Politics
Mentone City Council Approves 2027 Transit Funding Ordinance Shifting Resources to Industrial Corridor Routes
The ordinance reallocates $1.8 million from the capital budget to extend bus service along the industrial corridor while leaving residential neighborhood routes unchanged.
How we reported this
Mentone City Council members voted 5-2 on July 7 to pass the 2027 Transit Funding Ordinance. The measure directs funds previously earmarked for general route maintenance toward new stops serving the industrial corridor between Elm Street and the rail yard. Residents who rely on those corridor routes gain additional evening service, while households in the Maplewood and Cedar Hill neighborhoods see no new stops or frequency increases.
Background on the budget shift
The ordinance responds to a request from the Mentone Economic Development Office for improved access to manufacturing sites that added 420 jobs last year. Council documents show the $1.8 million comes from the city’s capital improvement reserve, which had been projected to cover pavement repairs on 12 residential streets. The vote overrides an earlier staff recommendation to spread the same amount across all 14 existing routes.
Under the new schedule, buses on the industrial corridor will run every 20 minutes after 6 p.m. instead of every 40 minutes. Route 7, which serves Maplewood, keeps its current 45-minute headway. Cedar Hill residents on Route 12 will continue to transfer at the central station for any trip longer than four stops.
Effects on household costs and access
Workers employed at the rail yard and nearby factories will save an estimated 12 minutes each way on evening shifts, according to the transit authority’s modeling. Property owners along the corridor will see no immediate change in property taxes, because the ordinance does not alter assessment formulas. Households outside the corridor will continue paying the existing transit levy of $48 per year without receiving added service.
City records indicate the capital reserve balance will fall to $4.2 million after the transfer. The public works department has stated that pavement projects on four Maplewood streets now face a one-year delay. No new fees are imposed on any residents under the ordinance itself.
Implementation begins October 1. The transit authority will publish updated timetables by September 15, and the finance department will issue a mid-year budget adjustment report to council in January 2027.