LovelandPolitics.com
Anyone who has followed the news regarding the recent
RTA (Regional Transportation Authority) Steering
Committee recommendations may be surprised to learn
not everyone on the RTA Steering Committee voted for
the report being distributed to the public and locally
elected officials.
In fact, the press conference held June 12, 2007 in Ft.
Collins by four members of the RTA Steering
Committee was to air their complaints about the process
and its conclusions they allege were pre-ordained by the
MPO that appointed the Steering Committee
members. At least half of the thirty four member
steering committee represented certain developer
interests.
Of particular note was their concern that no formal
process was established or voted on to deal with dissent
or conflicting opinions. The thirty-four member
committee was managed by the MPO but the "rules of
the game" were never established. To our knowledge,
a chairman was never elected nor working committees
established nor an executive board elected by the thirty
four member committee.
According to Hoffmann, the proposal released by the
RTA Steering Committee called the "majority report"
was the result of a fractured group unable to reach a
consensus on how to solve regional transportation
issues.
This lack of consensus lead to an alternative report now
called the "New Directions for Regional
Transportation." This report was instrumental in
derailing the "Majority Report" after several members
of the Ft. Collins City Council received the alternative
plan and seem to prefer it over the Majority Report
which Hoffmann allege was driven by special interests
on the RTA Steering Committee.
The two reports differ in many ways. An important
difference it the alternative report tries to incorporate
the "guiding principles" established by the plenary group
responsible for helping to craft an agenda for the RTA
Steering Committee. The majority report being covered
in the local media is contradictory in its goals and
objectives to a number of the guidelines and doesn't
attempt to accommodate them in anyway.
Tim Johnson of Ft. Collins and Roger Hoffmann of
Loveland can be reached at (970) 416-0821 and (970)
667-8545 respectively.
RTA (Regional Transportation Authority) Steering
Committee recommendations may be surprised to learn
not everyone on the RTA Steering Committee voted for
the report being distributed to the public and locally
elected officials.
In fact, the press conference held June 12, 2007 in Ft.
Collins by four members of the RTA Steering
Committee was to air their complaints about the process
and its conclusions they allege were pre-ordained by the
MPO that appointed the Steering Committee
members. At least half of the thirty four member
steering committee represented certain developer
interests.
Of particular note was their concern that no formal
process was established or voted on to deal with dissent
or conflicting opinions. The thirty-four member
committee was managed by the MPO but the "rules of
the game" were never established. To our knowledge,
a chairman was never elected nor working committees
established nor an executive board elected by the thirty
four member committee.
According to Hoffmann, the proposal released by the
RTA Steering Committee called the "majority report"
was the result of a fractured group unable to reach a
consensus on how to solve regional transportation
issues.
This lack of consensus lead to an alternative report now
called the "New Directions for Regional
Transportation." This report was instrumental in
derailing the "Majority Report" after several members
of the Ft. Collins City Council received the alternative
plan and seem to prefer it over the Majority Report
which Hoffmann allege was driven by special interests
on the RTA Steering Committee.
The two reports differ in many ways. An important
difference it the alternative report tries to incorporate
the "guiding principles" established by the plenary group
responsible for helping to craft an agenda for the RTA
Steering Committee. The majority report being covered
in the local media is contradictory in its goals and
objectives to a number of the guidelines and doesn't
attempt to accommodate them in anyway.
Tim Johnson of Ft. Collins and Roger Hoffmann of
Loveland can be reached at (970) 416-0821 and (970)
667-8545 respectively.
| The Other Side of The RTA Steering Committee RTA Steering Committee members present alternative plan during press conference in Ft. Collins |
| Reporters taking notes during the June 12, press conference by members of the RTA Steering Committee who don't support the RTA proposal |
| Scott Mason, an RTA Steering Committee member who doesn't support the "majority" plan, watches during the press conference held June 12. The press conference was call by 4 RTA Steering Committee members. |
| Roger Hoffmann (rigth) speaks to the media at the press conference as fellow RTA Steering Committee member Scott Mason (left) looks on. |