Road plan sparks debate

Tempers flared late Monday when city managers and a committee examining funding for road projects in northern Colorado met to discuss particulars of a proposed transportation authority.

The weekly "partnerships" meeting brings leaders together from northern Colorado cities to discuss the particulars of the plan.

Officials discussed the amount that will be taxed and transit funding at Monday night's meeting hosted by the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization. But the thing that caused the most controversy came at the end of the meeting, when officials began an impromptu discussion on the list of possible projects that would be funded if the sales tax passes in the November election.

Greeley City Manager Roy Otto relayed Greeley City Council's hesitancy to include a project that lays north of Fort Collins on Owl Canyon Road. Otto's comments were met with some strong opinions to include the project, but the meeting ended without a decision on the project, which will be decided at a meeting next week.

Otto said he wished that more attention would have been paid to U.S. 85 south of La Salle in the proposal.

"I'm not saying Greeley's out because of it," Otto said.

There are three proposals to fund road maintenance in Greeley. The first is a proposal presented by the planning organization, which unites much of Larimer County and some of Weld County, and focuses on major regional roadway improvements between the major communities. The second plan is one being presented by the Board of Weld County Commissioners and is similar to the planning organization's proposal but would include only Weld. Both would levy up to a 1 percent sales tax increase. Finally, Greeley staff has proposed its own .58 to .7 percent sales tax increase that would be used primarily to fund road maintenance after last winter's snow ravaged streets.

Fort Collins excluded itself from the planning organization proposal in June, but John Daggett, planning manager for the planning organization, left the door open for Fort Collins and Weld to rejoin the plan if they want to in the future.

Greeley City Council stated its preference to pursue the planning organization's proposal at a meeting in June.

What's next

The "partnerships" group put off agreeing on a solid list of projects that would be funded if the sales tax passes in the November election until its next meeting at 6 p.m. July 11 at the McKee 4-H Building at the Ranch, Interstate 25 and Crossroads Boulevard, Loveland.