The bill passed the committee Tuesday, according to a press release.
“Bloomington Transit does an excellent job of providing mass transit services for the City of Bloomington, but there is not revenue stream that would allow services to expand into the rest of Monroe County’s jurisdiction,” Stoops said in the release.
Half of the county’s population lives outside of the city’s boundaries, along with major employment centers, Ivy Tech Community College, the YMCA, parks and shopping, Stoops said.
“Rural Transit is able to provide limited rides for county residents, but due to funding cuts has to turn down thousands of rides every year,” Stoops said. “If this bill is successful, it means we can finally provide transit routes to Ellettsville, our rural towns and Monroe Lake. We can also create Park and Ride options at the county border for the 15,000 people who commute in from out of county every day, reducing traffic impact on our ?local roads.”
Stoops also said he believes a successful SB 379 would help expand the relationship between Bloomington Transit and Rural Transit, creating a strong transit network that would expand out to neighboring counties. Additionally, the Monroe County Council would enact up to a .25 percent increase in the County Economic Development Income Tax rate to fund the expansion.
The bill will now move to full Senate, where any member can amend the proposal.
Hannah Alani
