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The Sutherlin City Council needs to overturn the decision made by its Budget Committee last week and vote in favor of funding U-Trans public transportation service in the next fiscal year.
U-Trans has come too far in becoming a visible and viable bus service to have its funding in jeopardy. And it's beginning to look like that could be the situation.
U-Trans relies on funding from Roseburg, Winston, Sutherlin and Umpqua Community College as well as state and federal grants. Sutherlin's $30,000 contribution is still to be decided when the council meets June 22, while Winston has included funding in its budget but hasn't implemented a transportation fee needed to pay its $20,000 share.
Roseburg, meanwhile, has committed its $75,000 toward U-Trans' 2009-10 budget but has made it contingent on the other cities' participation. If the other cities don't contribute on an equitable basis, Roseburg may hold back funds or suggest the service be discontinued to those cities that aren't paying.
The cities' funding is crucial because they provide the matching funds that allow U-Trans to receive the state and federal funds that make up more than half of its $700,000 annual budget.
U-Trans has been operated by United Community Action Network for about 10 months on behalf of the Douglas County Health Department, so any final decisions about funding or service lie with the county.
We'd prefer that the cities make a commitment to the transportation system in their budgets so the county doesn't risk losing outside funding for U-Trans.
We realize the recession makes city budgets tighter than usual, but we suspect the home budgets for those who use the bus have even less wiggle room. If you've ridden the bus, you know those who ride it really need the transportation. Many of them have no other way to get around.
It would be a shame to lose a bus service that has steadily gained reliability and ridership — the service provided 85,494 rides in the past year — because of a recession that should be temporary.
Both Sutherlin and Winston residents use the service. The majority of them use it to get to school, primarily UCC, but another 17 percent use it to get to work. And nearly 61 percent of the riders board the bus every day, according to a survey cited by U-Trans Transportation Manager Toby Notenboom.
Sutherlin Mayor Stan McKnight showed his support when he said, “What's good for the county is good for Sutherlin in the long run.”
Sutherlin has shown it wants feedback from its residents by posting a survey on its Web site. One of the questions asks how important U-Trans is as a community/city service. We encourage residents to go to the Web site, www.ci.sutherlin.or.us, or drop by City Hall to record their support for the bus service.
Maintaining our public transportation system is important. It's a consideration for potential employers that might locate here as well as for our existing residents. There may be a better way to fund it in the future, but until then, it's up to the cities to lend their support.
We'd like to see Winston come up with its contribution, and we hope the Sutherlin City Council will recognize the significance of U-Trans and budget funds to support it.
U-Trans has come too far in becoming a visible and viable bus service to have its funding in jeopardy. And it's beginning to look like that could be the situation.
U-Trans relies on funding from Roseburg, Winston, Sutherlin and Umpqua Community College as well as state and federal grants. Sutherlin's $30,000 contribution is still to be decided when the council meets June 22, while Winston has included funding in its budget but hasn't implemented a transportation fee needed to pay its $20,000 share.
Roseburg, meanwhile, has committed its $75,000 toward U-Trans' 2009-10 budget but has made it contingent on the other cities' participation. If the other cities don't contribute on an equitable basis, Roseburg may hold back funds or suggest the service be discontinued to those cities that aren't paying.
The cities' funding is crucial because they provide the matching funds that allow U-Trans to receive the state and federal funds that make up more than half of its $700,000 annual budget.
U-Trans has been operated by United Community Action Network for about 10 months on behalf of the Douglas County Health Department, so any final decisions about funding or service lie with the county.
We'd prefer that the cities make a commitment to the transportation system in their budgets so the county doesn't risk losing outside funding for U-Trans.
We realize the recession makes city budgets tighter than usual, but we suspect the home budgets for those who use the bus have even less wiggle room. If you've ridden the bus, you know those who ride it really need the transportation. Many of them have no other way to get around.
It would be a shame to lose a bus service that has steadily gained reliability and ridership — the service provided 85,494 rides in the past year — because of a recession that should be temporary.
Both Sutherlin and Winston residents use the service. The majority of them use it to get to school, primarily UCC, but another 17 percent use it to get to work. And nearly 61 percent of the riders board the bus every day, according to a survey cited by U-Trans Transportation Manager Toby Notenboom.
Sutherlin Mayor Stan McKnight showed his support when he said, “What's good for the county is good for Sutherlin in the long run.”
Sutherlin has shown it wants feedback from its residents by posting a survey on its Web site. One of the questions asks how important U-Trans is as a community/city service. We encourage residents to go to the Web site, www.ci.sutherlin.or.us, or drop by City Hall to record their support for the bus service.
Maintaining our public transportation system is important. It's a consideration for potential employers that might locate here as well as for our existing residents. There may be a better way to fund it in the future, but until then, it's up to the cities to lend their support.
We'd like to see Winston come up with its contribution, and we hope the Sutherlin City Council will recognize the significance of U-Trans and budget funds to support it.
