When voters receive their ballots, which were mailed on Friday, they will see an important question about forming the Gallatin Valley Urban Transportation District.
Supporting it should be a no-brainer.
The request comes from the managers of the Streamline bus system, a free service that takes riders around Bozeman and the greater Gallatin Valley. People use it to get to work, school and to access health care. It’s vital for those who don’t have a car and a convenient option for those who would rather leave their cars at home.
Streamline launched more than a decade-and-a-half ago. The Human Resources Development Council manages the service and receives federal money to pay for it.
But growth in the Gallatin Valley is forcing a change to that arrangement. Bozeman passed the magical 50,000-person threshold in 2020, which means the Federal Tranist Administration now considers it a “small urbanized area.” Because of that classification, the federal money can no longer go directly to HRDC and instead needs to go to a government entity.
Creating an urban transportation district will give that money a place to go. It’s also the best solution for keeping Streamline healthy.
A governing board would manage the district, and operating Streamline would be their sole focus. The alternative would be letting the county or a city government handle the money — entities that simply aren’t prepared for the responsibility of managing a bus service.
The district’s borders would include a broad swath of the Gallatin Valley, primarily the “triangle” area between Bozeman, Four Corners and Belgrade. That covers all of Streamline’s existing service area, and should mean that the buses people rely on will continue running. It would also include Streamline’s Galavan service, a paratransit option for older people and those with disabilities.
The best part? Creating the district won’t cost taxpayers any more money.
Voters are simply being asked to approve the creation of the district, which will keep the same federal funding stream that’s kept the bus service going for the past 17 years.
The district would have the power to ask for mill levies in the future, and it may well need to do so at some point. But for now, creating the district is all that’s needed to maintain Bozeman’s public transit option. Voters are urged to give it the green light.
Even more importantly, all who can vote should. The ballots were mailed on Friday and are due back by May 2. It’s an all-mail election. Put your ballot in the mail no later than April 25 or drop it off at one of the county’s drop-off locations — Monforton School, Belgrade City Hall or the Gallatin County Courthouse. Those locations will be open each day leading up to and including Election Day.
This editorial solely represents the opinion of the Chronicle Editorial Board. The board consists of the managing editor, the publisher and several community members. The community members are non-journalists who provide input and help shape the board's opinions.
The board does not represent the views of the newsroom, and its opinions have no influence over the Chronicle's news coverage. To submit feedback on this editorial, email citydesk@dailychronicle.com.
Editorial Board
Mark Dobie, publisher
Jason Bacaj, managing editor
Richard Broome, community member
Renee Gavin, community member
Charles Rinker, community member
Will Swearingen, community member
Angie Wasia, community member
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