A Cascades East Transit bus in 2014.  

Officials operating Cascade East Transit have a hurdle to clear in the Oregon Legislature before they seek a local funding option to move the transit system forward.

The Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, the organization that runs CET, was formed under an Oregon statute that does not specify whether it can bring an operating levy for transit to voters and generate revenue from a local tax source.

A proposed clarification to the statute is one of many ongoing efforts by COIC to improve the transit system in Central Oregon. The council is also working with public and private stakeholders who want to see a more robust system. In addition, officials want to do outreach that entices more residents to use the transit system instead of driving, people known as “choice riders.”

“We need to find another funding source to grow our system again so it’s a system that works for choice riders,” said Deschutes County Commissioner Alan Unger, who is also a COIC board member.

Cascade East Transit provides bus routes for all of Central Oregon. Some of the more rural areas require riders to call ahead to request transit service.

A proposed local tax is still likely a few years away from being placed on an election ballot, but without legislative clarification, the path toward generating local funds could be much more complex. The other option would be for COIC to form a transit district that would operate as a separate entity with a different board of directors.

Andrew Spreadborough, executive director of COIC, said the council sees many reasons for staying with the current system instead of creating a district.

“There are a lot of financial and operational advantages to having one (transit) system,” Spreadborough said. He added that there could be inefficiencies created by adding another layer of bureaucracy to the equation.

The system could become fractured as well, if certain regions or cities want to create their own separate transit district.

“We just feel like this clarification would continue to allow us to maintain the current structure while growing the system,” Spreadborough said.

“We don’t really want to create a transit district,” said Unger. “COIC is doing a good job.”

The legislative clarification is supported by the city of Bend, the Association of Oregon Counties and the Oregon Transit Association.

Local funding was first proposed in February as a solution for future Cascade East Transit services, especially in the more rural parts of Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook counties. A funding subcommittee made recommendations that were adopted by the COIC board.

“At the end of the day, the system as it exists today … we can’t continue to rely on government grants and funding, especially for rural areas,” said Jason Carr, chairman of the COIC board.

Carr said that, without the funding, COIC can continue to operate the bus system, but it wouldn’t be able to expand and provide more routes.

“We don’t want to keep cutting routes,” said Carr.

Carr said Bend’s system could become stronger with the local funding, but the tax would really benefit the rural areas of the three counties.

“It’s really the rural system that has the most question marks because there is very little government funding from the cities,” said Carr, excluding Bend, which provides funding for transit within the city.

Surveys by COIC have shown that most people in the three counties think public transit is good for the community but aren’t necessarily willing to pay for it.

Carr said the council needs to do a better job of telling people about Cascade East Transit. Part of building support would be the prospective growth of adding and increasing the frequency of routes.

“We have to get the system to a place where they can consistently count on buses being there,” he said.

In the short term, a committee was formed to look at partnerships with those in high need of reliable transit and possibly willing to contribute resources. Some of the convening partners include St. Charles Health System and OSU-Cascades.

“This is an opportunity to bring them into one room and identify where the shared priorities are and then agree on the means to fund improvements,” said Spreadborough.

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, tshorack@bendbulletin.com