As a follow-up to last Thursday show featuring Anne Smith and Commissioner Karen McColluh, I want to remind Community Bridge listeners to attend the Thursday's joint City/County meeting beginning at 4:00 pm in the County Commission Room, 115 North Fourth Street.
As Anne Smith announced on the show the topic for this meeting is the Transit Implementation Plan. Newly elected city commissioners Matta and Bulter need to know there is support in the Manhattan community for the proposed plan. One way to demonstrate your support is to be in attendance at this meeting.
As reported in the Monday's Manhattan Mercury, the Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency has received a grant from KDOT to fund two fixed bus routes in Manhattan. The grant includes $400,000 in federal funds and $144,000 in state funds as well as money to replace a bus and to fund administrative services ($40,000). The only funding left for aTa to secure is a $54,000 match from the City. If the City won't provide the match, aTa, and thus all of Manhattan, will lose the grant and the implementation of the fixed routes will be delayed.
The new commissioners - Matta and Bulter (who are Tea Party activists) - have indicated they intend to closely watch the city's finances and cut spending. However their ideology is likely to blind them to the needs of the working poor in Manhattan as well as university students and anyone else who does want to have to pay $4.00 a gallon for gas to drive their cars and the basic premise that government is to serve the people.
What better way to serve our community than by bringing state and federal tax dollars back into your community? Especially when these tax dollars that will go to some other community, if we don't find a way to provide the match. Thus setting our community back at a moment that is critical for the quality of life we have come to expect and enjoy in Manhattan.
Individuals can download the information packet at the following link: http://www.ci.manhattan.ks.us/DocumentView.asp?DID=1989
As Anne Smith announced on the show the topic for this meeting is the Transit Implementation Plan. Newly elected city commissioners Matta and Bulter need to know there is support in the Manhattan community for the proposed plan. One way to demonstrate your support is to be in attendance at this meeting.
As reported in the Monday's Manhattan Mercury, the Flint Hills Area Transportation Agency has received a grant from KDOT to fund two fixed bus routes in Manhattan. The grant includes $400,000 in federal funds and $144,000 in state funds as well as money to replace a bus and to fund administrative services ($40,000). The only funding left for aTa to secure is a $54,000 match from the City. If the City won't provide the match, aTa, and thus all of Manhattan, will lose the grant and the implementation of the fixed routes will be delayed.
The new commissioners - Matta and Bulter (who are Tea Party activists) - have indicated they intend to closely watch the city's finances and cut spending. However their ideology is likely to blind them to the needs of the working poor in Manhattan as well as university students and anyone else who does want to have to pay $4.00 a gallon for gas to drive their cars and the basic premise that government is to serve the people.
What better way to serve our community than by bringing state and federal tax dollars back into your community? Especially when these tax dollars that will go to some other community, if we don't find a way to provide the match. Thus setting our community back at a moment that is critical for the quality of life we have come to expect and enjoy in Manhattan.
Individuals can download the information packet at the following link: http://www.ci.manhattan.ks.us/DocumentView.asp?DID=1989
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