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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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| | Email this article • Print this article | Trailblazer Joint Powers Board reviews 2010 budget
By Lori Copler
By Lori Copler
Staff Writer
An increase in ridership and a 5 percent increase in funding from the Minnesota Department of Transportation has Trailblazer Transit's 2010 budget looking fairly healthy.
Gary Ludwig, Trailblazer's director, presented a revised 2010 budget to the joint powers board (JPB) at its Thursday meeting.
In response, the JPB agreed to a 1.5 percent cost of living allowance (COLA) for Trailblazer employees in 2010, as well as step increases on the salary schedule.
Step increases were frozen in 2009.
One notable difference from the 2009 budget is that there are no bus purchases slated. New bus costs are reimbursed up to 80 percent by state and federal transportation funds.
Bev Herfindahl of the Minnesota Department of Transportation's public transit division, said Trailblazer is "just in one of those off years when nothing is eligible to be replaced."
Herfindahl said there is a federal standard for replacing buses - they must have been in service for at least five years and accumulated at least 150,000 miles.
"You have some vehicles that meet the miles, but not the five years," Herfindahl told the JPB.
Ludwig said that Trailblazer buses currently average about 85,000 on their odometers. At least two buses will be replaced in 2011, and perhaps three, Ludwig added.
In an effort to capture more revenues, the JPB agreed to charge public agencies that contract with Trailblazer for actual costs, rather than street fares.
Herfindahl said that MnDOT funding helps subsidize general public rides; however, MnDOT would like to see other agencies - such as Medical Assistance (MA) - pay actual costs when their patients use the service for medical purposes.
"We need to have other agencies pay their full share," said Herfindahl.
The JPB agreed to charge each county's social services departments $12 per ride, a cost which they will in turn pass on to Medical Assistance.
Being able to recoup that full MA cost will gain Trailblazer about $30,000 annually in revenue, Ludwig said.
Board member Jim Swanson suggested that at the next meeting, JPB look at other agencies that also should be paying full ridership costs.
The total expenditures for 2010 are estimated at $1.953 million. After MnDOT reimbursement and fares, the local cost share to McLeod County will be $268,500 and Sibley County's share will be $134,250.
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