| City Manager and Mayor Angry Over Change They Learned About At the Meeting |
| LovelandPolitics.com |
The RTA discussion began with a report by the City Manager discussing a recent
MPO meeting at The Ranch where all 13 towns or cities that would be part of the
RTA were represented. He reviewed a list of “issuesâ€� and complained about â
€œall sortsâ€� weighing in on this process. Mayor Larry Walsh and City Manager
Don Williams represented Loveland at the meeting. According to Williams, the Town
Administrator of Windsor suggested some of the bigger entities would need to weigh-
in before they determine how to proceed. Williams explained the study session would
be an opportunity to hear opinions from the Council on the proposal.
The RTA Steering Committee proposal details (spreadsheets) were provided to
Council on Monday (June 11). The RTA Steering Committee has recommended a
plan where a regional sales tax of 1 cent tax (0.58 cents regional and within Loveland
City limits another 0.42 cents) would provide for transportation improvements.
Williams explained that the failure of the measure before the Ft. Collins City Council
caused concern regarding the potential of the measure to move forward and that the
MPO would be waiting on results from Loveland and Greeley discussions of the issue
taking place the same evening. He also stated that Loveland’s Mayor Larry
Walsh has been talking to Ft. Collin’s Mayor and they thought the situation in Ft.
Collins could be reversed. The fact Loveland’s Mayor works for a construction
firm that builds large public transportation projects leaves the question open whether
Mayor Walsh is lobbying Ft. Collins on behalf of the City of Loveland or on behalf of
his employer to reverse their previous desicion.
In response to a question from one Councilman, Williams said that the Colorado
Springs RTA specifically excluded state and federal highways to insure no money
would not be used to subsidize highways that were already going to be repaired with
federal or state money. He commented that it really wouldn’t work in Loveland
since most of the areas needing improvements were state or federal highways and the
real question was when would they get repaired. Williams stated "We pay more than
we normally would have to get it done sooner."
Williams also commented, “One of the most misunderstood things in Ft. Collins,
and I will say this on camera, they keep saying this is allowing the McWhinneys to get
out of their obligation with regional funds and make the 5 regional improvements now
6 regional improvements for Centerra…� He said the editorials are in error and
that the money will flow to Centerra “no matter what� and the money from
Centerra was never meant to be the complete funding for these improvements.
Last December the Master Financing Agreement (MFA) between the City of Loveland
and Centerra was amended to allow other funds flowing to the projects to release
Centerra from its responsibility. This would indicate that the City of Loveland and
Centerra were anticipating a change in the funding coming from the RTA last
December that was not anticipated in the original MFA.
An abrupt change in tone and mood occurred in the meeting when the City Manager
and City Council discovered, at the meeting, that a last minute change made by
Centerra and the MPO staff to the RTA Steering Committee Proposal required more
local funds from Loveland than any other municipality in the region. A an
accommodation for the monies already approved for Centerra, the change bumped
municipal required funding of the projects from the standard of 35% (as it is in every
other city) up to 70% in Loveland in recognition that Centerra already has a future
flow of tax dollars available for the same improvements.
Staff provided an example that Ft.Collins and Windsor will together contribute 35%
to an interchange on the I-25 and the balance will be paid from the RTA if the current
proposal is adopted. Angrily the Mayor complained he wasn't told this and it wasn't
disclosed earlier - he told staff it looks like a bait and switch.
Despite the prohibition of the public speaking at the "study session," Rich Shannon of
McWhinney Enterprises and RTA Steering Committee member sat at the staff table
and began explaining why the share for Loveland was 70%. He said they (steering
committee) added the extra 35% for Loveland's Centerra areas only (on top of the
existing 35%) for several reasons but that it was done in the "11th hour." This last
minute accommodation by Centerra to promise even more local matching funds
through its own local entity angered the City Manager and Mayor.
When Williams asked who was responsible for this change on the RTA, Shannon
suggested only he and a few other members made the last minute change throwing into
question how a few individuals can make substantial changes to the RTA Steering
Committee proposal without assembling the group of people who were presumably
responsible for the proposal.
Despite their obvious disdain for the RTA Steering Committee proposal in its current
form (the 70% matching for Loveland), the City Council agreed to push forward and
not join Ft. Collins in abandoning the process. Williams said there will need to be a
lot more meetings to “straighten this thing out.�
MPO meeting at The Ranch where all 13 towns or cities that would be part of the
RTA were represented. He reviewed a list of “issuesâ€� and complained about â
€œall sortsâ€� weighing in on this process. Mayor Larry Walsh and City Manager
Don Williams represented Loveland at the meeting. According to Williams, the Town
Administrator of Windsor suggested some of the bigger entities would need to weigh-
in before they determine how to proceed. Williams explained the study session would
be an opportunity to hear opinions from the Council on the proposal.
