FAQ
What is a Regional Transportation Authority?
A public entity that two or more local governments form to run transportation across their boundaries, under a framework in Colorado law. It is created by the member governments and approved by their voters, governed by a board of their elected officials, and funded by a voter-approved local tax. The Yampa Valley RTA was formed by six governments and approved by voters in November 2025.
What is RTA Ballot Issue 7A?
A half-percent sales tax to fund the Yampa Valley Regional Transportation Authority: fifty cents on each one hundred dollars of taxable purchases, starting January 1, 2027, on the same purchases the state already taxes, with the same exemptions. It is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for voters in Routt County and the City of Craig. Read the full ballot title.
Didn't we already vote for this?
In 2025 we voted to create it. This year we vote to fund it. Last year's question, which passed in all six communities with 81% support, formed the Authority and levied no tax. Colorado's constitution requires a vote of the people before any new tax is collected, so the funding question is its own vote. Without dedicated sustainable revenue, the Authority can plan regional service but cannot deliver it.
Isn't the RTA already funded?
Not for the long haul. Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. provided the seed money that got the Authority started, and a state grant helped. That funding seated the board, paid for the plan, and put the first hires in motion. It is a start, not a source. Grants come and go, and the good ones require a local match. There is no other sustained funding mechanism the Authority can turn to; Colorado's other regional transportation authorities run on voter-approved local taxes, and this one is no different. A dedicated half percent, paid across the whole district and by the visitors who use the valley's roads, is what turns a plan into service that runs year after year. It is on all of us who have a stake in this valley, employers and residents alike.
What does it pay for?
Four purposes are written into the ballot question: public safety on Highway 40; transportation options for local workers, residents, seniors, and visitors; participating in regional planning for future commuter rail; and affordable service to areas not currently served by transit.
Behind those purposes are the eight service goals in the agreement voters approved in 2025: more buses on Highway 40 between Craig and Steamboat, a circulator route in Craig, new routes to areas with no service today (South Routt, Oak Creek, Yampa, and the neighborhoods along Highway 40), better bus stops, park-and-ride lots, pedestrian safety work, and a seat at the table on regional rail. The goals, with a link to the agreement.
Why does the valley need it?
Highway 40 connects Craig, Hayden, and Steamboat Springs, and thousands of local workers travel it every day. Anyone who drives it knows the dangers. 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. 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. And 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. Why we are for it
Does it build a railroad?
No. The measure funds participating in regional planning for future commuter rail between Craig, Hayden, Steamboat Springs, Oak Creek, and Yampa. It does not build a railroad; rail is the State's project. This keeps the valley at the table while the State plans it.
What isn't taxed?
Groceries, gas and diesel, prescriptions and medical equipment, and fuel for home heat and power, the same exemptions as the state sales tax, written into the resolution that referred the measure. The tax applies to the purchases the state already taxes: a meal out, a hotel room, a new set of tires. Because it is a sales tax, visitors help pay for a significant portion. The full list of exemptions.
How much will it raise?
The ballot title states first-year revenue of $7,875,197. That is the Authority's estimate of what one half percent yields across the district; the rate is what voters decide, and it cannot go up without another vote of the people.
What will it cost my household?
We do not take a new tax lightly. We feel the cost of living in our own households too, and we know every dollar matters here.
What you pay depends on what you buy. The tax is fifty cents on every $100 of taxable purchases, and groceries, gas, prescriptions, and home heat and power are not taxed. To estimate your own: add up what your household spends in a typical month on taxable things, like meals out, clothing, household goods, and repairs, and multiply by half a percent. A household that spends $1,000 a month on taxable purchases would pay about $5 a month.
Because it is a sales tax, visitors help pay for a significant portion. Together, a little from each of us and a good share from our visitors puts dependable buses on the road for the whole valley: a real choice about a second vehicle for the families who need one, and a ride that is there when you need it. What is and is not taxed · Colorado Sales Tax Guide
Where does the money go, and who watches it?
The State collects the tax and sends it straight to the Authority, never through a town or county budget, and it is dedicated: it can only be spent on the purposes in the ballot question. The four purposes are written into the ballot question. Every board member is an elected official from a member community, one vote each, so no one town controls it. State law requires an independent audit every year, filed with the State Auditor as a public record, and the board is hiring a professional executive director to run operations.
Who is part of the Yampa Valley RTA, and who runs it?
Six member governments, one seat each on the board, filled by one of that community's elected officials:
- Routt County
- City of Steamboat Springs
- City of Craig
- Town of Hayden
- Town of Oak Creek
- Town of Yampa
The board meets the second Monday of each month at 4 p.m. at Hayden Town Hall, 178 West Jefferson Avenue, with Zoom available, and its meetings are open to the public.
What happens to Steamboat Springs Transit?
Nothing changes inside the city. The agreement's first service goal assumes the Authority takes over the regional bus between Craig and Steamboat Springs, while Steamboat Springs Transit keeps running its routes within the city. The regional route gets more frequent; the city's buses stay the city's.
Who votes on it?
Registered voters across the Authority's district: all of Routt County, including Steamboat Springs, Hayden, Oak Creek, and Yampa, plus the City of Craig. It passes or fails on one district-wide count.
How do I vote?
Ballots mail the week of October 5. Return yours by mail early, or use a drop box (open October 12) or a voter service center (open October 19). Routt County's voter service center is at 135 6th Street, Steamboat Springs, with drop boxes at 522 Lincoln Avenue, 2025 Shield Drive, and the Hayden, Oak Creek, and Yampa town halls. Moffat County's is the courthouse at 1198 W. Victory Way, Craig, with a 24-hour drop box at the main entrance. Every ballot must be received by 7 p.m. on November 3; postmarks do not count. Register, find your drop box, and see your sample ballot at the Colorado Secretary of State's voter lookup. All the key dates.
Who is Friends of YVRTA?
A volunteer citizen committee, independent of the Authority and of every elected official on its board, registered with the Colorado Secretary of State. We campaigned for the 2025 formation vote and we're campaigning for RTA Ballot Issue 7A. We work on ballot issues only, never candidates. About us.
How can I help?
Add your name, contribute, host a conversation at your workplace or club, write a letter to the editor, and tell five people. · Join Us · Contribute
If you run a business or an organization: endorse the measure, give us ten minutes with your staff or your board, and consider what a dependable ride to work is worth to the people you employ. If you sit on a governing body, a resolution in support is the form that takes; Routt County's is a model.
