RTA limps along without Greeley

By Dan MacArthur
Fossil Creek Current

A proposal for forming a Regional Transportation Authority remains tenuously alive but even further scaled back following the withdrawal of the second-largest partner.

The Greeley City Council in a 4-3 vote on July 25 joined its Fort Collins counterparts in declining to participate in the RTA. The council instead agreed to put before Greeley voters a transportation tax proposal strictly for fixing the city's streets and other infrastructure.

Although Greeley's departure was widely expected to strike a fatal blow, regional transportation manager John Daggett said that wasn't so. "I think there's strong support among the smaller members," he maintained.

But the downsized and revised $230 million transportation proposal will fall apart if any more of them drop out, according to Larimer County Manager Frank Lancaster.

He and managers of the eight municipalities still participating in the RTA met July 27 to address remaining concerns and further tweak the numbers following Greeley's withdrawal. Along with Larimer County, Loveland, Berthoud, Windsor, Timnath, Johnstown, Eaton, Evans and Severance remain partners in the proposal.

Now, Lancaster said, continued survival of the RTA rests with elected officials. "Whether it's still acceptable to the boards, we'll see," he said.

It should become apparent soon because those town boards and city councils early this month will be conducting public hearings before considering agreements specifying the terms of their involvement in the RTA. Those hearings kick off Aug. 7 in Loveland. Larimer County has scheduled public hearings for Aug. 13 and 14.

"We're down to the wire at this point," said Lancaster.

The proposed RTA would fund a range of regional transportation projects through a 1 percent sales and use tax and a $10 motor vehicle registration fee.