In November 2004, voters approved a ballot measure calling for a 1-percent sales tax to fund capital improvements, road maintenance and transit needs in the county through the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority. “The word ‘rural’ is certainly a misnomer,” said Wayne Williams, El Paso County commissioner.Williams, who represents the county on the PPRTA board, said the word “rural” was placed in the title because anything outside of the Denver metro area was considered rural under state statute at the time the authority was formed. “Since then, I believe the state has changed their definition of rural to reflect reality,” Williams said.Most of the funds collected are used in the city of Colorado Springs, but county and city officials from Manitou Springs and Green Mountain Falls said they were pleased with the amount of revenue the PPRTA generates for their road projects.According to the PPRTA Web site, the estimated budget for 2007 is $73,925,487. The revenue is divided into three funds. Fifty-five percent of the budget goes to a voter-approved list of capital improvements; 35 percent is spent on road maintenance; and 10 percent is used to expand the Springs Transit bus system.The PPRTA board plans projects based on estimated sales tax income that varies, depending on the health of the local economy. When retail sales are down, revenues for the PPRTA projects decrease.The sales tax collection for capital improvements, the bulk of the budget, is due to expire in 2014 unless voters elect to extend the tax. But the PPRTA will continue to receive income from a .45 percent sales tax to fund road maintenance projects and transit systems.This year, Colorado Springs will receive about $50,631,000 for capital improvements and road maintenance, while unincorporated areas of El Paso County will get about $14 million.Green Mountain Falls receives a mere $77,688 from the PPRTA. But Mayor Tyler Stevens said the funds have been a “tremendous help” to the town. “Widening Ute Pass is a project the town wouldn’t have been able to do on their own, plus monies from the PPRTA go a long way in helping the town maintain its roads,” Stevens said.Manitou Springs expects to receive about $454,000 from the PPRTA this year. City Administrator Verne Witham said the town uses the funds to revitalize the town center, and plans are under way to upgrade Manitou Avenue.Witham said he doesn’t think shortfalls in sales tax revenue will have any effect on projects already under way in Manitou Springs this year because the PPRTA receives interest payments from a reserve account that will cover projected expenses. “We won’t see any impact on funding for projects until 2008, and with any luck retail sales may increase later this year,” Witham said.Commissioner Williams said the PPRTA funds are invaluable to the county. “There really is very little retail in the county, compared to the amount of retail stores in the Springs,” he said. The PPRTA allows everyone who participates in the program to benefit from sales throughout the city and county, Williams added.However, the town of Calhan decided against joining the PPRTA. “The PPRTA would not commit to providing the town of Calhan with any part of the sales tax revenue so the board decided against signing up for the program,” said Calhan Mayor Gary Reimers. “Instead, we tried to pass our own sales tax to make road improvements, but the voters turned down the tax increase.”The PPRTA revenues are being used in the Falcon area to upgrade Curtis Road, improve lanes on Meridian Road and add additional lanes to Woodmen and Marksheffel roads, Williams said.According to the May 5 edition of The New Falcon Herald, El Paso County Commissioner Douglas Bruce cited the loss of the PPRTA funds as a major reason why Falcon residents should reject incorporation efforts. If the election was successful, revenues for road projects would have disappeared.”While it may look like the city of Colorado Springs benefits most from the PPRTA, commuters are the real beneficiaries,” Williams said. “The PPRTA allows the city and county to work together to improve major transportation routes throughout the county.”
