Garfield County commits up to $200,000 to Hogback route – Garfield County, Colorado
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Colorado town with cars in traffic and shuttle RFTA public transportation bus.

Garfield County commits up to $200,000 to Hogback route

Funds will help keep the RFTA bus route running through 2027

PRESS RELEASE
September 15, 2026

Garfield County has committed an amount not to exceed $200,000 to help keep the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority’s (RFTA) Grand Hogback corridor bus route in operation in 2027. The county’s resolution for financial support does not extend past next year.

Earlier this year, Garfield County agreed to an intergovernmental agreement with RFTA that included $250,000 in funding for the route in 2026.

“Garfield County is not a member of the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority yet has provided funding via discretionary grants from its general fund to support the Hogback Bus Service that has provided bus service from the City of Rifle and the Town of Silt to and from the Town of New Castle, CO, since 2002,” the resolution notes.

The county has had to tighten its budget due to a sharp decline in revenues due to a significant decline in oil and gas production in recent years.

“We are willing to provide a $200,000 commitment for one year and that’s it,” said Commissioner Tom Jankovsky. “It doesn’t go beyond that … we cannot keep funding this route.”

Rifle Mayor Clint Hostettler told the board that he was very appreciative of the funding to keep the service going in 2027.

“We appreciate what we get,” he said. “I’m sure the citizens of Rifle and Silt that use the RFTA bus appreciate you guys funding (the service) for one more year.”

Silt Mayor Pro-Tem Derek Hanrahan told the Board of County Commissioners that sending a ballot question to the people to fund the Hogback route is in the works.

“We want to work as hard as we can as quickly as we can to decide how we can get a ballot initiative together and what it’s going to involve,” added Silt Mayor Pro-Tem Derek Hanrahan. “I just can’t guarantee the people are going to vote ‘yes.’ We appreciate the additional year of runway so that those 100,000-plus rides can occur while we continue to work administratively and budgetarily to get something in front of the voters next year.”

An amended resolution is coming back before the board on the consent agenda.