POUGHKEEPSIE – The Dutchess County Public Works Department is committed to provide the best public bus system to Poughkeepsie city residents when the county takes it over next month, county DPW Commissioner Robert Balkind told the Public Works and Capital Projects Committee of the county legislature Thursday evening.
The committee voted to accept a $315,000 grant from the state to facilitate the transfer. The Poughkeepsie Common Council earlier this year declined to accept that funding.
Balkind told county lawmakers his department is committed to providing the best service for the city.
“We’re not going to turn on the key and walk away from this program,” he said. “These are county residents, I know they are city residents, but to us they are county residents. Just like every other county resident they deserve the best system and we are going to give it to them. Everything we do at public works we try to do the best we can; the bus system is no different.”
Poughkeepsie Mayor Robert Rolison’s budget only funded the city buses through the end of this month. The common council has been deadlocked over how to handle the situation after that.
