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Ashland wants buses running Council pursues ways to restore service By DANI DODGE ASHLAND -- At a study session Wednesday, the Ashland City Council agreed to try to get buses running at the same rate and cost they were last year. "Let's get back to where we were," said Mayor Cathy Shaw. "And ask SOU (Southern Oregon University) to pick up a portion." Back in June, Ashland had one extra bus route and buses ran every 15 minutes. The cost was 25 cents a ride and free for Southern Oregon University students. But Rogue Valley Transit District officials said the enhanced service provided in Ashland cost them an extra $300,000 a year, and they wanted the city to pay up. The city balked; it already had kicked in $100,000 above and beyond all the property taxes the bus district received from the town. So RVTD discontinued the extra service. Now, fewer buses run every half-hour and cost is $1 a ride in Ashland, unless special discount tickets are purchased at the city's utility billing office. The city hired a private consultant to study its options. The $10,000 study showed it would cost about $1.1 million for the city to run its own transit system and deliver the pre-June service. Councilwoman Susan Reid suggested the city should encourage a private enterprise to provide transit in Ashland, but City Administrator Mike Freeman said it's unlikely a private company would take over the task. "The problem is there's not money in mass transit," he said. Councilman David Fine suggested that Southern Oregon University should be shouldering more of its share of the transit costs in the city. The university so far has pledged $50,000 toward bus service. "We might indicate if they don't do anything, then we may regulate parking around the university," Fine said. "Meters ... two-hour parking ... or residential permits could be considered." A subcommittee of three council members was appointed to decide on options for getting transit running efficiently and smoothly again in Ashland. Also at the study session, council members said they weren't sure it was a good idea to use money earmarked for the fire department to go toward renovating the Hillah Temple, as had been suggested by staff. "I really want to keep that in the fire department," said Councilwoman Susan Reid. The Hillah, in Lithia Park, is being renovated to provide office space for the community development and public works departments. Public works currently rents space for its staff, and community development is overcrowded at City Hall. The city administrator and finance director had put together a possible plan to finance the $2.65 million renovation. The plan included borrowing money, raising fees, and using $450,000 that had been set aside for fire station renovation when some fund balances were lowered in several accounts last year. The money was no longer necessary for the fire station, because voters passed a $3.14 million bond measure to pay for a new fire station in November, city staff members said. But council members, who had gotten calls from the public on the issue, suggested that money should go toward the current fire station renovation or the renovation of the second fire station. "When this came up I was surprised," said Councilman Steve Hauck. "When we did the bond, I thought it was minus this $450,000. I would not be willing to use this for the Hillah Temple." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA