CRESTVIEW — Okaloosa County commissioners will cut three public bus routes — two in Crestview and one in Destin — unless those cities come up with adequate funding to keep them running.
The board decided to cut the routes Tuesday night despite dozens of residents who turned out to protest the proposal.
Commissioners said the cities are going to have to share the costs if they want to keep their routes.
“All the buses ride in cities, but … the counties foot the bill and the cities are getting the benefit,” Commissioner Wayne Harris said. “Where is the skin in the game for the cities? That’s my frustration.”
Harris said he would be willing to change his vote if Crestview and Destin can come up with a workable solution.
Commissioners gave Crestview 60 days to come up with funding for Routes 11 and 12, which provide service from City Hall to P.J. Adams Parkway.
They gave Destin six months to come up with funding to save Route 33, which provides service from Destin Commons to Silver Sands Premium Outlets.
Crestview’s Route 11 saw a 26 percent drop in riders during the first six months of this year.
Crestview City Clerk Elizabeth Roy said the City Council will discuss the issue later this month.
“We’re looking into several things to see if it’s feasible,” she said. “It’s not just being brushed aside.”
Destin City Councilman Jim Wood said he expects his council will discuss the county’s decision in the coming weeks.
“I totally think the route is important,” said Wood, who also chairs the Okaloosa-Walton Transportation Planning Organization.
He said the 17 percent increase in riders on Route 33 between January and June shows “a need and possibilities.”
Commissioners said they are cutting routes because the county cannot continue to subsidize Okaloosa County Transit, the nonprofit group that operates the buses. OCT has seen its state and federal funding dwindle dramatically, leaving it with major budget shortfalls each year.
Commissioners rejected OCT’s 2013-14 budget request of $525,000, a $235,000 — or 80 percent — increase over this year. The board said OCT would have to make do with its current funding of $290,000.
Bus routes must be cut to do that.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.
