Arvada Press
July 03, 2008

A citizen's group is suing the City of Arvada for its involvement in the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority.

Russell Weisfield, president of Arvadans For Responsible Transportation (ART), said the city's decision to join the group should have been subject to a citizen vote. But city officials said the charter does not require a referendum because joining the highway authority is an essential step to fulfilling contractual obligations concerning the Candela's development near State Highways 93 and 72. The city charter states that contractual obligations are not subject to referendum.

Arvadans for Responsible Transportation (ART) filed the lawsuit in district court June 26 after the city denied the group's notice of intent to file a referendum petition concerning the city's role in the highway authority, Weisfield said. ART requested a referendum petition May 9, four days after City Council unanimously voted in favor of the ordinance that would allow the City of Arvada to participate in the highway authority, according to city spokesperson Maria VanderKolk.

The court hearing has been set for July 29.

At issue is Arvada's involvement with the Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority, a partnership between the City of Arvada and Broomfield and Jefferson counties. The group's goal is to complete the metropolitan beltway by closing the gap between Highway 128 in Broomfield and Highway 93 near West 58th Avenue north of Golden. Public highway authorities are meant to finance, build, operate and maintain transportation improvements that cannot be managed by a single local government because of location or high costs. Each of the three government groups contributed $100,000 as a startup fund that would later be reimbursed by the Authority.

VanderKolk said the city is comfortable with their interpretation of the charter and position in the highway authority. Arvada will continue to do business with the other members of the Authority "until or unless a judge tells us to stop."

Despite the group's concerns about possible beltway impacts, Weisfield insists ART's lawsuit is about citizen's right to vote, not about stopping the beltway.

"The goal is to be able to petition and to ban Arvada from participating (in the highway authority) until we get information," he said.

According to Weisfield, ART is a citizen's group concerned with how building a possible tollway could negatively impact the city.

"In general, people are not really aware of the beltway itself and how it will impact them," Weisfield said.

The group is particularly concerned with the possibility of non-compete agreements, or agreements between government groups to not pursue similar building projects. ART believes non-compete agreements would limit the city's ability to improve existing roads, he said.

ART is not in favor of a potential tollway, but the group would like to see transportation improvements throughout Arvada and along Highway 93.

The Jefferson Parkway Public Highway Authority's next meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, July 17, at Arvada City Hall.

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