Warren Co. leaders approve bus service takeover by CDTA

QUEENSBURY | Despite concerns expressed in recent months over surrendering jurisdiction over transportation on local waterways, Warren County leaders approved joining the Capital District Transportation Authority which will involve the agency's acquisition of local bus service now provided by Greater Glens Falls Transit. Until last week, county supervisors expressed concerns about whether the CDTA's acquisition of the county's bus service would mean compromising private cruise ship operators' traditional ability to transport passengers on Lake George. According to the CDTA's charter and applicable state statutes, joining CDTA involves surrendering jurisdiction over public transportation not only over roadways but also on waterways within municipalities that join the agency. Warren County Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Geraghty said after the May 11 acquisition approval that CDTA's Chief Executive Officer Carm Basile had assured county officials that his agency wouldn't be pursuing their statutory rights of jurisdiction over waterway transportation in Warren County. Lake George Town Supervisor Dennis Dickinson, who said weeks ago that he would oppose the CDTA takeover if those rights weren't excluded from the CDTA acquisition, said Saturday that he believed Basile's assurances. The vote to approve joining CDTA was made in a special meeting held May 11 because a Warren County resolution was needed for state Sen. Dan Stec to have the state Public Authorities law changed via a vote by the state Senate which has only a few weeks left in its current session, and legislators already have 13,000 bills to consider, county Administrator John Taflan told supervisors attending the special meeting. Taflan said the alternative option to joining CDTA was for Warren County government to take over the bus service from GGFT, which wasn't practical. "We're not any better equipped or staffed to assume those responsibilities," he said. noting that only two other standalone municipal transit systems remain operating in New York State. Addressing supervisors' concerns that turning over the public transit services to CDTA would mean yielding local control of routes and service schedules, Taflan said he had interviewed executives and other officials of the five counties who are now members of CDTA for their views about the consequences of joining CDTA. "They all have glowing things to say about CDTA, their responsiveness, and how they lean forward and engage in the community," he said. Taflan added that not only do area visitors and hundreds of employees of businesses in Warren County rely on GGFT's bus services, but they are vital for clients of the county's human services agencies and law enforcement departments: specifically Social Services, and the offices of Probation, Public Defender, Assigned Counsel, and the District Attorney. "Public transportation is critical for the services we provide to the citizens and residents of our county," he said. Additionally, Taflan said that the acquisition by CDTA would mean not only the continuation of existing bus routes and schedules, but technological enhancements and vital connections to Saratoga and Albany. He said that providing two-way bus trips between the Capital District and Warren County would attract new employees to work for county enterprises, filling many job positions that are now open. Joining CDTA would also provide transportation for residents of the region for other purposes. The expense to Warren County related to this "merger" involves paying CDTA cash equal to the revenue from 1/4 of 1 percent of all mortgage recording taxes over $10,000 now received by Warren County, which was recently estimated to total $1.3 million to $1.5 million annually. Taflan said that with the current steep interest rates prompting fewer home buyers to take out loans — and discouraging homeowners from refinancing their mortgages, the mortgage tax collection was now 53 percent behind last year, and the portion to be committed to CDTA for the upcoming year would be between $800,0000 and $850,000. In future years, the annual payment could be as much as $1.5 million, he said. Supervisors of Chester, Stony Creek and Thurman expressed their concerns about their towns' residents contributing toward public transportation, as no bus routes now extend into the rural areas of Warren County. Town of Chester Supervisor Craig Leggett suggested that his taxpayers would be shouldering about $60,000 annually to be paid to CDTA. He suggested that if establishing rural bus routes wasn't feasible, the rural towns could receive compensation from Warren County government in other ways, including extra road repair work or help in expanding broadband. Stony Creek Town Supervisor Frank Thomas extended that request to include extension of cellular phone service in his town. Thurman Supervisor Debra Runyon echoed Thomas' suggestion, noting that some Thurman residents are dependent on medical equipment that transmit information to doctors and hospitals via cell service, which is lacking in Thurman. Glens Falls Ward 3 Supervisor Claudia Braymer suggested that CDTA could provide transportation to "far-flung" areas of Warren County with more efficient methods than utilizing buses. Warren County Employment & Training Director Liza Ochsendorf said her office would sponsor CDL driver training for Warren County residents so they could pilot CDTA's buses, as they possess knowledge of local roads. EDC Warren County President Jim Siplon said there were at least 1,000 open jobs open that needed to be filled and that the pending acquisition could reduce that employee shortfall which constrains local economic prosperity. "This could catalyze the beginning of a new era for our local economy," he said. Glens Falls Ward 2 Supervisor Peter McDevitt said he supported the CDTA acquisition. "The merger ensures the economic viability of our public transportation for the future," he said, noting the "predictability and reliability" in service that CDTA would provide. "It matches up employees and employers and creates sales tax revenue," he continued, noting that the change would generate jobs and support a "healthy business climate." Basile told the county supervisors that CDTA officials would "absolutely" consider expansion of transportation services, based on the needs of Warren County communities. He suggested that tourism-related business owners could be asked to contribute financially towards establishing routes that otherwise wouldn't be financially viable. County Attorney Larry Elmen said that municipalities, particularly outside Warren County, could also help sponsor bus services by making additional payments via intermunicipal agreements. Taflan explained that the bus-service acquisition would be completed within the next several months. The process is to include transitioning GGFT employees to CDTA, and the agency taking over GGFT's assets, including vehicles, property, and equipment. Town of Queensbury Supervisor John Strough said that the GGFT takeover would ensure reliable bus service for students attending SUNY Adirondack as well as provide new job opportunities and supply businesses with needed employees. As the supervisors prepared to vote on the acquisition — which turned out to be a unanimous "Yes" decision, Gary Thornquist, general manager of Lake George RV Park offered his thoughts. "I thank everybody here for the change in attitude from the last meeting," he said. "I applaud your courage in going forward with this — Thank You from the private business community." Hours later, Geraghty offered his thoughts via a prepared statement. "Joining with CDTA is in the best interests of Warren County residents and businesses," he said.

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Warren Co. leaders approve bus service takeover by CDTA

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