Sherburne County officials are beginning to work on the 2017 county budget and tax levy.
But they are still not clear how much the county will be spending to keep the NorthStar Link bus operating after 2016.
The bus service was established in 2009 to carry commuters from St. Cloud to Big Lake. It has stops in East St. Cloud, St. Cloud State University, Becker and the Big Lake NorthStar Station.
The Link bus agreement between Sherburne, Stearns, Anoka and Hennepin counties expires at the end of 2016. Under that agreement, Stearns County pays 39.7% of annual operating costs. Sherburne County pays 37.6%. Anoka County pays 18.1% and Hennepin County contributes 4.6%. The operating budget for 2016 is $301,934.
At a workshop meeting Tuesday, Administrator Steve Taylor said Anoka County is hesitant to pay for the Link service after this year.
“They want to reduce their expenses,” he said.
Taylor said at a recent NorthStar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA) Executive Committee meeting, Stearns and Sherburne counties proposed a funding formula that would have Stearns and Sherburne County pick up 20% of Anoka’s share each year over the next five years.
“This was just something for discussion purposes,” he said.
If that formula was put in place, Sherburne County’s share for operations for the Link in 2017 would be $140,955.
But there are other circumstances that could change that.
Tom Cruikshank, managing director of operations and planning with St. Cloud Metro Bus, which operates the Link, said there is a chance MnDOT could pick up more of the tab. MnDOT currently contributes 50% towards operating costs for the Link.
Cruikshank said if MnDOT contributed 80% for operations like it does for some out-state transit lines, it would help significantly.
“In our 2017 application for state assistance for NorthStar Link, were suggesting to the state they get it to 80% as soon as next year,” he said. “They’ll take that under advisement as they look at what’s available for all their budgets statewide.”
If that happened, there may be no need for Anoka County to phase out its contribution. Even at 18.1%, Anoka County would only pay $18,354 next year instead of $65,743. Sherburne County’s 2107 share would fall to $38,127.
But there are other costs involved in keeping the Link going. All five of its buses are 17-18 years old and need to be replaced. Major repairs and component replacement continues to drive up operating costs.
“I just signed off on another bill of $28,000 for a major repair,” said Taylor. “These buses are on their last leg.”
New buses cost $600,000 each. Under a program with the state, MnDOT will cover 80% of the cost to purchase the buses as long as there is a five-year commitment to keep the Link operating.
Cruikshank said new buses would also reduce operating costs.
“We certainly shouldn’t have as much maintenance expenses once buses are replaced,” he said. “We should go for many years with just preventive maintenance and no major component replacement like we’re having now.”
But who pays for the buses is another topic of debate. The operations funding formula and buying buses will be two of the big issues when the NCDA Executive Committee meets at the Government Center Aug. 15 at 2:30 p.m.
