Walworth County transit staff warn ridership surge could force mid-cycle funding request

Walworth County transit staff told the county's Transportation Committee on June 1 that recent ridership growth could strain resources and might require an emergency request for additional state funding if the trend persists.

At the meeting, Mark (county transit staff) said November 2025 through April 2026 showed unusually high month-to-month increases, reading specific figures: “November through April, 31.7% increase, December 42.6% increase, January 38.6, February 35.8, March 38.9,” and noted April was about 28% above the previous year. He said part of the rise restores 2024 levels but cautioned that “if the future months, the rest of the year stay at that 30% increase, we will have some challenges and have to go to the state for more money.”

Why it matters: the committee must finalize guidance for the 2027 budget in time for the county's September submission. Mark said staff will present a revenue analysis next month and urged supervisors to submit priorities now so they can be considered while the budget is still flexible.

Finance staff briefed the committee on the county's current funding breakdown for transit. The finance presenter said the final 2026 distribution will include $1,215,571 in federal funding, $261,824 in state funding and $953,747 from the levy, representing a $164,661 net improvement that raises the funded share to about 57.09% compared with prior expectations. The presenter also recommended clarifying a column in packet tables labeled “percent used,” which currently mixes revenue-received and budget-used metrics; the committee asked staff to relabel the revenues column as “percent received.”

Committee members discussed policy options. Staff emphasized they are cautious about introducing distance-based fares that would charge rural riders more, saying such a change could penalize rural residents. Mark said software improvements and higher shared-ridership ratios should allow more rides to be delivered with existing driver hours, reducing the need for large levy increases, but that some fare adjustments may be considered to close the revenue gap.

What happens next: staff will present a revenue-analysis scenario and potential fare comparisons next month; final budget materials are due in September when the county administrator must submit a formal budget document.