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Public Transportation Council tells lawmakers it has no state appropriation and relies on volunteers
Summary
Council members said they pay for website hosting and meeting costs out of pocket, lack a formal funding mechanism despite statutory duties, and outlined modest equipment and hosting needs lawmakers could address.
Members of the Connecticut Public Transportation Council told the legislative transportation committee that the council performs statutorily assigned duties but has no state appropriation to support basic operations such as an accessible website, hybrid-meeting equipment and outreach.
The gap matters because the council is statutorily empowered to monitor and advocate for commuter rail systems and public transit funded by the state, yet members said they currently cover administrative costs themselves.
"We continue to struggle from an administrative perspective," council Chair Jim Gilday said. "I paid for the website for the for the first number of years... We continue to pay, you know, for all administrative fees, website hosting, postage, whatever advertising we do. At times, you know, we struggle." Vice chair Kate Rosen added that the council's website is a third-party, volunteer-run site and not hosted on the state platform, which limits public findability and accessibility.
Senator Wong read statutory language on the council's powers and duties — "Connecticut General Statute section 13 b dash 2 12 c" — and asked whether the council receives any appropriations. The council answered no. "To do the tasks that we have statutorily empowered you to do. No, sir," the committee chair confirmed after the council's reply.
Council members described modest, concrete needs: state-hosted meeting pages to meet Freedom of Information posting practices and ADA requirements; better hybrid-meeting equipment such as an OWL camera for on-site hybrid participation; and a small annual budget to cover hosting and outreach. Douglas House and other council members suggested training opportunities and a small operating allocation would allow the council to be more professional and reach riders across the state.
Committee members discussed potential paths to provide support. The chair suggested the appropriate vehicle would likely be a bond authorization routed through DOT and finance committees to allocate modest funds for council operations; no final commitment was made. Lawmakers encouraged the council to prepare a concise list of needs and potential annual costs to inform any grant or budget request.
