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Ferguson Township approves $152,586 local match as CATA outlines $29M budget, fare increase and service expansions
Summary
At its June 17 meeting the Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution committing $152,586 as the township’s FY2025–26 local match to the Center Area Transportation Authority. Interim CATA director David Rischel presented a roughly $29 million budget, a proposed fare rise for fixed routes and planned service expansions including on-demand coverage across the Center Region.
Ferguson Township’s Board of Supervisors voted June 17 to certify a $152,586 local operating match for the Center Area Transportation Authority (CATA) as part of the authority’s FY2025–26 funding plan.
David Rischel, interim executive director of CATA, told the board the authority’s budget for the coming year is a “best-case, worst-case” projection that would be just over $29,000,000 if the authority implements all planned services. He said roughly 60% of CATA’s revenue comes from state and federal sources, with almost $6 million from contract revenue; Penn State contributes about $3 million to campus services. Rischel noted a projected budget shortfall of about $2.1 million under full implementation but said reserves and COVID-relief contingency funds are available.
Rischel outlined several service and operating changes that underpinned the funding request. He said the authority intends to raise the base fare on fixed-route buses and CATA Go from $2.20 to $2.50, leaving paratransit rates (CATA Ride) governed by a different protocol unchanged. He also reported ridership gains — total registered ridership up 3.5% year over year, with certain corridors up 10–16% — and described revenue increases from apartment pass agreements and an expected 6% contract increase from Penn State.
On the service side, Rischel described a new summer youth route (with positive feedback), expanded weekend service, and a one-year free summer youth pass program that officials said has driven substantially higher youth use. He said Catego, the on-demand service app, will be expanded to serve the full Center Region so more areas outside fixed-route coverage will have on-demand options, and CATA plans to roll out new fare-media options (phone- and paper-based scan media) starting Aug. 1 and credit-card payments by September.
Rischel asked Ferguson Township for a local operating match of $152,586 (an 8.776% increase over last year) plus a small capital match (~$16,300). Board members asked for more granular ridership and usage statistics tied to Ferguson Township routes and the summer programs; Rischel offered to return with additional data once the new CATA CEO starts July 15.
The board adopted the resolution to certify the local match by roll-call vote (unanimous yes). Chair and board members said they valued CATA’s role in regional mobility and cited the recent service expansions as reasons for supporting the funding.
What happens next: CATA will proceed with its FY2025–26 planning and implementation; Ferguson Township’s match is now certified to meet state public-transportation funding requirements.
Provenance: CATA presentation and local-match request were discussed June 17 (presentation opening SEG 165; local match request SEG 432–436).
