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Evansville MPO outlines regional transit feasibility study; county to review local cost share
Summary
The Evansville Metropolitan Planning Organization presented plans for a 16-month regional transit feasibility study; commissioners were informed the study would be federally funded at 80% with local partners sharing a 20% match.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY, Ind. — The Evansville Metropolitan Planning Organization on Oct. 7 told the Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners it plans to start a regional transit feasibility study in the coming months and will ask partner governments to share a 20% local match of federally funded work.
Matt Shreveer of the MPO told commissioners the study, expected to run about 16 months, will be a partnership among the Evansville MPO, METS (the municipal transit provider), the City of Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Warrick County and the City of Henderson. The study will assess existing transit conditions, analyze funding options, conduct stakeholder and public engagement and deliver recommendations for a regional network intended to serve the greatest number of people in the combined area.
Shreveer said the MPO has sent out requests for proposals and is finalizing the scope with a consultant; the MPO is using federal highway funds for the work with an 80% federal share. The remaining 20% local share will be allocated among the partner agencies based on urban-area population, staff said. The City of Evansville will pay the largest share under that formula.
Jill Hahn, a member of county council and an MPO policy board participant, told the commissioners county council has been involved and aware of potential costs but has not yet approved budget authority for the county’s portion. Shreveer said once the contract is finalized the MPO will return with the county’s specific cost and next steps, at which point county council would consider whether to include that amount in its budget.
METS staff and an MPO intern attended the meeting; the MPO sought a county stakeholder participant for the public-engagement phase.
Why it matters: A regional transit feasibility study could shape future transit connections across multiple jurisdictions, inform capital and operating funding discussions, and affect how residents in Vanderburgh, Warrick and Henderson counties access jobs and services. No county funding commitment was made at the Oct. 7 meeting.
