Garfield County commissioners are leaning toward funding the Hogback bus service for one more year, but they said they will stop supporting the route after 2027.
Commissioners tentatively agreed to give the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority $200,000 for the Hogback route at a Tuesday meeting.
The Hogback route has served residents in New Castle, Silt and Rifle since 2002. But Silt, Rifle and Garfield County are not members of RFTA so the municipalities do not have long-term funding set aside to keep the Hogback route going.
Garfield County considered a resolution Tuesday that said the county will stop funding the route because staff anticipate continued decreases in oil and gas revenue. That has forced a county-wide reprioritization of expenditures.
“We’re cutting into our reserves every year because we can't balance our operating budget, let alone capital or grants,” said commissioner Tom Jankovsky. “So, that’s where we're coming from.”
The resolution also said that mass transit services are not a core function of Garfield County’s government.
At the Tuesday meeting, Rifle city manager Patrick Waller said the municipality is facing its own financial challenges.
“We’re having a lot of holes in our general fund, and without dedicated revenue, it makes these budget conversations hard every year,” he said.
Waller said one solution is a modified bus service, possibly with smaller vehicles, to keep costs down.
Garfield County commissioners also urged representatives from Silt and Rifle at the meeting to consider putting Hogback funding on the ballot next year, which could secure dedicated funding for the route.
Silt mayor Keith Richel is concerned about that idea. He said there are several budget items on the ballot this year, so he is apprehensive about adding another.
“They’re not all gonna pass,” Richel said. “They'll be on it again next year. But that being said we want to work to decide how we can get a ballot initiative together and what it's going to involve. I just can't guarantee people are gonna vote yes.”
Until next year, Richel plans on talking to residents and gathering voter sentiment on the possibility of having a dedicated tax to fund the route in the future. The Hogback serves around 200,000 people a year.
Rifle mayor Clint Hostettler said his city and the Town of Silt have only committed $125,000 each for one more year.
“We have a plan for three years, but we’re not locked into that,” he said. “We know there has to be a more permanent solution, hopefully in the next year.”
Garfield County commissioners will vote on whether to commit the $200,000 for this winter’s Hogback route at a future meeting.
Commissioners must vote soon. The route will stop on Nov. 23 if funding for this winter is not settled.
