PORT ANGELES — Clallam Transit is waiting to see how state and federal spending cuts will impact its operations and projects this year, Executive Director Jim Fetzer told board members at their regular meeting Wednesday.
President Donald Trump’s mandate to downsize government and end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs has initiated U.S. Department of Transportation funding cuts and rollbacks of electrification, climate and equity programs.
Meanwhile, Gov. Bob Ferguson has proposed a 6 percent cut across all state agencies — like the Department of Transportation — to ease what is expected to be a $10 billion to $12 billion budget deficit over the next four years.
“They’re still looking for other sources of revenue to fund projects that they’ve had shortfalls for, so there’s some fear that they’re going to be coming after transportation dollars, especially in the public transportation side,” Fetzer said. “But I do feel very good at this time that we have a good reserve because it may be needed here in the upcoming year based on what’s going on in Washington, D.C., and Washington.”
He anticipated more action at the federal level on equity initiatives.
“Staff spends a lot of time on Title VI and ADA,” Fetzer said. “I don’t know what direction it’s headed, but we’ll certainly find out in the upcoming months.”
Rick Burton, the union representative for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 and a non-voting member of the board, said he had not seen the downtown police resource officer who is supposed to be stationed at the Gateway Transit Center.
In 2023, Clallam Transit committed $125,000 over four years to hire a full-time officer to respond to and prevent crime and vandalism in the area. The city and downtown businesses also helped fund the position. In November, the system hired a private firm, Security Services Northwest, to monitor Gateway Transit Center when the resource officer was not on site.
Fetzer said he also had concerns about the amount of time the officer was spending at his post.
“I’m going to have more discussions with Police Chief (Brian Smith),” Fetzer said. “He’s had to pull the resource officer away because of a shortage of resources in other areas.”
Fetzer said a hub at the Olympic Peninsula Gateway Visitors Center in Port Ludlow that will allow riders to transfer between Clallam Transit’s Strait Shot that travels to the Bainbride Island ferry terminal and Jefferson Transit Authority’s Kingston Express Route to the ferry terminal there is set to begin construction soon with a completion date sometime in December. He said 90 percent of the $89,595 project is grant-funded; Clallam Transit’s share is $2,900.
Ridership is at its highest level in years, operations manager Jason McNickle said. For example, January 2025 fixed-route ridership (67,705) was almost 60 percent higher than in January 2021 (26,106).
Ridership on the Strait Shot was more than 300 percent higher during those same months (323 in January 2021, compared with 1,312 last month). He credited the zero-fare policy and the system’s ease of use for the increases.
Commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Remix Technologies for software for the system’s fixed-route scheduling for $103,000 over a three-year period.
“This will help us manage routes in a proactive manner and more effectively develop routes,” McNickle said. “We’ll be able to manage data effectively for things like mileage costs.”
The goal will be to have the new software system up and running this fall.
The board unanimously agreed to designate March 18 as Driver Appreciation Day in Clallam County. Social media and posters will encourage people to thank drivers and recognize their work.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
