County wants bus system

By Josh Holderbaum
Western Herald

The Kalamazoo County Transportation Authority wants to begin discussing a transition of bus services from the city to the county.

The KCTA discussed that in their 2009 annual report with the Kalamazoo City Commission Monday.

“Public transportation keeps the community moving,” said Linda Teeter, KCTA chair. “We know that each year our needs continue to grow.”

The KCTA lost a 2008 county millage proposal but won two last year — a four-year county millage in May covering Care-A-Van and Metro Van services and a three year city millage for bus service.

According to the annual report, riders rode more than 2.9 million bus trips in 2009, down less than a percent from 2008, with 69,822 Care-A-Van trips and 50,988 Metro Van trips last year.

“When you’re thinking about numbers, you also need to think about it as lives,” Teeter said. “These are mothers, dads, brothers, all trying to get somewhere.”

Mayor Bobby Hopewell emphasized the need for good bus services in Kalamazoo.

“To be a community, to be a good community, we need a transportation system for people to get to work and get to school and get to doctor’s visits,” Hopewell said.

In other business, the city appointed Thomas C. Skrobola, management and budget services director and chief financial officer, to become the hearing officer to notify several establishments that they could lose their liquor licenses from past-due personal property taxes.

Seven businesses received letters in January about their taxes. Three paid in full, three submitted partial payments or payment plans and the last hasn’t responded.

The last one may face a hearing where the commission may object to their liquor license renewal.

Other city commission news:

• The city awarded a one-year contract to the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority for property and casualty insurance at $661,964.

• Abraham and Gaffney, PC, received two audit contracts — one for five years at $321,174 for external auditing and another for one year at $11,124 for internal assessments.

• The city accepted a Federal Emergency Management Agency FY 2009 Assistance to Firefighters Grant of $67,456, which requires a 20 percent match by the city to pay the full $84,320 for firefighting equipment and uniforms.

• The city accepted a Kalamazoo Community Foundation Capacity Building grant of $2,500 to allow nine Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety staff members to attend the 2010 Eliminating Racism and Claiming/Celebrating Equality training sessions.

• The city also approved settlement of sewer back-up damage Oct. 22 at the WWMT offices, 590 W. Maples Street, for $25,742.53.

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