Pikes Peak transportation authority approves $3.8 million staffing contract
The authority’s Citizen Advisory Committee recommended the contract 16–1 after members disagreed over whether the ballot measure’s administrative-cost rules applied.
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The Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority board approved a $3,807,999 contract with LS Gallegos & Associates on Oct. 14 for program-management staffing, the authority’s November meeting packet reports.
The contract covers capital, maintenance and transit program management, including capital improvements and bridge-asset-management staffing. The Citizen Advisory Committee’s Oct. 7 minutes describe consultants helping with construction planning and engineering practices, alongside city administrative staff who steward projects.
Before recommending the contract 16–1, the committee debated whether the staffing fit the original ballot measure’s limits on administrative spending. Committee member Kathy Hisey argued that the ballot language barred using tax dollars for administrative costs and opposed using transportation money for staffing. Brandy Williams said the cap was intended to prevent government growth and an increase in authority staff to administer the funds. Other members, including Rick Sonnenburg and Ed Dills, said the consultant contract was not covered by the ballot’s 1% cap and fit the ballot guidelines.
The packet does not include the ballot text or a cost breakdown, so the committee discussion does not establish how the cap applies to this contract.