Boone County Watchdog: Belvidere struggles to keep Rockford bus route, needs to raise $157,869 by July

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Belvidere struggles to keep Rockford bus route, needs to raise $157,869 by July

By Susan Vela
Staff writer

Posted May 2, 2016 at 2:38 PM
Updated May 2, 2016 at 5:31 PM

BELVIDERE — Belvidere resident Lydia Brown spent last year taking a bus to her dialysis appointments in Rockford.

She relied on the bus nearly every day for other errands, too. Like other Boone County seniors, she's worried that the Rockford Mass Transit District, or RMTD, will suspend the Belvidere-Rockford route unless the city of Belvidere raises $157,869 to replace a federal grant due to expire at the end of June.

Playing Uno on Friday at the Keen Age Center, Brown and her friends hoped Belvidere officials could come up with the money.

“What they need to do is find out how the community feels about the bus,” said Belvidere resident Jenny Keepers, 67.

Belvidere City Council members set aside $25,000 this year for the 5-year-old bus route that takes nearly 1,500 passengers each month from the Kmart at 500 W. Chrysler Drive in Belvidere to the RMTD Transfer Center, 725 N. Lyford Road, in Rockford. The route also stops at SwedishAmerican Medical Center, 1625 S. State St., in Belvidere; Meadow Street in Belvidere; and Keen Age, 2141 Henry Luckow Lane.

The City Council started pitching in during last year's budget cycle, contributing $25,000 then as well.

Mayor Mike Chamberlain has met with RMTD officials and considered making a formal request for financial assistance from Belvidere Township and Boone County. Belvidere Township Supervisor Patrick Murphy could not be reached for comment. Boone County officials aren’t sure what they can afford to do.

“It’s an essential service for some folks,” Chamberlain said. “It seems very shortsighted to me to not want to participate in a vital service. Transportation is a particularly important link to reducing unemployment. Hopefully, when we meet again, there will be some other municipal governments who can help in some fashion.”

RMTD created the route in 2011 after receiving a four-year Job Access and Reverse Commute grant, but RMTD spokeswoman Lisa Brown said the grant will expire this summer. It financed the route with a $103,102 grant that first year, $147,897 the second year and $154,680 the third year.

For this current budget cycle, the grant amounts to $151,580. For the entire route that runs 10 times daily Monday through Friday, state funds contribute $292,374. Fares cover the rest. The total cost is $454,822.

Brown said Belvidere officials have known since the start that the grant stream would eventually dry up.

“It’s up to the community to fund their services,” Brown said. “At this point, we’re still hopeful there will be services in some way, shape or form. We’re not going to the mattresses yet. We’re confident in the negotiation process.”

Officials from Belvidere, Boone County and the Boone County Council on Aging met with Brown last week. They haven’t set dates, but they’re confident they will meet again for more discussions.

Boone County Administrator Ken Terrinoni said he’s in favor of supporting the RMTD Belvidere route if he can find money in the county’s coffers. The county operates on a $16.2 million spending plan.

“We’re going to look at some county budgets and look at what latitude, if any, there is,” Terrinoni said. “We do need to go to our County Board. We don’t have funds at this moment, but we’re going to take a look, and we agreed to meet again.”

The county already sets aside $124,140 for 10 small buses that transport residents to various places, including Keen Age. The county contributes $55,000. The city of Belvidere pays $41,000, and state grants total $28,140.

“That is not affected by this (RMTD Belvidere route) discussion,” Terrinoni said. “That program continues.”

Boone County Board member Denny Ellingson said he’d be in favor of money for the Belvidere bus route if the county could afford it.

“I would almost be surprised if we have enough to be able to do that at this time,” he said. “(However), it would help Belvidere, but it would also help other citizens of the county. It would be a nice thing to be able to do.”

Susan Vela: 815-987-1392; svela@rrstar.com; @susanvela

Belvidere Bus Route Monthly Ridership