Peoria County’s rural transit service may have funding through the end of June. Peoria Public Radio’s Alex Rusciano reports the County Board is considering two-resolutions next month to fund the cash-strapped service:
The rural transit service needs about $140,000 to stay afloat through June. That’s because more people are using the program than annual grant funding can support. One resolution proposes taking money directly out of the general fund to pay for rural transit costs. County Board member Allen Mayer has another resolution. He proposes instead paying for the transit service with anticipated revenues from property taxes and delaying some road projects for a year.
“I think it’s irresponsible to just say lets spend another $140,000. I think the right way to do this is to go in and specifically identify where in the current budget those funds would come from and make other adjustments to the budget where we’re coming in ahead or behind. That's what this seeks to do,” Mayer says.
Mayer and other board members say they are in favor of using county funds to support the transit service as a one-time measure. The aim, he says, is for County administration and the rural provider, MV Transportation, to work to keep the service hours strictly within available grant funding in future months.