WALTON —
Congratulations to the Logansport City Council on coming up with $10,000 in matching funds for Cass Area Transit.
Two council members voted against the appropriation, and one argued that the transit system could come up with more than the combined city and county funding simply by boosting the cost of a fare by 25 cents.
Surely everyone can afford an extra quarter, right?
Alas, the funding picture is a bit more complicated.
The lion’s share of the transit system’s $1.4 million budget comes from state and federal grants, but that funding has been dropping, and the Indiana Department of Transportation has indicated it will drop even more in coming years.
The department has asked Cass Area Transit to formulate a five-year plan to have city and county government providing 10 percent of its budget. It hopes the agency will accomplish that through a combination of budget cutting and increased city and county support.
So increasing the cost of a ride won’t help. Having a car wash won’t help. Obtaining more funding from the United Way won’t help.
The only thing that will meet the requirement is increased funding from city and county government, and that means the agency will likely be asking city and county officials for even more funding in the coming years.
Ten percent of the current budget would be $140,000. City and county funding next year will total roughly a quarter of that.
Cass Area Transit makes thousands of trips each year taking people to work, to school, to retail stores and to doctor's appointments.
The agency has a fleet of 24 vehicles that used about 55,000 gallons of fuel traveling nearly 740,000 miles last year. The transit system had more than 3,200 passengers, ranking it as the largest rural transit system in the state.
And until now, it was the only rural public transit system in Indiana that received no funding from city government.
Cass Area Transit is an economic engine for Logansport and Cass County. It not only delivers people to work and to local retail shops, it provides more than 60 jobs.
Council members made the right decision on Cass Area Transit.
They should go to work now to find additional funding for 2014 and beyond.
Opinion
OUR VIEW: The right call on public transit
- Opinion
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- THORNS & ROSES: Week of May 16
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WOLFSIE: Writing on the walls
Sometimes when I am trying to think of an idea for my column, I just stare at the wall. That’s not a bad thing, because on the wall in my home office is a collection of special pieces of memorabi-lia that inspire me to write, reminding me of the talented people I have had the privilege to meet.
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HAYDEN: From good to great in education not the way
On the campaign trail last year and early into his administration, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said repeatedly that his goal as governor would be to take Indiana from “good to great.”
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THEIR VIEW: Big Brother looms large in D.C.
The federal government, working under the cloak of secrecy, has been having a heyday at the expense of all Americans.
First we learn the IRS has been targeting conservatives — applications for tax-exempt status by tea party groups were wrongly singled out for extra scrutiny. -
KITCHELL: Waste-to-energy a big waste of time
Had all of Logansport attended the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists Awards ceremony last month in Indianapolis, we all would have learned that the No. 1 editorial written in the state in the past year was about a subject that sounds familiar to Logansport residents.
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THEIR VIEW: Keep teens safe on the roadways
Indiana was able to achieve welcome decreases in teen-driving deaths after adopting graduated driver’s license laws. But it appears some of the benefits of easing teen drivers more slowly into the responsibilities associated with driving are leveling off.
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MARCUS: Where to put your money
Snail Smith’s real name is Stanley, but his contorted windup and slow pitches gave him the nickname, Snail, during his short baseball career.
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THEIR VIEW: Indiana loses a respected leader
At a time when our nation was deeply divided by war, social upheaval and political corruption, Otis R. “Doc” Bowen brought stability to Indiana in his eight years as governor largely through the strength of his personal integrity. He was respected, revered even, not only by fellow Republicans but also by independents and Democrats for his deep commitment to the state and its people.
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OUR VIEW: Mothers the greatest gift of all
Our mothers help guide us through the world around us, helping us sidestep disaster if at all possible. She holds our hand as we become the person we were meant to be. She knew us from the beginning, and if she had it her way, she’d know us to the very end.
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PUBLIC FORUM: Mayor tells residents of positive change
When the residents of Logansport elected me as their new mayor in November 2011, it was truly an honor.
Our city was battling back from a devastating loss of 1,500 jobs in five years, a recession that wasn’t letting up on the household income of our residents, a divided fire protection commitment in our county and an overall sense of loss in our community. - More Opinion Headlines
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