Steamboat Springs, Colorado — After months of back-and-forth negotiations between the City of Steamboat Springs and Steamboat Resort, cooler heads have prevailed.
Last week, the Steamboat Springs City Council formally approved the language that voters will see on November’s ballot regarding the creation of a Regional Transportation Authority (RTA). They approved a deal with Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp. for $1 million per year. However, the two sides had previously agreed to a twenty-year deal worth $1 million per year. According to the Steamboat Pilot & Today, other nearby towns, like Hayden, Oak Creek, and Yampa, have also approved the RTA language for their voters.
For voters, the significant development from last week was that the language was formally approved. In November, voters will decide whether to approve the Regional Transportation Authority. The funding will come from Steamboat Resort, as the city and ski resort agreed to a three-year, $1 million per year deal. Additionally, they agreed to a $2.75 million per year deal to fund the Steamboat Springs Transit bus service.
Lift Ticket Tax
Then came the debate over whether lift ticket taxes should be used. Ultimately, the measure was rejected 4-2 by city councilors, but not before a tense debate over the relationship between the ski resort and the community.
The discussion began with public comments, during which some, but not all, speakers voiced their support for the ski resort. Dave Hunter, the President of Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp., spoke to try to mend the divide between the city and ski resort. His message was basically a rehash of his public statement from a few weeks ago, but it did come with some examples of their community outreach.
Perhaps the most poignant message I watched came from Chris Romer. He’s the President & CEO of the Vail Valley Partnership, the local chamber of commerce. Romer spoke on how the relationship between the community and Vail Resorts has deteriorated. This has negatively impacted their ability to get things done. He detailed that this example is why Steamboat Springs should refrain from the tax in order to maintain a functional relationship.
The councillors then discussed the ski resort’s conduct for an extended period.
“Questions have been raised as to whether or not we actually have a partner at (Ski Corp.), and I think those are valid questions,” said City Attorney Dan Foote. “I will say that in my personal experience, I do not see much evidence that people at Alterra consider there to be a partnership with the city.”
“The narrative that somehow we are compromising the partnership does not sit right with me,” said Councillor Amy Dickson. “Good partners would be Ski Corp. sharing their (skier-day) numbers with our finance director … so she can plan appropriately for the budget. I know you won’t do that, because we’ve asked for it… The eye rolls that I get from people when we talk about Ski Corp. … it’s more like, ‘This is what we expect,’ and I don’t want that.”
While the councillors were critical of Ski Corp., many decided to hold off on the lift ticket tax. They feared it would lead to a divisive issue in a divisive time. In addition, it would have faced heavy opposition from the Ski Corp. Also, if they went forward with the lift ticket tax, the other deals would have been off the table. They ultimately voted 4-2 to table the lift ticket tax.
The city councilors expressed openness to reviving the lift ticket tax if the relationship takes a turn for the worse with Ski Corp. For now, it’ll be up to the voters to see whether they want to create the RTA.
Image/Video Credits: Mick Haupt, City of Steamboat Springs, Steamboat Resort
