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Delta Area Transit Authority to seek countywide millage after board support
Summary
After a detailed presentation and questions about costs, service, and contingency plans, the Delta County Board of Commissioners voted to allow the Delta Area Transit Authority to place a countywide 0.689‑mill, eight‑year millage proposal on the August ballot and approved a recommending resolution.
John Stapleton, executive director of the Delta Area Transit Authority, urged the Delta County Board of Commissioners to let the authority seek a countywide millage in August to expand demand‑response transit countywide, add Saturday and evening service and begin earlier morning dispatch.
Stapleton said the proposal — 0.689 mills for eight years — would “bring in about an extra 500,000 a year,” and that local millage is required as local match to unlock state and federal operating funds. He described current service as five‑day, demand‑response (door‑to‑door) and said route‑based service is impractical in much of the county. “Without a millage, we can’t be open in Delta County,” Stapleton said, warning that failure would force steep cutbacks.
Commissioners pressed for details. One asked whether fare increases could reduce the millage request; Stapleton said fares already vary by distance, that the system collects roughly $100,000 a year in fares and that raising fares enough to replace the proposed millage would impose prohibitive costs on riders. Another commissioner asked about ridership demographics; Stapleton said a majority of riders are age 65 or older, and that ridership in newly served townships typically ramps up over several years.
Board members also discussed the political and logistical timing of placing the measure on the ballot. Stapleton said August is preferable for MDOT vehicle‑purchase timing but acknowledged the short campaign window and risks if voters reject the proposal; he said a November option would be possible but harder to turn around administratively.
A motion to permit the Delta Area Transit Authority to pursue the August millage passed. The board also approved a resolution recommending the millage go forward; on the roll call for that resolution Commissioner Williams voted No, and the other commissioners voted Yes.
The authority’s proposal will now proceed to the election process; the board indicated it will follow counsel from its attorneys and may provide a recommending resolution but said final ballot placement and exact language will follow the standard statutory process.
