The Peoria County Board approved a resolution that fund its cash-strapped rural transit service. Peoria Public Radio’s Alex Rusciano reports the rural program needs about $140,000 to stay afloat through June:
The Board approved a resolution that will pay for the transit service with anticipated property tax revenues as a one-time measure. Angel Marinich is the general manager for the rural transit provider, M.V. Transportation. She says she’s thrilled that funding is secured through June:
“I have people who have been very on edge. A lot of my dialysis patients have been very nervous. My employees have been very nervous. This is their jobs, this is their livelihoods, and they love what they do. So I’m very excited about the future,” Marinich says.
The funding decision comes months after more people were using the County-Link transportation program than what annual grant dollars could support through early summer. To that end, the County Board also approved applying for $50,000 in one-time emergency funding from the Illinois Department of Transportation. About 150 people take a total of 2,000 rides on the rural transit program each month.