KRT praises city partnership, previews $30M West Side maintenance facility and urges support for public-safety levy

Sean Hill, speaking for KRT, thanked the mayor and council for city partnership that, he said, has helped make the transit center safer and more welcoming. Hill said KRT is "investing almost $30,000,000 in a new maintenance facility on the West Side of Charleston," called transit a key connector for medical appointments, school and work, and cited annual ridership figures while urging council members to rally support for the Kanawha County Public Safety Levy on the May 12 ballot, which he said is important to KRT's success.

Hill emphasized the agency's broad service: "1000000 rides a year, 50,000 paratransit rides a year," and framed transit access as essential to economic opportunity, saying a personal vehicle should not be a prerequisite for success in Charleston. He said he could not directly ask council members to vote for the levy but asked them to use their influence to encourage constituents to participate in the election.

What happens next: Hill’s remarks were delivered during public comment; no formal council action on the levy occurred at the meeting. Council members thanked KRT for partnership and outreach; any official city position on the levy would require a separate council process.