Valley Transit warns service cuts if borough implements proposed 25% funding reduction

Residents, riders and Valley Transit officials told the Matanuska-Susitna Borough assembly in Willow that proposed budget cuts would significantly curtail public transportation across the valley.

Jennifer Bush, executive director of Valley Transit, told the assembly the manager’s proposed 25% funding reduction (proposed to begin July 1) was announced to the agency on April 2 and would force immediate cuts and longer-term consequences. “There is no way that cutting public transit funding so greatly is not proposing to cut public transit services to our community,” she said, adding that weekday service could be cut by more than half and Saturday service eliminated.

Board president Paul Beere said transit serves riders who need dialysis, students, seniors and workers commuting to Anchorage, and that a 25% cut equates to about 15,000 rides fewer (Beere cited a 60,000-rider baseline). Rider Wendy Oden said she depends on Valley Transit five days a week and urged assembly members to rethink cuts. Driver James McClease described the system’s role in delivering essential trips for vulnerable passengers and recovery programs.

Bush also warned that reductions would make it impractical to deploy planned technology (real-time manifest updates, bus tracking and online scheduling) and could jeopardize capital investments such as four ADA-accessible vans and a 28-passenger accessible cutaway that are due to be delivered later this year.

Speakers urged the assembly to preserve current service levels or to work with Valley Transit on alternatives rather than making abrupt cuts. The assembly did not adopt a funding decision at the meeting; the ordinance that includes the borough budget was read into the record and the public hearing on it was continued to a later date (see separate item).