BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week

The St. Lawrence County legislature voted to sign contracts with the four local colleges to re-establish the county public transportation College Connector routes.

The board’s Finance Committee had passed the motion a week prior. The full board vote makes it official.

The legislature took the action at a Monday, July 6 meeting that was streamed live online via YouTube.

That motion says the transit system is projected to provide 83,000 trips and travel 1,015,277 miles this year, and that are eligible for state assistance to help pay for that. It also notes “private funding resources” to pay for the bus routes that weren’t included in the original contract are also available.

“These really are popular routes,” Matilda Larson, county transportation manager, told the Finance Committee on June 29. “With schools being back in session, we do want to re-engage.”

At that meeting, Legislator Rick Perkins, D-Potsdam, asked Larson if the colleges contribute, and she said they do. She said two-thirds of the bus system operating budget is from state transportation aid, based on mileage and trips provided. Federal funding picks up about 10% of the operating budget. The College Connector system covers 18% of operating expenses for the transit system and the last 10% is from bus route revenue, according to Larson.

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