No Cuts Expected For Now With Lincoln County Transit

Although several transit agencies in rural Oregon have announced cutbacks in service due to federal funding uncertainty, for now it’s business as usual for Lincoln County Transit. Gov. Tina Kotek has declined to sign an updated master agreement with the Federal Transit Administration for rural transit grants called Program 5311. The new agreement requires recipients to comply with federal immigration enforcement actions. Oregon is one of 19 states that have joined a lawsuit against the US Department of Transportation in challenging the withholding of federal transit funds.

The situation for rural transit programs was also complicated by the failure of the

transportation bill in the Oregon Legislature. The Oregon Department of Transportation

is cutting staff as a result, including those who process funding to rural transit.

Although several agencies in the state are making immediate, significant cuts, Lincoln

County Transit Director Cynda Bruce says she’s taking a “wait-and-see” approach for

the time being.

She said Lincoln County Transit has a healthy enough reserve to deal

with short-term revenue interruptions, although it’s unclear if service reductions will be

necessary in the long term if federal funds are ultimately withheld. Most Lincoln County Transit riders rely on public transportation as their only means of getting to work, school, medical appointments, and other destinations of necessity. “We know how dependent on our services most of our riders are,” Bruce said. “We don’t want to make cuts unless it’s absolutely certain they’re necessary.”