Amador County - A $183,000-combination of revenue decline from sales tax and state funding elimination for transit operations has prompted the Amador County Transportation Commission board of directors to cut service on three Amador Regional Transit Service routes and absorb another route’s service effective August 3. The board passed the service cuts at its regular meeting, June 17. ARTS Interim Transit Manager Joyce Jones said ARTS has discontinued four routes from the system’s 31 routes, making the move a 13 percent reduction in service. Amador County public transportation is not alone in facing service reduction due to tax revenue loss. Amador joins Calaveras County in transportation funding cuts. The Calaveras County board of supervisors voted June 3 to eliminate four routes, reduce service on several others and increase fares. Calaveras was faced with a 40 percent transportation budget cut. Because ARTS provides Motherlode service to Sacramento via transfers from public transit systems in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, the Amador agency has agreed to continue a cooperative, on-demand service from Mokelumne Hill to Jackson. In fiscal year ending July 2008, Amador County revenue from the transportation portion of local sales taxes was nearly $980,000, and this fiscal year the number is expected to drop to $807,000, said Jones. “We lost revenue when the large car dealerships closed and there has been a general decrease in sales tax revenue because of the economy,” she said. “Additionally, State Transportation Assistance funding has been eliminated and that provided $30,000 in funding last year.” ACTC executive director Charles Field explained that .25 cents of sales taxes collected in Amador County goes to support public transportation, and the commission predicts a reduction this fiscal year of $250,000. Approximately $100,000 of that amount will be absorbed by ACTC, with the remainder falling on ARTS. He said a budget shortfall in fiscal year 2008-2009 was absorbed by state transportation funds that had been set aside for that purpose. “Now, for fiscal year 2009-2010 there is another reduction in sales tax revenue and there are no more contingency funds and no more coming, as far as we know,” he said. The cancelled ARTS routes are Mace Meadow Route M5, Plymouth Route P4 and Ione Route I5. One route, Ione Route I3, will be absorbed into Ione Route I2. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County - A $183,000-combination of revenue decline from sales tax and state funding elimination for transit operations has prompted the Amador County Transportation Commission board of directors to cut service on three Amador Regional Transit Service routes and absorb another route’s service effective August 3. The board passed the service cuts at its regular meeting, June 17. ARTS Interim Transit Manager Joyce Jones said ARTS has discontinued four routes from the system’s 31 routes, making the move a 13 percent reduction in service. Amador County public transportation is not alone in facing service reduction due to tax revenue loss. Amador joins Calaveras County in transportation funding cuts. The Calaveras County board of supervisors voted June 3 to eliminate four routes, reduce service on several others and increase fares. Calaveras was faced with a 40 percent transportation budget cut. Because ARTS provides Motherlode service to Sacramento via transfers from public transit systems in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, the Amador agency has agreed to continue a cooperative, on-demand service from Mokelumne Hill to Jackson. In fiscal year ending July 2008, Amador County revenue from the transportation portion of local sales taxes was nearly $980,000, and this fiscal year the number is expected to drop to $807,000, said Jones. “We lost revenue when the large car dealerships closed and there has been a general decrease in sales tax revenue because of the economy,” she said. “Additionally, State Transportation Assistance funding has been eliminated and that provided $30,000 in funding last year.” ACTC executive director Charles Field explained that .25 cents of sales taxes collected in Amador County goes to support public transportation, and the commission predicts a reduction this fiscal year of $250,000. Approximately $100,000 of that amount will be absorbed by ACTC, with the remainder falling on ARTS. He said a budget shortfall in fiscal year 2008-2009 was absorbed by state transportation funds that had been set aside for that purpose. “Now, for fiscal year 2009-2010 there is another reduction in sales tax revenue and there are no more contingency funds and no more coming, as far as we know,” he said. The cancelled ARTS routes are Mace Meadow Route M5, Plymouth Route P4 and Ione Route I5. One route, Ione Route I3, will be absorbed into Ione Route I2. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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