 Budget constraints in the coming fiscal year is forcing the Eastern Sierra Transit Authority to look into the elimination of some routes and hours of service. Public Comment meetings are being scheduled ahead of next month’s ESTA Board of Directors meeting. Photo by Mike Gervais By Ken Koerner
Register Staff 6-17-2008
Feeling a “pinch at the pump” in the same way as airlines, truckers and family motorists, the Eastern Sierra Transit Authority (ESTA) is facing budget deficits and some reduction in routes for the coming year.
During the ESTA Board of Directors meeting held in Bishop on Friday, June 13 the day’s “bad luck” came in the form of struggling with how to make revenues and operating costs come closer into alignment for the next fiscal year.
With the price of fuel having skyrocketed during the past 12-months, operational expenses for the public transportation agency have resulted in the same sort of budget-bashing being shouldered by everyone that stands watching the numbers spinning on the gas pump as they fill their tank.
In addition to the higher price for the life-blood of the ESTA’s fleet of commuter vans, the agency is also facing crimped revenues due to a reduction in public funding.
“The transportation funding coming to Mono County is projected to be at least $60,000 less in the coming year than the prior year,” ESTA Executive Director John Helm said, “and that’s due to a lower amount of sales tax having been collected in this cycle. And while Inyo County’s funding is expected to remain level from the past year, this still represents a significant loss for our operating budget.”
Local Transportation Funds (LTF) are provided to counties to assist with a variety of transit needs. Inyo County is estimated to allocate $596,000 to support ESTA operations for the next fiscal year, Mono County’s LTF allocation for ESTA use is pegged at $202,000 and the Town of Mammoth Lakes is slated to contribute $237,000 to ESTA’s annual budget from this revenue source.
A second source of public transportation funding that has been used in support of the ESTA operation comes from California’s State Transit Assistance (STA). STA monies represent a portion of the state’s fuel taxes collected and apportioned to counties based upon population.
In each instance, the overall dollars expected from LTF and STA are less than last year.
“Overall, we’re looking at about $167,000 more in expenses than we’ll receive in revenues,” said Helm. “Even with some reduction in service, we’ll still need to rely on some of our ‘reserve-funds’ in order to ensure minimal changes in the number and frequency of routes being offered this coming year.”
The elimination of some routes, like the Lone Pine-Olancha-Keeler fixed-route, which runs twice per week and some curtailment of operational hours on other routes, like cutting out two-hours each day of ESTA service within the Lone Pine community, brought some members of the public out to express their concerns.
“I came here today to make sure you all understand this public transportation in south county is very important to a number of people,” Lone Pine resident Roseanne Metcalf said. “I know an elderly lady that lives in Keeler and she depends on these vans to get to Lone Pine to take care of all her shopping, getting groceries, even doing her laundry. If that’s no longer available to her, I don’t know how she’s going to be able to survive.”
Others spoke not only about their concerns over a loss of service, but also about the lack of public information being provided ahead of time as to what the ESTA board would be dealing with during their meeting.
“I want to tell you, as a disabled person who can’t be driving, it’s really important to keep the buses running,” Lone Pine resident Kathleen Stewart said. “Also, we didn’t even learn this was going to be talked about – or maybe acted upon – until yesterday afternoon. That’s just too short of notice for many people to be here and to speak intelligently about what this means for us.”
Without exception, every member of the ESTA board was seen paying close attention to the Inyo citizens there to address them.
“I worry greatly when these proposed service cuts are impacting the very people who need ESTA the most,” ESTA Board of Director member and Inyo County Supervisor Linda Arcularius said. “I want to have more data on the implications of any of these suggested cuts.”
Other cuts in service that were brought up for the ESTA board’s consideration, included eliminating the “Mountain Express” shuttle that runs between Mammoth Lakes and June Lake, a reduction of shuttle service in the Mono County community of Walker, and cuts in the hours of service for Dial-A-Ride buses serving Bishop and Lone Pine.
With an obviously reluctant acceptance that certain cuts must inevitably be implemented, the ESTA board did pass a measure to eliminate the Mammoth Lakes to June Lake shuttle service and the Lone Pine-Olancha-Keeler fixed service – with the provison that alternative options to extend Lone Pine’s Dial-A-Ride vans be explored to assist with the transportation needs of south Inyo County residents.
The cuts that had been discussed in the hours of operation of Dial-A-Ride in Bishop and Lone Pine were not considered for inclusion in the measure the Board passed.
Facing the commencement date for the new fiscal year starting on July 1, ahead of the next scheduled ESTA board meeting, it was imperative that the board voted to accept the budget as it had been presented; however, board members made note of the fact that amending the current budget draft will undoubtedly take place as additional information is being reviewed.
Tackling the less complex matter of public outreach was also highlighted within the session.
“Looking at today’s published agenda for this meeting, I must say it would not be clear to the public that discussions on route cuts would be held – and I apologize to the public for that,” ESTA Board member and Bishop City Councilman Jeff Griffiths said. “We should have done a better job and we will do a better job of community outreach going forward.”
Responding to this concern about public notification and participation in the process, ESTA staff is currently finalizing plans for public outreach meetings to be held in the Bishop and Coleville-Walker communities, ahead of the scheduled board meeting in July.
During those sessions, public comments about proposed changes in ESTA service will be heard, Helm explained, and the information incorporated into the ongoing budget and operational planning for this coming year of service.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the ESTA board will be on Friday, July 18. The meeting will take place in Mammoth Lakes.
For additional information, contact the ESTA at (760) 872-1901, or visit their website at http://easternsierratransitauthority.com.
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