Spot bus presents ridership surge and asks Sandpoint to consider continued local funding amid tight match requirements

Representatives of the regional transit provider Spot (Spot Bus) briefed Sandpoint councilors Wednesday on a large increase in ridership and the need for local matching funds to maintain current service levels.

Executive Director Donna Griffin and board member Cliff Warren said the system now provides more than 150,000 annual boardings across Bonner and Boundary counties, a marked increase from the earliest projections. The routing includes fixed routes running through Sandpoint, Ponderay, Kootenai and Pend Oreille and a paratransit curb‑to‑curb component; federal funding requires paratransit service within 3/4 mile of a fixed route stop. Griffin said Sandpoint accounts for roughly 62–63% of fixed‑route boardings but that the provider’s federal grants require local match funding in order to keep operating hours and routes intact.

Griffin and board members asked staff and council to consider continuing or increasing Sandpoint’s contribution toward the agency’s match in the city’s upcoming budget; earlier budget conversations had referenced a $95,000 contribution last year and a planned $105,000 figure in the draft budget (presenters asked staff to correct published materials to reflect what the council will consider). Spot staff warned that if local match receipts fall short, the agency will need to cut approximately a third of fix‑route hours, which would reduce service days and hours in Sandpoint.

Spot’s presenters also explained that charging rider fares does not generate useful match credit for federal grants in their state funding structure and noted operational costs for fare collection and fare‑processing vendors. Griffin encouraged the council to view Spot funding as a regional service with broad community benefits — including access to work, medical care and retail — and stressed that the system’s federal awards have been recommended and largely secured for the coming budget year but that match planning is required now.

Councilors asked for updated, line‑by‑line budget allocations, clarifications of prior Sandpoint contributions and alternatives for carving service levels if Sandpoint provides less than requested. The presentation did not result in an immediate funding vote; council members indicated the request would be considered during the city’s budget process next month.