Garrett County commissioners approve $7,000 to keep Garrett Transit operating through fiscal year

The Board of Garrett County Commissioners voted Jan. 21 to allocate $7,000 from county carryover funds to help Garrett Transit Service (GTS) maintain operations through the remainder of the fiscal year.

County officials said the payment will fill an immediate federal- and state-driven shortfall and will not require reductions to other county programs because the money will come from reserves. Community Action, which operates GTS as a pass-through of federal and state funding, had asked the county for help after cuts to its federal/state funding stream.

County staff told the commission that the transit shortfall was tied to changes at the federal and state levels and that Community Action plans internal reforms that may reduce the deficit. The presentation noted a currently estimated deficit of $489,709 for the program, but staff said that figure could change pending Community Action’s efficiency measures.

Chris, representing Community Action and Garrett Public Transit (GPS), thanked the commission after the vote, saying, “We at Community Action and GPS specifically are sleeping a lot better at night, knowing that we can continue to provide services.” He introduced Cody Kroll as GPS’s new director and said Kroll and staff are pursuing both funding and operational changes.

The board approved the allocation by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting minutes. Commissioners said any longer-term funding needs would be handled as part of the next fiscal-year budget process and recommended that Community Action submit a formal budget request if additional support is needed going forward.

The commission’s decision preserves transit service for residents who use GTS for out-of-county trips until Community Action’s internal changes and future budget requests resolve the underlying shortfall.