The Yampa Valley Regional Transportation Authority is taking key administrative steps toward launching coordinated transit service across Routt and Moffat counties, forming a hiring committee for its first executive director as it continues building the framework for regional public transportation.

At the authority’s February meeting, the board voted to financially partner with Bank of Colorado, dug deeper into potential funding opportunities and adopted organizational bylaws. 

The main goal of the RTA — the formation of which was approved by voters valleywide in November — is to improve bus service between communities, add new local routes and make public transportation more reliable and accessible for residents, workers and visitors, with a top objective being the introduction of fixed-route bus service on Colorado Highway 131 between Steamboat, Oak Creek and Yampa. 

Plans also include establishing a new local circulator bus route within Craig, ground transportation options to and from the Yampa Valley Regional Airport and creating park-and-ride lots for commuters accessing both the U.S. Highway 40 bus route and other new routes.

The RTA board began their monthly meeting on Monday, March 30 by clearing a few minor administrative hurdles: adopting the Steamboat Pilot & Today and Craig Daily Press as its newspapers of record, and establishing an executive advisory committee to provide a legal foundation for board officers to prepare agendas and take authorized actions between meetings.

The board then approved a resolution creating a hiring committee for the executive director, composed of two board members and two outside experts — one with local transit expertise and one with regional, both appointed by the board. 

In addition to developing a job description, the hiring committee will weigh the pros and cons of issues like employment terms (salaried employee vs. contract hire) and whether to utilize a search firm, and will work toward creating metrics of success for the future executive director.

Steamboat Springs City Councilor John Agosta and Hayden Mayor Ryan Banks volunteered to serve as the board representatives while Steamboat Springs Transit Manager Jonathan Flint will represent the local transportation perspective. 

With no off-the-wall suggestions to fill the regional transportation expert seat on the committee, and a general wish from members to not prolong the hiring process further than necessary, the board ultimately decided to leave the opportunity open for the right individual to come in later in the process, if needed. 

The authority’s 2026 budget presentation, with advisement from Kaplan Kirsch attorney Lovely Johnson, comprised a significant portion of the meeting. 

RTA Chair Sonja Macys noted a line item for the total compensation package for the future executive director, currently “ballparked” at $275,000, but subject to change as the newly established hiring committee moves forward in the process. 

After approving a contract with the Colorado Statewide Internet Portal Authority, the board also signed off on a $10,000 grant application with the organization to support the RTA’s website development and broader digital accessibility efforts.

Macys also addressed the RTA’s ongoing administrative needs and challenges, noting that the board has been “tasking the town of Hayden with quite a lot of coordination” — likely to grow as the authority continues to make progress — and announced that community member Sarah Jones has volunteered to help ease that workload.

Jones, formerly the executive director of the Western Resilience Center (formerly the Yampa Valley Sustainability Council), began working with the RTA’s Innovative Transportation Task Force in 2020 and represented Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation as a non-voting member on the authority’s formation committee. 

“Sarah (Jones) and I had a conversation some time ago where I was lamenting that we didn’t have her skillset, because she’s been great at helping us stay on task, stay coordinated, stay in communication between meetings, and making sure everyone’s getting what they need,” said Macys. “So she’s helping us in a volunteer capacity for a little bit, if we’re willing to have her.” 

The board, which will meet again in late April, aims to have a retreat to discuss timelines, goals and objectives in the late spring or early summer.