Region to weigh in on road funds

Five months into a blue-ribbon transportation panel’s series of statewide community meetings, El Paso County will get its say on the future of road funding.

The panel appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter will host a public hearing 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday at the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments office, 14 S. Chestnut St.

The meeting will provide the final chance for members of the public to voice opinions before the panel begins carving out a proposal on how to pay for more work on Colorado’s highways.

Panel members have discussed the billions of dollars’ worth of backlogged road needs while examining the declining funding earmarked for highways in the state.

Gas tax revenues, which have funded road construction for 75 years, began to decline two years ago as alternative-fuel vehicles and more efficient cars reduced gas sales.

Area transportation officials will begin Thursday’s meeting with presentations on regional needs, and a technical advisory panel will go over ways to increase revenue.

Attendees will have a chance to comment, and they will also be polled on several possible tax increases and other financing ideas.

Former Manitou Springs Mayor Dan Stuart, the only El Paso County representative on the panel, said that it is important to have the voices of the Pikes Peak region heard, and that it is imperative that locals understand the funding problems that plague the state. Thirty to 60 people have attended most of the meetings so far, he said.

“When voters are educated about issues, I think they tend to respond,” he said. “And transportation is an issue we tend to take for granted.”

CONTACT THE WRITER: (303) 837-0613 or ed.sealover@gazette.com.