ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – The future of public transportation in Delta County will be decided by voters at the polls on August 4.
Right now, the Delta Area Transit Authority (DATA) is funded by nine individual millages in Escanaba, Gladstone, and the townships of Bay de Noc, Bark River, Brampton, Ensign, Ford River, Masonville, and Rapid River. All of those millages are set to expire at the end of this year or next year. DATA’s ballot proposal seeks to replace those millages with a county-wide rate of .689 mills for eight years.
“Why is a millage needed?” said DATA Executive Director John Stapleton. “It is in all transit systems in Michigan. Either they have a millage, or they have an appropriation from their city or county. The three counties that surround us—Schoolcraft, Alger, and Marquette—all have millages as well that are county-wide. We’re required to come up with 50 percent of our funds locally, and that local match is used to unlock state and federal funding.”
DATA’s demand-response service is currently only available in the cities and townships that fund it. According to Stapleton, a county-wide millage would change that.
“There are seven townships that don’t have service,” he said. “If this passes, there will be service in all 14 townships and the two cities. If it doesn’t pass, then we wouldn’t be able to service these areas because we wouldn’t have the local match.”
It would also mean weekday morning rides would start an hour earlier, beginning at 6 a.m. rather than 7 a.m.
“That was really needed so we can get people to dialysis earlier,” said Stapleton. “We can get people to work and students to school.”
The Authority would also be able to add Saturday service from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. and extend Friday service until 2 a.m.
“That would allow us to cover events and concerts and fundraisers and family outings,” Stapleton said. “It also helps us get people to work, and it’s safe rides home for people that are out recreating and having a good time as well.”
A primary concern among voters for any millage is cost.
“Taxable value is usually 50% of the fair market value of your home,” Stapleton explained. “For a $200,000 home in Delta County with $100,000 taxable, you’re looking at $68 a year.”
Another issue some voters have voiced on social media involves the last sentence of the proposal, which states, “By law, a portion of the revenue from the millage may be subject to capture by the Downtown Development Authorities of the City of Escanaba and the City of Gladstone.”
“The fact is, we’re really the only ones that told people the truth on it,” said Stapleton. “All the millages have a capture in them—the veterans, the 911, the landfill. The capture is a very, very small portion of the millage, and it only comes from the DDA district. In Escanaba, that is basically the downtown area. If you live in Cornell, it’s not going to capture part of your millage. It only captures it from property owners in that district.”
For voters who live in a Downtown Development Authority district that already supports DATA, the capture would be nothing new.
“Currently, Escanaba gets about $5,000 a year from our operating millage, and Gladstone gets about $10,000,” Stapleton said.
Stapleton says some voters have questions about what demand-response transit looks like in Delta County.
“That wouldn’t be a bus that just comes down in the morning and goes back in the afternoon,” he explained. “We schedule people for when they need to be there. If you have a doctor’s appointment at 1:00 in the afternoon, it doesn’t make sense to get picked up at 8:00 in the morning and then have to sit in town all day to wait for your appointment. We drop them off on time and do the return trip the same way. That is how most transit is done in rural areas.”
Stapleton adds that running a regular bus route would not be practical for Delta County.
“If we did routes, we would also have to have door-to-door service for anybody that couldn’t get to the routes as well,” he said. “That means having to run two transit systems and having to run double the buses with double the drivers. That just isn’t feasible. That’s why almost all rural transits—including some larger cities, even—run only demand-response. It doesn’t make sense to drive up and down people’s roads if they’re not going to get on.”
Some voters say if they do not utilize DATA, they should not have to pay for it. Stapleton says public transit is a vital service that anyone could need.
“One in four people have a disability in their lifetime,” he said. “I don’t think most of us think about that. The other thing we don’t think about is the average senior outlives their driving by seven to ten years. You could break your foot and you’re not able to drive for several months. You might have a child that needs this to get to sports practice or school. We tried to put together something for everybody. It doesn’t matter how much money you make or if you own six cars. At some point in time, everybody knows somebody that will need public transportation.”
Voters can find the Delta Area Transit Authority’s answers to other frequently asked questions at databus.org. Click here to hear why some of DATA’s regular riders are supporting the millage.
