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Benzie Transportation Authority audit clean; awarded $3 million FTA grant for parking structure
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Summary
Benzie Transportation Authority reported a clean 2025 audit and fully funded MERS and announced a $3,000,000 Federal Transit Administration grant to build a parking structure behind its building; the authority also reported record ridership and plans to expand medical-appointment transport.
Jessica Carland, executive director of the Benzie Transportation Authority, told the Benzie County Board of Commissioners that the authority’s 2025 audit “was good with no findings, and their MERS is fully funded.” She reported the authority has 63 employees, 32 vehicles and 25 bus routes and said ridership reached the highest level in the agency’s 19-year history for the second consecutive year.
Carland also reported that the authority was awarded a $3,000,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration that will be used to build a parking structure behind the current facility. She said the authority plans to use the funding to expand the health-ride program to serve medical appointments and is exploring options to provide transportation to downstate medical facilities.
The presentation was given as part of the board’s regular session; commissioners had no recorded objections and accepted the report. The grant will require subsequent planning and capital-project steps before construction. The authority said its MERS account is fully funded, which Carland presented as a strength for long-term employee benefit stability.
The county will track the grant’s implementation and any related budget or zoning steps as planning proceeds.