The Mad Rabbit Trails Project is set to receive $1.6 million in city funding after the Steamboat Springs City Council on Tuesday officially approved the funding during the second and final reading of the ordinance.

Councilors Michael Buccino, Steve Muntean, Amy Dickson and Joella West voted to approve the funding, while Council President Gail Garey and councilor Dakotah McGinlay voted against it. Councilor Bryan Swintek was not present at the meeting.

The final approval came after the first reading of the ordinance on June 17, which approved the funding by a single vote.

The Mad Rabbit trails project aims to construct 49 miles of non-motorized, motorized and adaptive routes and rehabilitate roughly 36 miles of unofficial trails that currently exist in the area. The plan for the Mad Rabbit trails area, which encompasses Forest Service land in the Rabbit Ears Pass area to the south and the Mad Creek area to the north, has been in the works since 2017.

The plan would add restrictions designed to limit bikes to designated trails, improve winter trailheads to accommodate summer use and add seasonal human-entry restrictions in certain areas to protect local elk populations.

The compromise between participating agencies — including the U.S. Forest Service, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources and Colorado Parks and Wildlife — sparked controversy after the Department of Natural Resources renewed its objections to the project in late April, stating the Forest Service made “last-minute alterations” to the adaptive management plan that were “unacceptable to Colorado.” 

The adaptive management plan was presented to City Council in November 2024, which prompted the council to approve a resolution to commit $1.6 million to the project in early December 2024.

After experiencing some delays due to suspected federal complications, the Forest Service signed the final decision notice for the trails project, according to a news release issued by the agency April 3.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Garey reiterated her “plea” to the council to consider phasing the funding rather than allocating the $1.6 million all at once.

Garey noted factors that could potentially affect construction of the trails project, including the possibility of wildfires and further federal cuts by the Trump administration.

“What happens if the U.S. Forest Service staff continues to be cut by this administration?” said Garey, addressing the council. “Or worse yet, some future version of the Big Beautiful Bill will change the use and what’s allowed on this land.”

Garey also considered the potential for a future Forest Service representative to not adhere to the adaptive management plan included in the trails project.

“We need to phase the allocation of the money with the completion of each one of the phases to ensure that there is responsible use of the 2A monies and that we are responsible stewards of those funds,” continued Garey.

In 2013, voters approved Referendum 2A, which allowed the city to allocate accommodations tax collections to support trail construction “in and around the city in accordance with the Trails Alliance Proposal.”

Dickson stated that after researching the project in its entirety, including re-watching previous City Council meeting discussions regarding Mad Rabbit, she felt that the project was accurately described to the council and had no issues with the current plans.

“I feel really confident in what we have in front of us … ,” said Dickson. “People who do not support this will continue to not support it, regardless of if it’s phased or not.”