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Duluth Transit Authority requests higher levy to avoid service cuts; council tables decision
Summary
DTA General Manager Chris Belden told Duluth City Council the authority needs a larger local levy to replace dwindling federal relief and meet rising local match requirements; the council tabled the DTA levy resolution to allow more time for review.
Chris Belden, general manager of the Duluth Transit Authority, told city council that DTA is requesting a larger 2026 property tax levy to shore up operations and meet local matching requirements for capital grants.
Belden and James Barg, DTA finance director, outlined DTA operations, ridership trends and a proposed 2026 budget. Belden said the DTA operates 15 routes, paratransit (Bridal) service for qualifying riders, and about 190 employees. He emphasized the agency’s history, ridership performance and federal performance funding it has recently won through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
DTA presented a proposed 2026 budget of about $27 million, a 5 percent increase over 2025, and described capital and…
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