Cass Area Transit asks city to hold 2026 city-bus support at $100,000 amid staffing and reimbursement timing

Cass Area Transit representatives asked the council to include $100,000 in the 2026 budget to support the city bus route and described broader system finances and recent operational changes.

Transit president Chris (full name not given) told the council that systemwide ridership through September is about 47,000 rides (nine of 12 months), with the city bus accounting for roughly 6,700 riders year-to-date. “If we gross that up through the end of the year, we're looking at over 90,000 riders that utilize the city bus,” Chris said while providing monthly and year-to-date metrics. He explained that the agency relies on a combination of local funds (county and city), state matching funds and federal matching funds; local contributions are required to draw the larger state and federal matches.

Year-to-date totals showed operating receipts of about $638,000 and expenses near $964,000, which produced an apparent $325,000 shortfall that Chris said was largely timing related — pending state reimbursement for the third-quarter claim — and that the net operational shortfall after reimbursements is likely closer to $25,000 so far in the year.

The transit board also recently approved a $3 hourly wage increase for drivers to improve recruitment and retention, and staff are revising policies, job descriptions and organizational structure to better serve seniors, schoolchildren and others who rely on service. Councilors placed the $100,000 request in the draft 2026 budget during the meeting; no formal vote was recorded at the committee session.

Next steps: Transit will continue providing quarterly reimbursement documentation to N. Dot (state agency) and return to council with updates as needed. The city will retain the $100,000 placeholder in the 2026 draft budget.