Fountain is now a step closer to asking voters to increase their sales taxes in November to help tackle a backlog of road projects with a price tag of over $50 million.

The El Paso County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a request by the city of Fountain to join the Pikes Peak Regional Transportation Authority, which collects a 1% sales tax that pays for some of the region’s largest road extensions, maintenance and expansion. Despite being the region’s second largest municipality, Fountain is not a member of the PPRTA, whose tax revenues currently benefit Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls, Ramah and Calhan.

Fountain officials eye PPRTA membership following positive voter response

In favor of the addition, District 3 Commissioner Stan VanderWerf said allocating local money to local projects decreases reliance on state and federal entities for those projects.

“Transportation is an integrated system, so I think this is a great step forward for further integration in a local area,” VanderWerf said. “Local collaboration is key to why a regional area succeeds.”

Under the current PPRTA intergovernmental agreement, Fountain may only join the program if “all of the current parties … unanimously approve consent to that addition,” County Attorney Kenny Hodges said Tuesday.

Now that all participating governments have greenlit the request – the county commission was the last to do so – the question is now likely to go before Fountain voters on the November ballot.

A recent city survey of 741 registered Fountain voters found that a majority of respondents – 59% – are in favor of the tax increase that comes with joining PPRTA due to perceived poor road quality and minimal cost to taxpayers, but those opposed said they believed the city must live within its means, just as residents must.

The city’s Finance Department estimates that Fountain residents pay over $1.2 million in sales tax that is not returned to the city, because it is not a PPRTA member.

If residents were to pass the potential ballot measure, a 1% sales tax rate could generate an estimated $3.8 million annually that would go to the PPRTA; however, Fountain would receive $3.5 million in return for street capital projects and over $2 million for maintenance, Fountain Mayor Sharon Thompson previously told The Gazette.

By joining PPRTA, accrual of funds in coming years would allow the city to chip away at an estimated $50 million to $75 million backlog in unfunded street maintenance and capital projects as well as prepare for future growth, survey documents said.

Having Fountain as a member party would also “benefit the region” and county by streamlining funding and collaboration on potential joint projects, such as maintenance of shared roads with “checkerboard ownership,” like Marksheffel Road and Fontaine Boulevard, said County Engineer Josh Palmer.

“El Paso County, the city of Colorado Springs and the city of Fountain account for a pretty significant proportion, if not majority, of the expected growth in the future,” Palmer said. “There’s really nowhere to go but east and southeast (toward Fountain).”

The Fountain City Council approved a first reading of the proposal’s ballot language on July 25, and a second reading and vote is expected on Aug. 22.

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