Board approves three SB230 formula grant awards for Summit County, Transport agency and Pagosa Springs

The board approved three awards from the SB230 formula program designed to expand transit service across the state.

Staff reported that 23 agencies have now been awarded under the formula program for about $26 million to date and brought three additional recommendations for approval. Summit County was recommended for $917,000 to reinstate trips on the Blue River route and transition a pilot shuttle (Swan Meadow) into permanent operations; staff said the award would add about 8,000 vehicle revenue hours and nearly 32,000 vehicle revenue miles. A second, larger award to an agency identified in the packet as "Transport" was described as enabling implementation of a service rationalization plan that staff estimated could add roughly 443,000 passenger trips and about 18,000 vehicle revenue hours compared with the counterfactual of service cuts. Pagosa Springs' Mountain Express Transit was recommended funds to expand microtransit hours (initially adding 4,000 passenger trips and about 800 vehicle revenue hours) and to support recovery from flood impacts.

Directors raised questions about how SB230 awards interact with local funding decisions and whether the formula should prop up unproductive services. Staff said the intent of SB230 is to increase service and that they would hold agencies accountable to preserve productive service levels rather than permit supplanting of local funding. The board voted unanimously to approve the three formula awards.

Staff said about $4 million remains in reserve for agencies in deferred status and that additional formula awards may come forward next month as agencies complete their applications. The board is scheduled to revisit formula weighting and FY27 allocations at a future meeting.