[nfbmi-talk] CATA Expands Service In Delta Township

[J.J. Meddaugh]

More news via MSU Today.
Looks like there will be a bus servicing LCC West while school is in 
session. That's very cool.
This article lists service changes for the fall.
Honestly, one of the best days for public transit in Michigan I can 
remember.
http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2014/cata-service-changes-to-launch-aug-25/

Best regards,
J.J.

On 8/22/2014 7:47 PM, Elizabeth Mohnke via nfbmi-talk wrote:
> Hi J.J.,
>
> Thank you for sharing this link. I believe the Redi-Ride service would go further west than SpecTran. This new CATA service sounds nice, but I just read an article on how this new CATA service may be limited as to how long it sticks around. I was curious where the money for this was coming from since Delta Township does not pay the new CATA millage rate that went into effect several years ago. The article appears below for anyone who is interested in reading it.
>
> Warm regards,
> Elizabeth
>
> Joe Conn Lansing State Journal
>
> 8 hrs
>
> Joe Conn The citizens of Delta Township had a chance to improve a public transit service when Eatran went for a county-wide .50 millage increase to the current .25 mil, which would have cost the average home owner about $25.00 more/year on their property taxes and it was soundly defeated. So, why would Delta Township want CATA to take over transportation needs when the cost to the taxpayers would jump from paying Eatran's .75 mil to CATA's 3.007 per year? For example, on a home with a taxable value of $50,000, the amount for Eatran would be only $37.50. For CATA, it would be $150.00. They would be paying an additional $112.50 for the SAME EXACT SERVICE. With the .75 mil, Eatran will be able to: Increase service hours to 10:30pm; Establish fixed routes, along with curb-to-curb service; and provide 7 days/week service. CATA is running this service on limited grant money. As soon as it runs out, Delta Township will have to replace it with a millage. This millage will definitely be more than the Eatran millage would be needed for this same increased service. Also, CATA is using $140,000 of Delta Township funds. Where is this coming from??? Why weren't citizens asked for a vote, or informed of where these monies came from?? It appears the Eaton county commissioners and Delta Township officials are collaborating to push Eatran out of business, as Delta Township is a majority of their ridership and revenues. Why do we need two competing transit authorities in the same area providing the same curb-to-curb service throughout Delta Township?? Eatran, over and over again, has tried to negotiate a transfer deal with CATA to allow Eatran riders to transfer without paying an additional fare. Every time, CATA has refused to negotiate a deal. The obvious choice would be to keep Eatran because it is definitely less expensive. Why wasn't Eatran offered the $140,000 to increase their overall transportation services to the citizens of Delta Township, since they have been the transit authority in all of Eaton County since 1980? Let's support our own public transit authority in Eaton County. We DO NOT NEED CATA!
>
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