million), Loveland ($2.75 million) and Trinidad ($1.65 million). The funding specifics — conditions, eligible uses and local obligations — will be hammered out in intergovernmental agreements should the measure pass, according to a news release from the Front Range Passenger Rail District.

The district’s board gave the final nod of approval to the long-awaited service in July. The first portion of the CoCo service will be funded by the Regional Transportation District. Funding for the expansion lies on voters’ shoulders. If approved, the goal is to have the service up and running within five years.

Should voters approve the potential sales tax that will fund CoCo, the rail service will connect 13 cities up and down the Front Range through public transportation. That could be a boon to Boulder’s goals of building a multi-modal transportation system that’s less reliant on cars.

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