MY TURN: Citylink is an essential service
Chris Fillios
There have recently been concerns and questions raised within the county regarding why our tax dollars should pay for transit services, and I hope to clarify some confusing information that has been presented to Kootenai County residents and community members.
Kootenai County Public Transportation (Citylink) is an essential municipal and community service, as defined by government in the U.S. It keeps people connected to neighborhoods, employment, shopping, education, health care, recreation, community services, family and friends. The design of the public transportation system is to ensure maximum service coverage within the designated service area. Federal funding for public transportation within states, urbanized areas and tribal governments is based on statutory formulas set in law to support transit. The FY24 federal funding allocated to Kootenai County Public Transportation amounts to $2,870,350. These funds are not county taxpayer dollars, as previously stated on public record. The majority of the local match required by the federal funding agency to pull down these federal funds is provided by Kootenai County Public Transportation’s transit partners, including cities within the county. Kootenai County’s contribution to the transit budget that’s up for discussion for FY25 is $66,308.
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