Carver County board adopts Transit and Mobility Study recommending phased service expansion, $3.5M grant pursuit

Carver County commissioners voted May 19 to adopt a countywide Transit and Mobility Study that lays out phased service expansions and a strategy to pair local sales‑tax revenue with competitive regional grants.

Ella Rasp, a senior transportation planner at Stantec, told the board the yearlong study recommends a mix of service types to serve dense and rural areas: later evening and weekend Southwest Prime service in Chaska and Chanhassen; a new Southwest Prime Connection zone to extend service into Waconia; one‑day‑a‑week circulator routes in smaller towns such as Norwood Young America, Watertown, New Germany, Mayer, Cologne and Hamburg; and improved Dial‑A‑Ride capacity across the remainder of the county. "Our recommended services would be implemented between 2027 and 2030," Rasp said, and the proposals are structured to align with funding timelines.

The county aims to pair a regional solicitation grant application with the county's regional sales‑and‑use tax to reduce the local share. Project staff said a successful regional solicitation application would bring roughly $3.5 million into the county to support early service investments, with additional operational and capital funding phased into the county's 2027 budget and beyond.

Public‑sector partners and providers would lead operations: the project team identified Southwest Transit as the lead applicant for the regional solicitation with support from the county and Metropolitan Council funding for Transit Link operations. "This approach lets us leverage partner dollars to expand access," Rasp said.

Commissioners pressed for measures to track impacts. "I'd be interested in knowing the sheer numbers we have today, what we'll project in the future and then come back in a year after implementation to say did we hit those numbers," Commissioner Urman said. Rasp replied that the report documents baseline and projected metrics, and staff will return with performance measures and a post‑implementation review schedule.

Board members also questioned who would benefit. County staff said the study estimates about 80 percent of county residents would gain access to a new service or improved service quality under the recommended phased deployments. Eric (staff member) and Lynden (public works staff) emphasized that many riders rely on prime services for work and essential trips, and that the study considered both ridership demand and service deliverability.

The board also discussed autonomous vehicle pilots and their potential role in first/last‑mile service. County staff noted a three‑year Eden Prairie autonomous vehicle test and said longer trials and rigorous safety evaluation would be needed before local expansion.

A motion to approve the Transit and Mobility Study and its recommended transit service improvements passed on a voice vote (mover: Anderson; second: Fehee). The board directed staff to proceed with the regional solicitation application and return with budget requests and coordination steps for 2027 implementation.

The county will present specific performance targets and follow‑up reporting in future budget and implementation updates.