Community Transit Deals With Budget Shortfall
On March 4, the Community Transit Board of Directors approved a plan to make service cuts to close a $5 million gap in the agency's budget for the last six months of 2010. Cuts will total $11,000,000 in 2011.
The board also approved a 25-cent fare increase for local bus and paratransit service to help close the budget gap. The fare increase takes effect June 1. The service reductions will take effect June 13.
"Making the decision to cut service was incredibly hard for all the boardmembers," said Snohomish County Councilmember Dave Gossett, who also serves as the Chair of the Community Transit Board. "But Community Transit is almost totally dependent on sales tax revenues which have dropped catastrophically. We have to have a balanced budget."
Community Transit has cut millions of dollars from its internal operations the past two years in an effort to avoid service cuts. Capital expenditures (including new buses and vans) were delayed, management and non-union salaries were frozen, and reserves were spent down as far as possible.
Community Transit held a series of public meetings to get input on the proposed service cuts. The board reviewed all of the comments from the public meetings and also held a public hearing.
"The Board listened closely to the testimony," said Gossett. "Based on ideas and concerns raised by citizens the board made a number of significant changes to the initial plan."
Several of those key changes restored service in south Snohomish County that had been proposed to be cut. Included were:
· Route 106: Two roundtrips will operate between Canyon Park and UW Bothell via the North Creek Business Park - southbound in the mornings and northbound in the afternoons.
· Route 121: Two roundtrips will operate between Canyon Park and UW Bothell via 23rd Avenue SW - northbound in the morning and southbound in the afternoon.
· Route 412: Seven roundtrips will continue to serve the full loop around Silver Firs. Three roundtrips will begin and end at McCollum Park.
· Route 477: Service to Brier will be maintained on a modified, more direct routing that also serves the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center.
· Route 101: Weekday frequencies reduced from a bus every 20 minutes to a bus every 30 minutes. This amendment made by the board saved money that could be used to maintain service in other areas and reflected public suggestions to reduce bus frequency on some routes.
"The most difficult decision was to eliminate service on Sundays and holidays," said Gossett. "When we evaluated who was riding the buses when we found out that cutting service any other day would have a much greater impact on seniors and the disabled. It saved more money and impacted fewer people than any other option."
Looking to find ways to reduce the impacts, Gossett convened a meeting of concerned citizens and agencies including churches, Senior Services, Volunteers of America, Catholic Community Services, Snotran, and others. They agreed to work together to assist those most impacted to find alternatives.
Based on that meeting the Community Transit Board of Directors approved creation of a $50,000 fund to facilitate transportation service on Sundays for those most in need. In addition, Community Transit is also conducting its Van Go grant program which will provide vans to help offset some of the impacts of the proposed cuts to bus and paratransit service.
"Restoration of Sunday and holiday service is our first priority when more funding for bus operations becomes available," said Gossett.
