I-976 may impact Grant Transit Authority

MOSES LAKE — Grant Transit Authority is starting to build a small reserve of funds. On the flip side, the agency may lose some of its funding from the state.

With the passage of Initiative 976 and a subsequent court ruling, some state programs are being cut, according to Greg Wright, general manager for Grant Transit Authority (GTA).

“This is such a wait-and-see,” Wright said. “It’s up in the air. We don’t know what programs will be cut.”

The cuts made at the state level will determine how GTA is affected. While it won’t affect the operating budget in the short-term due to a two-year operations grant that GTA has, it may cause them to cut the service from Moses Lake to Wenatchee. The service to Wenatchee is paid for by a regional mobility grant through the Washington State Department of Transportation. If that funding goes away, then most likely the service will too. In the event that the cut is made, riders still have the possibility of getting to Wenatchee through People For People’s services.

“If we do lose funding and eliminate the service, we will work with our partners at People For People to make sure schedules align,” Wright said.

In the meantime, Wright said that they do know that they won’t be receiving the $169,950 they had previously been awarded to replace five of their vanpool vans and to purchase two new expansion vans.

“It (the money) has been deferred until further notice,” Wright said.

In spite of the possible service cut and not being able to replace aging vans, GTA is being able to build its reserves. According to Wright, the two-year operations grant that GTA currently has will not be going away and will help to continue building their much-needed reserves.

Rachal Pinkerton may be reached via email at [email protected].