Bruce Dorris, left, and Jeff Kosmacher, outside the Community Center, site of
the information meeting
POUGHKEEPSIE – The first public information hearing for the potential cessation of the City of Poughkeepsie bus service in 2017 was held Saturday morning.
Well over 50 people showed up for the three-hour session of official’s presentations and public input. About that many spoke during public comment at the last Common Council meeting
Mayor Robert Rolison has proposed in his 2017 budget funding for the city’s transit system for just half the year. Since the county has expressed their willingness to integrate the city’s bus system, should the city approve Rolison’s budget and give up the service, Rolison hopes the City Council and public will recognize this as an opportunity to get better service from paying one set of taxes for one service, rather than two sets of taxes (county and city) for two, when one isn’t utilized as much by city residents.
“One system makes sense, and one system can grow,” said Rolison. “Our system is not in the position. We don’t have the infrastructure and equipment, we don’t have the drivers; we don’t have the money to make it better and that’s what my proposal is to do, not just getting out of the transit business, we want a better transit business and we want it to be a more effective system within the City of Poughkeepsie.”
Rolison said integrating the bus system is not a county proposed take-over, as some may have perceived it as, but a way to increase service: Sunday service, service until later in the evenings and more route choices, without having to increase the burden on tax payers or the riders, of which he said isn’t feasible anyway due to the extreme increase in ticket price that would be needed to make a financial difference.
However, many of the information session’s attendees from the public, including many also present at the most recent City Common Council meeting, expressed opposition, or at the very least skepticism. It would not be inaccurate to say the majority of the public becoming involved in this issue are opposed to having the county take over the bus system.
Bruce Dorris, a city resident and former city employee, said he’s opposed to the transition mainly because he doesn’t believe the increased service being promised will be better service. In his experience, he said the county line does not cater to seniors and disabled people as well as the city line does and proposed that, rather than have the county take over, the city service should be kept and subsidized.
“We subsidize police; we subsidize fire,” said Dorris. “We subsidize a whole lot of things- recreation; and yes, we should subsidize those, but along with transit for our senior citizens and the poor people who need to get to the doctors, who need to get to the hospitals, who need to get to work, who need to get to shopping, and to see their friends.”.
Rolison’s 2017 Budget proposal already has in it a 16.5 percent tax increase, so it remains to be seen if city subsidization is even an option.
Regardless, the public opinion seems to be that seniors, those without access to transportation and the disabled, are who stand to lose out of this proposal. They want to see more flexibility in the proposal and more attention paid to keeping the existing hub with more linear-type bus routes.
The county’s bus service already has dictated to meet ADA compliance, even with special measures taken for those with disabilities who require additional services as long as they inquire beforehand and fall under ADA protection, on their website. Also, the mayor’s proposal is looking to keep the existing Poughkeepsie routes, if not add additional ones under county control.
The trajectory the transit system within Poughkeepsie will take is still in limbo, since the city budget is in the hands of the council at this time and there is no date as of yet for when it will be voted on. New developments will have to be sought during upcoming public comment sessions mandatory for the budget and council meetings.
Rolison said he maintains seeing his proposal as the best way forward and is hoping the city will be out of the transit business in June 2017.
