Vote YES on RTA 7A
Last year, 81% of us voted to form the RTA. Now, let's fund it!
RTA Ballot Issue 7A is a half-cent sales tax that funds the Yampa Valley Regional Transportation Authority, and it is on your November 3 ballot! Voters in Routt County and the City of Craig decide it together, as one valley. It is a long ballot this year, so look for 7A: it is the one that funds the RTA.
Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. provided initial seed funding. Now, sustained community funding is needed to launch robust service and keep the RTA operating for the long term.
Vote YES on 7A to:
✓ Make Highway 40 safer and reduce congestion. Anyone who drives between Craig, Hayden, and Steamboat Springs knows the dangers. Regional transportation provides a reliable, safer alternative to driving.
✓ Add more buses, more often, and routes where there are none. More frequent buses between Craig and Steamboat Springs, a circulator in Craig, and new routes to South Routt and the neighborhoods along Highway 40.
✓ Revive rail. The State and local governments are working to bring back passenger rail. The RTA will represent us in that effort and make sure our valley has a say in the decisions that affect us.
✓ Strengthen our regional economy. Robust transportation helps keep a stable workforce to teach in our schools, provide health and senior care, and protect our communities with public safety teams.
The rail purpose is planning only; the measure does not build a railroad.
Why we are for it
A safer Highway 40. Highway 40 connects Craig, Hayden, and Steamboat Springs, and thousands of local workers travel it every day. Anyone who drives it knows the dangers: dark mornings, winter roads, and a lot of traffic headed to work. More transportation options mean safer alternatives for residents and workers, and a safer road for everyone on it, whether they ride the bus or not!
The freedom to get where you need to go. Out here, getting around too often comes down to one truck, one set of keys, and one person's schedule. A bus that shows up gives everyone another way to go, on their own terms: the teenager headed to a first job, the parent whose car is in the shop, the neighbor who has stopped driving. For many households a second vehicle is a necessity only because there is no other way to get to work. Dependable bus service gives those households a choice. Nobody should have to ask for a ride.
Dependable rides across the whole valley. The measure funds a valley-wide, year-round approach to transportation. Wherever you live in the valley: a ride you can count on. That is what neighbors getting neighbors where they need to go looks like.
What a half-cent sales tax is, and where it goes:
✓ $0.50 on every $100 spent. No tax on groceries, gas, prescriptions, or home heat. Visitors help pay.
✓ The money is protected. It goes straight to the RTA, never through a city, town, or county budget. Each member community has one vote on the RTA board. State law requires an independent audit every year.
✓ The tax rate cannot go up without another vote.
A household that spends $1,000 a month on taxable purchases would pay about $5 a month. Estimate your own on our FAQ.
Visitors help pay. Because it is a sales tax, visitors help pay for a significant portion, on every meal out, hotel night, and souvenir. In Steamboat Springs, the Chamber's tourism data for early summer showed visitors accounted for more than half of restaurant and retail spending.
How the money is watched. The State collects the tax and sends it directly to the RTA. Every RTA board member is an elected official from one of our six communities, with one vote each, so no single town controls it. State law requires an independent audit every year, filed with the State Auditor as a public record, and the RTA is hiring an executive director to manage operations.
An investment that brings more home. Regional transportation authorities typically rely on federal funding, state grants, and other sources of capital, and those sources often require local matching dollars and dependable ongoing revenue. RTA Ballot Issue 7A provides that dedicated funding. The RTA board has approved an application for a federal grant for new regional buses. Research on established Colorado authorities finds positive returns for the communities they serve, and the Roaring Fork Valley's RFTA is the example.
The full ballot title and every exemption are on our Resources page.
Good for workers, businesses, seniors, students, visitors, and you!
You may never ride the bus, but your next hire might, along with your customers, your parents, and your kids. It is worth having whether or not you use it.
How to vote
Every ballot counts, and yours is on its way!
Starting October 5: ballots go out by mail. Routt County mails first; Moffat County about October 9.
October 12: drop boxes open.
October 19: in-person voting opens.
October 26: last day to register and still get a ballot by mail. After that, register and vote in person.
November 3: ballots must be received by 7 p.m. Postmarks do not count; in the last week, use a drop box.
Drop box locations, voting centers, and your registration: Resources.
How you can help
There is a place for everyone in this campaign. Pick one, or pick a few!
- Make sure you are registered, then vote. Check your registration and find your ballot at GoVoteColorado.gov. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on November 3.
- Talk to a friend or neighbor. A person you trust saying "I'm voting yes" does more than anything we can mail.
- Follow, share, and boost us. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky, then share, repost, and tag a friend. Every share puts 7A in front of someone new!
- Put up a yard sign. Email hello@friendsofyvrta.org
- Knock doors or hand out cards. Want to canvass your neighborhood or table at an event? We would love to support you: palm cards, signs, and talking points are ready. Email us and we will get you set up.
- Write a letter to the editor. One paragraph on why you are voting yes is plenty. Submit to the Steamboat Pilot and/or the Craig Press, and tell us when it runs so we can share it!
- Add your name. Individuals and organizations can endorse RTA Ballot Issue 7A. Email hello@friendsofyvrta.org with your name and town.
- Invite us to speak. Ten minutes at your staff meeting, board, club, or congregation, and we will come to you.
Questions? Start with our FAQ, or write hello@friendsofyvrta.org.
Safer roads. More buses. A ride you can count on. RTA Ballot Issue 7A is an investment in a safer, more connected, and more accessible Yampa Valley, today and for the long term.
Let's get it done, Yampa Valley. Vote YES on 7A!
More ways to get around. Better for everyone.