SPOT seeks funding help

SANDPOINT — After a year of consistent growth, Selkirks-Pend Oreille Transit officials are seeking help to keep the system rolling.

According to a report by SPOT director Marion Johnson, program organizers and administrators will be asking for a slight increase in funding from local governments. The request is almost entirely due to changes in federal law, which increased the match requirement for capital from 8 percent to 20 percent, she said.

SPOT requires a $549,631 budget to maintain operations for 2014-15. The bulk of those expenses — $375,006 altogether — are anticipated to be covered by grant funding. However, in order to qualify for those transportation grants, Johnson said local cities need to contribute a percentage of the costs.

As a result, program directors are requesting $78,000 from Sandpoint, $81,000 from Ponderay, $500 from Dover and $500 from Kootenai to reach sufficient funding to keep the transit system running.

In comparison, Sandpoint contributed $70,000 in SPOT funding for the current fiscal year.

Along with an anticipated $5,000 from Schweitzer Mountain Resort and $10,000 from advertising revenue, the contributions should be enough to cover the required $174,624.

Johnson is hoping the program’s high ridership numbers and comparative efficiency will be enough to convince local officials of its benefit.

For one thing, SPOT has already secured grant funding for the coming year and merely needs to supply the match requirements. For another, SPOT officials are taking steps to limit the need for local funding.

Each SPOT bus is now equipped with donation boxes, and officials are selling advertising to contribute toward match requirements. Finally, SPOT has the lowest operating costs of any transportation program within Idaho’s five northernmost counties, according to Johnson.

SPOT has enjoyed significant growth over the first half of the year, jumping from just under 6,000 rides per month in December 2012 to more than 7,500 in January. Aside from a dip back to just under 6,000 in February, the ridership has remained steadily above 7,000 throughout 2013.

During that time, the bus service has given 6,032 rides to downtown Sandpoint, 5,128 rides to Walmart, 3,853 rides to the library and 3,352 rides to Bonner Mall.   

 SPOT has relied on public assistance since its initial planning stages, when a grant secured by Dover officials paved the way for a full regional transportation system. In 2010, Ponderay residents passed a bed tax on regional hotel stays, providing the final leg of funding for the system’s launch in the summer of 2011.