Dunn County Transit committee approves 2026 budget, hears updates on grants, fleet and ridership

The Dunn County Transit Committee on Aug. 13 approved the agency’s 2026 budget after a presentation from transit staff and brief discussion by committee members.

The approval followed a review of 2025 financials through July and a presentation of the 2026 revenue and expense projections. Austin, a transit staff member, told the committee the 2025 financials were about 4% over budget through seven months due to several one-time costs, including two front blower/defrost fan motors at about $3,500 and service-contract charges that have run nearer $18,000 versus an annual allocation of roughly $12,000. He said WisDOT reporting for quarters 1 and 2 was submitted only recently and that those reimbursements were expected in the next few weeks.

The nut graf: committee members prioritized passing the budget to secure continued operations and planned capital purchases while staff described both short-term repairs and longer-term capital reserves funding.

In the presentation, staff said passenger fares remain an important revenue source; the agency needs about $7,000 and has roughly $7,700 in current accounts receivable. Transit capital balances include about $607,000 earmarked for two electric buses and roughly $160,000 for a planned…