Poughkeepsie officials talk about $3 million shopping list, and buses

POUGHKEEPSIE – For the first time in months, buses were neither on the agenda, nor were the dominant topic for citizens during public comment at Monday night’s Poughkeepsie Common Council meeting.  That was, until the old and new business segment, almost three hours into the meeting.
It began as continued discussion on the announcement, earlier in the day, that the city would receive $3 million from the state Financial Restructuring Board. 
“You know, we’ve talked about things that we’re struggling
to fund,” Mayor Robert Rolison said.  “New garbage trucks,
as a potential aid request, that would help the city avoid capital, additional
capital debt.  Other infrastructure improvements, when we talk about
some of the things that impacted economic development.”
But councilman Christopher Petsas could not get away from a pivotal point in Rolison’s 2017 budget proposal six months ago – unloading the city buses on June 30, just 10 days from now. 
“I’m still scratching my head,” Petsas said. “So, we got a $315,000 grant.  Now, we’re told we got a $750,000 grant.  Over a million dollars we get to shut down our bus service that will cost the city $200,000 to operate to the end of the year.  It’s mindboggling to me that we go out to solicit a million dollars to shut down a bus service but we don’t have $200,000 to keep it operating to the end of the year so that we can investigate what we’re going to do here.”
Council Chairwoman Natasha Perry was not so pessimistic.  She said she has been talking with the mayor about how the phase-out will fall into place.
“And I think we can come to a compromise,” Cherry said.  “It’s my understanding, also, that the county is entertaining a compromise.  They do realize that thanks to the work of the Transportation Strategy Committee and others, that 35 streets are losing service.  That is a fact.”
City Administrator Deborah McDonnell said once the bus service ends on June 30, the city buses will be parked in the city garage.  She also said that the drivers are being offered other positions with the city.