The Transit Advisory Committee formed by the Upper Arkansas Area Council of Governments will host a series of three public meetings in Fremont County to discuss a proposal to fund public transportation. After the committee conducted a community survey last year that showed 85 percent of respondents supporting a public transportation program, officials in Fremont, Custer, and Chaffee Counties have proposed creation of a Regional Transportation Authority (RTA).
Each county has proposed its own method of financing public transportation and each county would need the support of voters for that funding mechanism at an election in November. If voters in any of the three counties turn down the plan, the Regional Transportation Authority could still be formed through intergovernmental agreements but public transportation could not operate in a county where voters do not agree to fund it.
In Fremont County it is proposed to finance the RTA by adding a $10 surcharge to every motor vehicle registration. Chaffee County is proposing an $8 surcharge on every motor vehicle registration, while in Custer County a half-cent sales tax is proposed to finance public transportation.
Meetings to detail plans for public transportation and to gather public comment are being conducted in each of the three counties. The three public meetings in Fremont County are scheduled for Tuesday morning May 10th at 10 o'clock at the Golden Age Center at 728 Main Street in Canon City, Tuesday afternoon May 10th at 5:30 at the Fremont National Bank Community Room at 210 Broadway in Penrose, and on Wednesday afternoon May 11th at 5:30 at the City Council Chambers at City Hall in Florence.
All comments in support or opposition are significant and welcomed. The Transit Advisory Committee will rely on input at the public meetings to determine whether to proceed. Officials emphasize that the Rural Transportation Authority will only be formed if substantial participation occurs at the public meetings.