POUGHKEEPSIE – One way
of pumping some cash into a cash-strapped City od Poughkeepsie, facing
a 16 percent tax hike in 10 days, is to charge more for riding city buses.
Most citizens who spoke during an hour-long public hearing Monday evening
said they could accept some increase, perhaps a quarter, but many said
a half-dollar was just a bit too much.
The current adult bus fare is $1.75. Some said a 25-cent hike would bring it to an even $2.00, which would be convenient because riders wouldn’t be searching for quarters.
The most impassioned plea came from Mae Parker Harris.
“Don’t we have some kind of capacity, the Republicans, the Democrats, of the people that don’t have,” pleaded Harris. “I see none of that in Poughkeepsie. My heart is broken. I’ve been in mourning in my heart for years in the City of Poughkeepsie, seeing the things that are happening.”
Others spoke generally about the prospect of the city buses being merged into the county system by mid-2017. That has been the top topic of concern from citizens during public comment at council meetings for the past few months.
The council took no action on bus fares Monday night but did leave Mayor Robert Rolison’s budget vetoes intact.
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