PORT ANGELES — The Clallam Transit System board authorized negotiations on an employment agreement with interim General Manager Jason McNickle to serve as the agency’s next permanent general manager.
A subcommittee appointed by the board to oversee the search process briefed commissioners in executive session before the board approved the motion by unanimous consent on Wednesday.
The employment agreement and salary will be discussed and formally ratified at a special board meeting at 10 a.m. today.
McNickle has served as interim general manager since Aug. 1, when he replaced General Manager Jim Fetzer, who retired.
Board members said McNickle’s performance in the interim role, along with his familiarity with the organization and experience in public transit, weighed heavily in their decision.
“I think that Jason is very well-positioned to fulfill this role,” board member Mark Ozias said.
“This underscores the confidence that we have in Jason and his ability to lead the organization forward.”
Board member Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin said the decision was difficult because the candidates were highly qualified, but he cited McNickle’s institutional knowledge and leadership experience.
“We feel very strongly and very confidently that Jason is the right pick,” Schromen-Wawrin said. “A big factor was Jason’s familiarity and knowledge and team building and expertise in not only transit, but in Clallam Transit.”
The board unanimously approved the transit system’s 2026 operating and capital grant budgets, setting total revenues at $16,219,356 and total expenditures at $18,082,477.
The approved budget also set aside $4,206,131 for the vehicle replacement reserve and $2,728,200 for the facility and equipment reserve.
Finance Manager Cherie Huxtable said the adopted budget includes modest tweaks made since an October board workshop, including updated capital reserve contributions and revised expense projections using actual spending data through November rather than September.
The budget assumes a 4 percent wage increase for represented employees and a 3.5 percent increase for non-represented staff.
Taron Lee, the acting operations manager, said ridership remained steady, with slight year-over-year declines in fixed-route service and continued strong customer satisfaction for the agency’s microtransit program.
Fixed-route ridership totaled 74,400 in October, down just over 1 percent from the same month last year, and 62,471 in November, also down just over 1 percent. Customer satisfaction scores for the Interlink microtransit service remained high, ranging from 4.8 to 4.9 on a scale of 1 to 5.
Paratransit ridership increased, Lee said, with October ridership up more than 10 percent year-over-year and November ridership rising 3.64 percent. The agency approved 106 new paratransit applications in October and 75 in November.
Staff reported five exclusions in October and November.
In other business, the board unanimously approved several action items, including:
• A one-year, $62,335.76 software support renewal with Avail Technologies Inc.
• Authorization to purchase up to 13 rideshare vehicles, not to exceed $775,000.
• Replacement of a failing 31-year-old HVAC system, not to exceed $200,000.
• Replacement of aging fuel pumps, not to exceed $55,000.
Maintenance manager Gary Abrams said the new fuel pumps would be compatible with a future tank replacement, allowing the agency to move forward now without duplicating costs when the fuel storage system is eventually replaced.
In his executive report, McNickle highlighted national transit advocacy efforts related to federal grant distribution, warning that proposals to shift funding formulas could disadvantage small and mid-sized transit agencies like Clallam Transit.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
