Letter from Responsible Growth Coalition to Teton County Commissioners asks that staff’s requested $750,000 budget item to advance unapproved road development be removed.
May 4th, 2019
Dear County Commissioners:
We write to express our concerns about the budget item associated with a proposed Tribal Trail Road Extension (TTCR) in the amount of $750,000 for 2019-2020. It is premature to allocate such a large amount at this juncture. It would be appropriate to allocate up to $25,000 for the public charter process to further inform and engage the public about the Travel Demand Model work completed to date by Cambridge Systematics.
As you know, RGC members attended the January 30th presentation by Cambridge Systematics on Phase 1 of the work completed, for Teton County, on the Travel Demand Model. Of particular interest to RGC is the use of the Model to evaluate the impact of a TTCR. No benefits from this proposed road are indicated in the report titled Teton County Travel Model – Model Validation and Results.
We understand that a detailed analysis of potential benefits, if any, of a TTCR, such as the possibility of reduced traffic congestion resulting from the proposed road, is a Phase 2 task, to be carried out sometime in the near future. Until that work is done and shared with the public in the promised project charter process, it is too early to commit the amount of $750,000 to the design of a new road.
Please reduce this budget item and take the time to complete a data-driven analysis of the proposed TTCR’s cost and potential risks to the environment versus its potential benefits.
We also note that it is almost impossible to find information on the 2020 budget on the County’s website. That lack of transparency is of particular concern, as it precludes the public from providing input on the use of public funds. We urge you to post the proposed budget as a link to the agenda for each meeting when it is discussed.
Sincerely,
Responsible Growth Coalition
Board of Directors
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