The RTA Steering Committee proposal details (spreadsheets) were provided to
Council on Monday (June 11). The RTA Steering Committee has recommended a
plan where a regional sales tax of 1 cent tax (0.58 cents regional and within Loveland
City limits another 0.42 cents) would provide for transportation improvements.
Williams explained that the failure of the measure before the Ft. Collins City Council
caused concern regarding the potential of the measure to move forward and that the
MPO would be waiting on results from Loveland and Greeley discussions of the issue
taking place the same evening. He also stated that Loveland’s Mayor Larry
Walsh has been talking to Ft. Collin’s Mayor and they thought the situation in Ft.
Collins could be reversed. The fact Loveland’s Mayor works for a construction
firm that builds large public transportation projects leaves the question open whether
Mayor Walsh is lobbying Ft. Collins on behalf of the City of Loveland or on behalf of
his employer to reverse their previous desicion.
In response to a question from one Councilman, Williams said that the Colorado
Springs RTA specifically excluded state and federal highways to insure no money
would not be used to subsidize highways that were already going to be repaired with
federal or state money. He commented that it really wouldn’t work in Loveland
since most of the areas needing improvements were state or federal highways and the
real question was when would they get repaired. Williams stated "We pay more than
we normally would have to get it done sooner."
Williams also commented, “One of the most misunderstood things in Ft. Collins,
and I will say this on camera, they keep saying this is allowing the McWhinneys to get
out of their obligation with regional funds and make the 5 regional improvements now
6 regional improvements for Centerra…� He said the editorials are in error and
that the money will flow to Centerra “no matter what� and the money from
Centerra was never meant to be the complete funding for these improvements.
Last December the Master Financing Agreement (MFA) between the City of Loveland
and Centerra was amended to allow other funds flowing to the projects to release
Centerra from its responsibility. This would indicate that the City of Loveland and
Centerra were anticipating a change in the funding coming from the RTA last
December that was not anticipated in the original MFA.
An abrupt change in tone and mood occurred in the meeting when the City Manager
and City Council discovered, at the meeting, that a last minute change made by
Centerra and the MPO staff to the RTA Steering Committee Proposal required more
local funds from Loveland than any other municipality in the region. A an
accommodation for the monies already approved for Centerra, the change bumped
municipal required funding of the projects from the standard of 35% (as it is in every
other city) up to 70% in Loveland in recognition that Centerra already has a future
flow of tax dollars available for the same improvements.
Staff provided an example that Ft.Collins and Windsor will together contribute 35%
to an interchange on the I-25 and the balance will be paid from the RTA if the current
proposal is adopted. Angrily the Mayor complained he wasn't told this and it wasn't
disclosed earlier - he told staff it looks like a bait and switch.
Despite the prohibition of the public speaking at the "study session," Rich Shannon of
McWhinney Enterprises and RTA Steering Committee member sat at the staff table
and began explaining why the share for Loveland was 70%. He said they (steering
committee) added the extra 35% for Loveland's Centerra areas only (on top of the
existing 35%) for several reasons but that it was done in the "11th hour." This last
minute accommodation by Centerra to promise even more local matching funds
through its own local entity angered the City Manager and Mayor.
When Williams asked who was responsible for this change on the RTA, Shannon
suggested only he and a few other members made the last minute change throwing into
question how a few individuals can make substantial changes to the RTA Steering
Committee proposal without assembling the group of people who were presumably
responsible for the proposal.
Despite their obvious disdain for the RTA Steering Committee proposal in its current
form (the 70% matching for Loveland), the City Council agreed to push forward and
not join Ft. Collins in abandoning the process. Williams said there will need to be a
lot more meetings to “straighten this thing out.�
| Loveland City Council Study Session Lots of Grumbling About RTA Proposal direction to staff is to continue with the process - June 12, 2007 |
| Councilman Steve Dozier |
| Mayor Pro Tem Pielin and City Manager Don Williams sharing jokes and giggles during the study session |
| City Manager, Don Williams, speaks as Loveland Mayor Larry Walsh listens |
| Williams spoke most of the night while Mayor Walsh and Councilmembers asked sporatic questions - left to right (Williams, Mayor Walsh, Walt Skowron, Larry Heckel) |
| Councilman Klassen |
| Pre-election poll also authorized at taxpayer expense during meeting - click here for story |