Although uncertainties with federal funding have caused some transit agencies in rural Oregon to limit services, that won’t be the case in Lincoln County – yet.
New revisions to an agreement between rural transit agencies and the federal Transportation Administration requires compliance with federal immigration enforcement action, which contradicts Oregon’s sanctuary law.
The new requirement caused federal transit funds to be withheld. Nineteen states including Oregon have joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation. A court-issued-temporary injunction unfroze some funding while the case proceeded. But staff cuts at the Oregon Department of Agriculture caused by a funding shortfall after the failure of a state transportation spending bill have further complicated the distribution of federal funds to transit agencies.
Amid the uncertainty, some transit areas have already announced cuts to services.
But Lincoln County said Monday its transit operations have a healthy enough reserve to deal with short-term revenue interruptions, although it’s uncertain if service reductions will be necessary in the long term if federal funds are ultimately withheld.
“We know how dependent on our services most of our riders are,” county transit director Cynda Bruce said in a news release Monday. “We don’t want to make cuts unless it’s absolutely certain they’re necessary.”
