‘Sales-Tax-For-Streets’ oversight committee meets

As sales tax revenue from the voter-approved sales tax increase begins to accumulate, city leaders are focusing on spending the money wisely and efficiently.

On Monday, the 2C Advisory Committee met for the first time, at City Hall in Colorado Springs.

The committee consists of two city councilmen, a financier and two construction experts. They were appointed to the committee by Mayor John Suthers in an effort to be accountable in spending $250 million over five years for street repaving.

The paving project is intended to eliminate the need for constant pothole repairs on crumbling streets.

“I’m very pleased with the mix of people we brought together who have this combination of being able to ask some technical questions and some common man questions,” Suthers said.

Travis Easton, public works director, and Corey Farkas, streets division manager, took questions from the committee. Members were concerned about the warranty offered by whomever are selected as contractors for the project.

“Many cities only require one year warranty,” said committee member David Zelenok. “This city’s going above and beyond that, with a two-year warranty period.”

However, the committee was disappointed to learn that because of Colorado’s sandy soil, newly paved streets could begin cracking in as little as two years.

But Farkas said that because of the extra sales tax revenue, the city can now spend more money on preventive maintenance to the newly paved streets and other streets.

“We want to keep our good roads good,” he said. “The last thing we want to do is go through these dollars, pave roads and then forget about them, and let them — in a decade or so — get back to the same state that a lot of our roads are in now.”

Farkas said the city now can spend $16 million, compared to $8.5 million last year, on preventive maintenance. The money comes from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority’s one-cent sales tax increase approved by voters in 2004.

Committee members also asked why most of the paving work will be on major and secondary streets, and not on neighborhood streets. Farkas said the city decided to pave streets that are used most often that are in the worst conditions.

“We do have other street programs where we might be able to pave some side streets,” he said.

Joel Beck, who said he has more than 40 years of experience in construction, attended the meeting to learn more about the process.

“I think the committee that we’ve got, is on the right track and most of those questions have been answered,” he said. “They just have to be expanded a little bit.”

The city expects to select contractors this month and begin paving streets this spring.

The committee will meet quarterly.

Committee members also emphasized a need to keep the public updated on the plan’s progress. Farkas said a “cone zone” map will shop people what work is being done and what work is upcoming.

For more information, visit: https://coloradosprings.gov/resident-services/public-works/streets-division/streets-infrastructure-maintenance-funding#overlay-context=