Community members made their position abundantly clear at last night’s meeting: not a single person giving testimony spoke in favor of these cuts — again.
(TRI-CITIES, WA) Despite overwhelming public outcry in April, at their meeting last night the Board of Directors of Ben Franklin Transit once again considered two proposals that would dramatically reduce the agency’s revenue and disqualify the agency from $75 million in state funding.
The Board voted to not move forward with a direct, temporary cut to sales tax revenue for the agency. However, they will now consider bringing a proposed tax cut to voters. The Board intends to host a workshop on the matter and reintroduce the issue at their July meeting.
In response, Matthew Sutherland, Advocacy Director for Transportation Choices Coalition, issued the following statement:
“It is disappointing to see leaders elected to serve the best interests of Ben Franklin Transit and transit riders in the Tri-Cities continue to pursue these unnecessary and harmful cuts to lifeline services. No one is forcing the Board to make these cuts.
“This is now the third attempt by the Board to slash their own agency’s budget, and every time this idea is introduced it is met with community outcry. At the meeting last night, people were once again clear: cuts to transit hurt people in the Tri-Cities.
“Defunding the agency this way would reduce service by 20% as well as disqualify BFT from receiving $75 million in state funding from the recent Move Ahead Washington legislation. Those state funds are designated specifically for the Tri-Cities region, and if the Board continues to pursue these cuts, that money will go elsewhere.
“Transit is essential. It’s essential for people getting to work, students getting to school, older adults getting to appointments, and for everyone in the Tri-Cities region who doesn’t or can’t drive. Community members made their position abundantly clear at last night’s meeting: not a single person giving testimony spoke in favor of these cuts — again.
“We look forward to the Board members listening to their communities and putting this issue to rest in July by finally voting this resolution down permanently. We will show up, no matter how many times it takes, to make sure the people of the Tri-Cities region have access to robust public transit.”
Transportation Choices Coalition is a policy and advocacy nonprofit dedicated to making transportation accessible to all in Washington State. We champion policies that support more transit, bike, and pedestrian improvements at the state, regional, and local levels. A web version of this statement is available on Transportation Choices Coalition’s website.
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