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Federal funds could help link cities by bus
Published May 31, 2009
Federal funds aimed at improving the economy have revived talk of a southern Brazoria County transportation system, and Clute has become the first local city to pledge support.
At its regular meeting Thursday, Clute City Council approved contributing $21,500 from next year’s budget to an updated Southern Brazoria County Transit Plan.
Studies and plans for the project that would create a bus system in Angleton, Clute, Lake Jackson and Freeport began in 2006, said Alan Rodenstien of A&R Consulting Solutions LLC. A&R Consulting is the company hired by Angleton and Lake Jackson in 2006 to conduct a feasibility study for a transit system, and it has been working to bring a transit system to the county ever since.
However, as cities started thinking about ways to fund the project, it was put on a shelf, Lake Jackson City Manager Bill Yenne said.
Thanks to the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, commonly referred to as the stimulus plan, the capital portion of the cost — bus stop shelters — will be paid for, lessening the amount cities need to pay by almost half, Yenne said. Now the cities are discussing the bus system again, to take advantage of the grant money.
If approved by all four cities, the bus system will run four routes: one circling Angleton, one circling Clute and Lake Jackson, one running from Angleton to Brazosport College and another running through Freeport, Lake Jackson and Clute, Rodenstien said.
The bus system would operate 12 hours a day on weekdays and cost riders $1 per one-way trip, he said. Students, seniors and people with disabilities would pay 50 cents.
Rodenstien believes a bus system could bring a lot of benefit to the four cities.
The transit system would create jobs; give residents access to employment, higher education and training, and retail and medical facility; create economic development opportunities; and reduce carbon emissions, he said.
Though the benefit might be great, the cost to cities could be equally so.
While federal funds would pay for the bus stops and 48 percent of the operating cost, cities will pay 12 percent of the operating cost or $114,598.
Of that amount, Lake Jackson will pay 36.4 percent, Angleton will pay 27.5 percent, Clute will pay 18.7 percent and Freeport will pay 17.1 percent. State and county funds, as well as fares, will make up for the remaining funding.
The percentages are based on the number of bus route miles in each city, Rodenstien said, and would help pay Connect Transit, the company that would operate the bus system.
“I definitely feel like it is something that would service our citizens, but we would definitely have to look hard at next year’s budget,” Clute Mayor Calvin Shiflet said.
Work on the bus route could begin before the end of the year, if all four city councils approve the measure.
Angleton City Council heard the transit presentation this week and will take action on it at its next regular meeting June 9, City Administrator Greg Smith said. Though Angleton originally was slated to pay more than $50,000 for the system, the stimulus package will allow the city to pay $31,000, Smith said.
“I think that the support is there,” Smith said.
The changes made since the last presentation have been favorable to Angleton, he said. The changes make Brazosport College the hub for intercity routes, a destination Angleton residents will use, he said.
The need for a transit system is not as high in Lake Jackson as it is in other cities, Yenne said. However, Lake Jackson has many of the destinations like Brazosport Regional Health System, Brazosport College and Brazos Mall, he said.
At its meeting Monday, Lake Jackson City Council will be asked to commit $45,000, Yenne said.
“Timing from a need standpoint is good,” Yenne said.
However, finding the finances in the budget will be a little more difficult than normal, he said.
Freeport City Council will hear a presentation about the bus system at its regular meeting Tuesday, though it is not on the agenda as an item the council could take action on, said Jeff Pynes, acting city manager.
The cost to Freeport would be about $19,000 this coming year, which would be used for operating costs, he said.
“Times are tough and people might take advantage of it,” he said.
However, Pynes couldn’t say what council will decide.
Though the study has taken a couple of years, cities will have to make a decision soon to capitalize on the grant.
“Everything cooks along slowly and then all of a sudden you have to make a decision yesterday,” Yenne said.
Katlynn Lanham is a reporter for The Facts. Contact her at (979) 237-0150.
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