County probably won’t back buses, McDonald says

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, January 11, 2005

[1/11/05]Warren County will be unlikely to support a proposed public transportation system that would provide bus service to Ceres, River Region Medical Center and throughout most of the city.

“We’ve not taken an official vote on it, but just in our informal discussions, I don’t think we’re going to support it at a very high level or at all,” said District 1 Supervisor and board president David McDonald.

“It seems most of the benefit is going to be inside the city,” he said.

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Warren County supervisors met Monday with Vicksburg officials to discuss the proposed public transportation plan and other issues. Mayor Laurence Leyens and the two aldermen have expressed support for the program that will require some form of local government supplement.

The proposal for a public transportation system was started through a Chamber of Commerce committee that received a grant to fund a study that recommended five routes at a startup cost of about $3.2 million. Of that amount, the local share would be about $650,000.

Leyens said the plan could be scaled back if the county opts out, but suggested that the board take a closer look at how county residents would benefit.

“Inside the city they are county taxpayers, too,” Leyens said.

The plan calls for five bus routes that would provide specific stops at local industries and retail areas, and would include flexible service to city and county areas as needed. Buses would run 12 hours per day for six days each week. Fares would cost $1 per passenger.

Buses would be handicapped accessible and carry about 20 persons.

City officials also say there is a great need for public transportation, but say there has been no formal study to identify who would use it.

“All you have to do is look around and you’ll see a lot more people are walking because they can’t afford any other transportation,” said North Ward Alderman Gertrude Young.

Vicksburg previously was served by private bus companies, but today the only form of public transportation is taxis.

After startup costs, the consultants estimate an annual overhead of $700,000, most of which would be covered by grants and $61,000 in fares and the rest subsidized from local tax collections at a rate of about $250,000 per year.

Leyens has said he supports moving forward with the proposal, applying for federal grant funding that would pay 80 percent of the capital cost and forming a city/county transit authority.

Consultants who have worked on the plan say there is a need to apply for that funding quickly or it would not be available again until 2006.