Arapahoe County staff outline $25M-a-year shortfall, urge developer partnerships to build roads and stormwater

Arapahoe County officials told the county Planning Commission on June 3 that the county faces a substantial shortfall in funding needed to maintain existing levels of service for roads and stormwater, and that private development has been and will continue to be a primary source of funding and construction for major public improvements.

Joe Scheel, of the Arapahoe County Engineering Services Division, and James ("Jim") Kotcher, Transportation Division manager, told commissioners the county’s five‑year need to preserve current levels of service on the road network is about $25 million to $30 million per year and that the county typically receives far less in capital funding. "We asked for $5,600,000 and they generously gave us half a million," Kotcher said, summarizing recent budget outcomes. He said large projects such as the I‑70/Monahan interchange are on the order of tens of millions of dollars — Kotcher cited a roughly $40,000,000 construction cost and a higher financed cost — and noted that turning gravel roads to pavement and other upgrades also require significant capital.

The presentation explained how county development review and master plans determine when developers must construct or pay for improvements. Scheel said traffic impact studies and drainage…