The Rapid in Walker at stake on ballot

WALKER, Mich. (WOOD) - Walker residents will have an important decision to make in regards to a ballot proposal when they head to the polls on Nov. 6 -- one that could effect the future of public transportation in the area and the city's partnership with The Rapid bus service.

If Walker residents vote yes on the ballot proposal, it will end the city's long-term relationship with the Interurban Transit Partnership -- the five-city coalition that runs The Rapid -- when its current contract runs out in 2018.

The group supporting the proposal says the city is paying the Rapid too much as it is and using residents' tax dollars to do it.

But the campaign urging residents to vote no says eliminating bus service with no plan for the future could erode the very fabric of the community.

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Walker Yes advocates a Yes vote. Voting yes on this proposal would approve withdrawal of the City of Walker from The Interurban Transit Partnership’s taxing district.

Keep Walker Connected advocates a No vote. Voting no on this proposal would keep funding dedicated for transit in Walker.

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For Walker residents that work, but don't have transportation, The Rapid is a life line.

"Yeah, I would hate seeing it go," said Rapid rider Lee Mata. "We need it more than anything."

The Walker Yes campaign says it doesn't have a beef with buses. The Rapid is good for the community and should remain, it says, but taxpayers aren't getting their money's worth.

"We're overpaying for the system," said Ben Reisterer, chair of Walker Yes.

Citing internal documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Walker Yes claims the city pays $1.4 million a year for Rapid service but that the system only costs $800,000 a year to operate.

The organization says the city should contract for bus service using general fund dollars instead of taxes.

"Which means there's a potential savings of $600,000 a year for us," Reisterer said.

But Rapid officials dispute the numbers and say they told the Walker Yes campaign they were old and outdated.

Initially, The Rapid supplied information that shows Walker pays $1.38 million to the ITP and that The Rapid operates at a cost of $1.5 million, a difference of about $127,000 in favor of the city.

Later, they revised their own numbers. The Rapid now claims Walker pays $1.322 million to the ITP, making a difference of $185,000 in favor of the Walker.

"It's the real numbers, which means that yes, I believe that Walker is getting the bang for the buck in terms of what they are contributing and the value of the services they're getting," said ITP CEO Peter Varga.

Walker Yes has a plan to pay for a contracted bus service in the event that the ITP contract ends. They propose using the annual $600,000 currently spent on bonds for the Walker Ice and Fitness Center. That bond commitment ends in 2018.

"I've had email communications with the City of Walker, and they told me specifically that the city commission has no plans for that money at this time," said Reisterer.

But Walker City Manager Cathy VanderMeulen said that in five years, the city may need the money for something else. And if the proposal passes, there's no backup plan for bus service.

"I would have to say at this point in time without further discussion, in five years it would probably cease to exist," said VanderMeulen.

The campaign to vote no, Keep Walker Connected, says cutting ties with the ITP would be a disaster that would leave Walker residents without transportation options.

"Essentially what the proponents of this proposal are asking residents and the City of Walker to do is, 'Let's jump out of an airplane with nothing more than a plan to look for a parachute on the way down,'" said Keep Walker Connected representative Stan Stek.

The Walker Yes campaign says another benefit to contracting bus service would be to streamline the three routes the city has and reduce the number of empty buses.

Rapid officials say they've seen more than 11% ridership growth this past year at 30 passengers per hour. And they haven't heard rumblings from any of the other four cities threatening to cut ties with ITP.

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