Siloam Springs joins RMA
Posted on Sunday, July 20, 2008
Siloam Springs is one vote closer to joining a group of Northwest Arkansas cities that plan to build state highways in the area.
Siloam Springs Board of Directors on Tuesday approved the first reading to join the Northwest Arkansas Regional Mobility Authority.
Many area cities have joined the authority, including • Bentonville • Fayetteville • Lowell • Rogers • Springdale Benton County and Washington County are also members.
The Regional Mobility Authority would focus on the transportation needs of Washington and Benton counties.
"It's not something that's going to solve our problems in five or 10 years," said Scott Van Laningham of the Regional Mobility Authority.
All projects the authority would take on must be included in the longrange plan of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, he said.
The four top projects include • Improvements to Interstate 540 • Highway west of I-540, running from Bella Vista to Fayetteville • Northern bypass of Springdale • Bella Vista bypass A representative from each member city and county will serve on the board of directors of the Regional Mobility Authority.
"The board hasn't been created or had it's first meeting," Van Laningham said.
Mayor M. L. "Moose"Van Poucke would represent Siloam Springs on the board.
The city board approved the first reading to show that Van Poucke would remain on the authority board after his mayoral term expires at the end of this year.
The mobility authority plans to find ways to pay for highway projects that the Arkansas Department of Highway and Transportation alone would have a hard time paying.
The increasing cost of oil and construction have made highway projects difficult to afford.
Funding for the highway department is flat because it comes from a per gallon sales tax on gasoline and people are cutting back on buying gas because of its cost and the economy, Van Laningham said.
"They really are facing a perfect storm," he said.
The mobility board might try to establish a tax or tolls to fund the highway projects.
Voters would have to approve a tax before it could go into effect.
Tax receipts or tolls would be used to pay off bonds.
City and county governments would not be obligated to repay the bonds, Van Laningham said.
The mobility authority would control funding and repayment of bonds for each project.
It could decide whether to remove the tolls once the project was paid off.
Siloam Springs Board of Directors will vote on the second reading to join the mobility authority on Aug. 5.
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