RTA no go this election year

There will not be a ballot item for a regional transportation authority this election cycle, said an organizer Thursday.

John Daggett, a planning manger with the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization, said after the withdrawals of Loveland and Larimer County, the push for an RTA now was left only to a handful of small towns, which made getting the proposal to voters unfeasible.

"It will not be on the ballot for 07," Daggett said. "I'm pretty sure there are no jurisdictions that are going to go on."

County officials made the decision to pull out Wednesday, a day after Loveland's City Council made its call. Greeley backed out in July and Fort Collins opted out of the proposal in June. With their withdrawals, the two cities significantly reduced the RTA's expected revenues.

But Daggett said the discussion on how to solve the region's transportation woes will continue.

"Most people are interested in continuing the conversation," Daggett said. "People get it that no one is going to save this except for ourselves."