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HomeMy WebLinkAboutC03-368 Roaring Fork Transportation Authority MOUMEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ROARING FORK TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY and THE COUNTY CLERK OF EAGLE COUNTY, COLORADO CONCERNING VEHICLE REGISTRATION FEE COLLECTION The parties to this agreement are the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority, a subdivision of the State of Colorado ("R -FTA") and the County Clerk of Eagle County, Colorado (the "Clerk"). This Agreement is effective the day indicated on the signature page of this document. WHEREAS, C.R.S. Sec. 43-4-605(1)(i) provides that Rural Transportation Authorities are empowered: To impose an annual motor vehicle registration fee of not more than ten dollars for each motor vehicle registered with the county clerk and recorder of the county by persons residing in all or any designated portion of the members of the combination; except that the authority shall not impose a motor registration fee with respect to motor vehicles registered to persons residing outside the boundaries of the authority and within the boundaries of a municipality as the boundaries of the municipality exist on the date the authority is created without the consent of the governing body of such municipality or outside the boundaries of the authority and within the unincorporated boundaries of a county as the unincorporated boundaries of the county exist on the date the authority is created without consent of the governing body of such county. The registration fee is in addition to any fee or tax imposed by the state or any other governmental unit. If a motor vehicle is registered in a county that is a member of more than one authority, the total of all fees imposed pursuant to this paragraph (i) for any such motor vehicle shall not exceed ten dollars. The county clerk and recorder of the county in which the registration fee is imposed shall collect the fee and remit the fee to the authority. The authority shall apply the registration fees solely to the financing, construction, operation, or maintenance of rural transportation systems that are consistent with the expenditures specified in section 18 of article X of the state constitution. ;and WHEREAS, after a public hearing held February 13, 2002, the RFTA Board of Directors determined that a $10.00 annual vehicle registration fee is a fair and reasonable method of allocating the costs of the property and services paid for with the proceeds of the vehicle registration fee among the users of the public highway improvements on which the proceeds of the vehicle registration fee are expended; and WHEREAS, once the Colorado State Department of Revenue (the "DOR") completes modification of the County vehicle registration fee software to reflect the new fee, collection of the fee will begin; and WHEREAS, the following Agreement memorializes the term of such collection: 1. . The Eagle County Clerk will collect a$ 10.00 fee on each vehicle registered in the CO3-368 Roaring Fork Valley portion of Eagle County, voting precincts 7, 8, 24 and 25, with the exception of vehicles registered by government entities. 2. The Clerk will retain 3 Y3% of the amount collected to pay the costs and expenses of collection. 3. The Clerk will remit the remaining 96 %% ofthe $10.00 fee collected, monthly to RFTA at the following address: Heather Copp, RFTA Finance Director Roaring Fork Transportation Authority 051 Service Center Drive Aspen, Colorado 81611 Date: U ��7 EAGLE COUNTY CLERK: i ROARING FORK TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY an Blankenship, Chief Executive Officer P.vehicle fee hike will have t® wait By Scot t'Condoti Garfield County Clerk and Recorder Meanwhile; RFTA staffers will 1.Aspea Times Staff Waster Mildred Alsdorf. - work `.other channels" within the I'ev- . Vehicle registration fees were Thestateclaims it doesn't have the enue department to try to coax coop raised for valley. drivers by $10 staff or money to undertake that work, eration, according to RFTA attorney Thursday night; but the price hike which -is estimated to take more than Renee Black, won't hit drivers' wallets for some 550 hours at a cost of between $200 If the $10 increase in vehicle regis- time. and $300 per hour, Alsdorf said. And _ trations is ever implemented, it would Although the Roaring Fork Transit even if RFTA offered the funds to affect all resident of PitkinCounty,. Authority's board of directors -accomplish the job, the state agency the Roaring Fork Valley portion of approved the price: increase; the Col- . couldn'tlegally accept it, officials Eagle County, and Carbondale and 1 orado Department of Revenue says it told Alsdorf. Glenwood Springs in Garfield Coun- cannot be implemented any time Sheagked the RFTA board to avoid ty, soon. putting the clerks of the valley's-coun- Estimates are that it wouldraise The problem is the revenue depart- ties in a jam by approving a $10 hike between $350,000 and:. $400,000 ment must reprogram computers so immediately. Board members. were annually for the bus system. that the appropriate customers in understanding. They approved the fee - Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties increase on the condition that it be Scott Condon's e-mail address is would be charged, according to implemented "as soon as practical." scondon@aspentimes.coin i RFTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA SUMMARY ITEM # VII. A. Meeting Date: - February 13, 2003 Agenda Item: Imposition of RFTA $10 Vehicle Registration Fee Action Requested: Conduct Public Hearing and move forward with the imposition of the $10.00 annual vehicle registration fee within RFTA boundaries Presented B : Renee Black; General Counsel Core Issues: - The financial outlook for 2003 is not encouraging and it has become apparent that additional sources of revenue are required retain the service schedule for bus,transit. • The Board adopted Resolution 2002-.16 on October 10; 2002 imposing a $10 vehicle registration fee within the RFTA boundaries effective January 1, 2003. Subsequently it was learned that the fee could not be imposed without conducting a Public Hearing for which 45 -days notice was required. . • A public hearing was scheduled for February 13, 2003, and proper notice has been given: • ' By the time, of the -Public Hearing, meetings have been held in Glenwood Springs, Aspen, Snowmass Village, and Pitkin County to alert the public re-garding the imposition of the fee. Background Info: The Rural Transportation Authority. Act, recognizing the positive impact on vehicle traffic congestion provided by mass transit, allows Boards of RTA's to impose an annual $10.00 registration fee on all vehicles registered by persons within its boundaries.. A County that. is not an RTA member, but has member municipalities within its boundaries, may+impose the registration fee throughout the entire County, if the County Commissioners approve. We have not asked Garfield County to do this, but it is a possibility. However, this Board only has authority to impose the fee on persons residing within its member governments. It is estimated that imposition of the fee within RFTA boundaries for a full year would generate between $350,000 and $400,000 in revenue to RFTA, although only $100,000 has been budgeted in 2003 because it may not be implemented until mid year. Expenditures from the proceeds of the registration fee are limited to items that relate to the construction, maintenance or supervision of public highways, Policy As evidenced by federal highway laws concerning highway construction mitigation Implications: and the Colorado Rural Transportation Authority Act, legislators are beginning to recognize that increased transit use benefits all highway users. Imposition of the fee on all who benefit from the existence of a transit system makes sense, particularly in light of the huge subsidy provided to highway construction and relatively small amount available to public transit. Fiscal Imposing the. fee within the RFTA boundaries is estimated to increase_RFTA Implications: revenues by $300,000 to $350.000 annually. RFTA will have to pay for re- programming of County computers that calculate registration fees and this amount is a one-time charge not expected to exceed $30,000. Options: 1, The Board has already adopted Resolution 02-16 imposing the fee. After the Public Hearing vote to move forward with implementation of the fee. ' 2: After the Public Hearing; vote to rescind Resolution 02-16. Recommendation Conduct the Public Hearing and vote to move forward with the implementation of the $10 vehicle registration fee Backup F None. Memoranda? PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Thursday, February 135 2003 at 6:30 PM, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority will hold a public hearing in the MT. SOPRIS ROOM AT THE EL JEBEL COMMUNITY CENTER to discuss the imposition of a $10.00 annual vehicle registration fee within its boundaries. Interested citizens are encouraged to attend the public hearing or to direct written concerns, interests or comments on this topic to: Dan Blankenship, Executive Director Roaring Fork Transportation Authority 0051 Service Center Drive Aspen, CO 81611