Future of seniors bus sparks debate

Town councillors are open to finding ways to keep the Westlock Seniors and Disabled bus running beyond the planned July 2013 shutdown.

After listening to a passionate crowd at the Jan. 14 town council meeting, councillors committed themselves to working with residents and community groups to figure out how not to leave bus riders stranded.

Last Monday, the council chamber was packed to overflowing, with concerned attendees filling every chair, to the point some were seated to the right of mayor Bruce Lennon and others standing at the bottom of the stairs.

They were all there to listen to Westlock Legion representatives Paul Taverner and Marjorie Steele speak about the bus service’s cancellation, hear what councillors had to say in response and have their voices heard.

Ultimately, the discussion came down to the attendees being blindsided by the news and feeling the town was acting without considering how people would be affected.

“We the Legion have very deep concerns that the mayor and council will go ahead with their proposal without bringing it to the people of Westlock to have any say in the matter,” said Steele, reading from a prepared statement.

Taverner also read from a letter from Westlock United Church Pastoral Charge board chair Phyllis Frick, in which she chastised the town for how and when the news of the service’s cancellation came out — on Dec. 21 in the Westlock News.

“Was this in the hope that it would go largely unnoticed and slip by while everyone was busy with Christmas?” Frick asked.

She also took issue with Lennon’s comment that the cancellation was being delayed six months so that if community groups would be interested in taking on the service, they would have time to come forward.

“It’s a pity the town failed to offer some real leadership and call upon these organizations to meet with the town to help solve a problem,” she wrote. “We seem to avoid co-operation in favour of confrontation far too often.”

Lennon responded that the timing of the decision was not to hope it would escape public scrutiny. Instead, he said it was made for budgetary reasons during budget time, which just so happens to fall at the end of the year.

Looking at the numbers, Lennon said the bus ran deficits in 2011 and 2012 of $56,416 and $50,847 respectively. If the town were to cover that $50,000 deficit through increased property taxes, he said a one percentage point increase would be required.

In 2011 the bus brought in $21,336 in revenue and cost $77,752 to operate. In 2012 its revenue was $22,926 and it cost $73,773 to run.

In terms of ridership, in 2012 there were 4,168 trips taken, for an average of 347 per month and 16 per operational day.

While those are decent ridership numbers for a town like Westlock, Lennon said the problem was that there simply were not enough riders overall to make continuing to run the bus economically viable.

Still, he said deciding to potentially end the service did not come easy.

“I can’t think that councillors don’t feel this is a needed service,” he said.

Coun. Sheila Foley said she was in favour of the service and wanted to make it work if at all possible. She added that in other communities that have similar services, the business community chips in to help the bus stay on the road.

Coun. Marjorie Sterling Miller, who has been involved with the bus since the days when the town, county and Village of Clyde all contributed to it, told the assembled crowd that when the county and Clyde bowed out, a meeting was set up between many different community groups to figure out a way to keep the bus running.

However, she said that meeting achieved nothing, and there was not even one follow-up meeting held.

Now, she said it’s likely time to revisit that original meeting and see if there’s a way to restart negotiations.

Many of those in attendance were glad that councillors appeared willing to do what it takes to ensure there is no interruption in service.

One of those was Smithfield Lodge resident Eleanor Harder. She had submitted a letter that Steele read to councillors, but also spoke in person.

Harder said the only reason she was able to attend last Monday’s meeting was because of the bus. She is confined to a wheelchair, and as such cannot use vehicles other than the bus.

“I just panic at the thought of not having the bus come July,” she said.

Art Avery also added his voice to the conversation. He questioned the county’s lack of involvement, citing the fact many county residents have family living in the lodges in town who use the bus — those people have family using a town service but are not contributing to its upkeep. He argued the town needs to approach the county and get it back onboard.

On that topic, Lennon said he encourages people to pressure the county to buy back into the bus service, adding he would be well prepared to have the bus drive out to the county.

“That could definitely be part of the solution,” he said.

Once everyone in the audience had had a chance to have their voices heard, Foley said it was never councillors’ intention to cancel the bus service without discussing it with users and community groups.

“We wanted lead time to allow us to discuss solutions,” she said.