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Palmetto Breeze tells county it needs $1.23 million local match to maintain service levels
Summary
Regional transit operator Palmetto Breeze asked Beaufort County for a $1,230,000 contribution (rural and urban local matches combined) to preserve current routes and to support capital for service expansion north of the Broad River; the agency warned that shortfalls would force service reductions.
Palmetto Breeze (Lowcountry Regional Transit Authority) told the finance committee it needs a local match of roughly $1.23 million for fiscal 2026 to maintain current service in Beaufort County and to support capital investments connected to a new Northern Beaufort County transit study.
General manager Brian Sullivan said Beaufort County is by far the busiest county in Palmetto Breeze’s five‑county service area and cited fiscal 2024 ridership of about 168,725 passenger trips in Beaufort County. He described ongoing work on a Northern Beaufort County transit master plan, which the agency expects to complete by September; the study will shape recommended fixed routes, park‑and‑ride sites, passenger facilities and a potential transit center for Beaufort/Port Royal and help plan complementary service North of the Broad River.
The authority’s fiscal 2026 request totals $1,230,000: the packet divides the ask across rural service match, urban match for service south of the Broad, and match for capital items tied to anticipated urban grant awards for North of the Broad. Sullivan described revenue sources as federal grants, state mass transit funds and local match contributions and noted that local match formulas differ for rural (population and ridership) and urban (population) funds. He said Beaufort County accounts for roughly two‑thirds of the service area population and about two‑thirds of ridership, which shapes the county’s share of the local match.
Sullivan warned that if the county’s local match is not available the agency would have to consider budget adjustments that could include hiring freezes, reduced service (route or days), deferred capital purchases and, as a last resort, fare increases. He said some costs are rising — insurance, health care, maintenance and contracted services — and that federal and state pass‑through funding can lag local needs by a year.
Palmetto Breeze’s packet included a more detailed line‑item breakdown of how county contributions would be used for administration, maintenance, operations and capital purchases. Sullivan told the committee the agency is carrying a pipeline of roughly $19 million in potential projects and loan/contract work; the agency stressed its role in emergency evacuations and paratransit for residents with disabilities.
The request will be included in the county’s review of outside agency funding during the budget process; the committee did not vote to appropriate county funds at the meeting.
