Downtown Trolley Likely to be Free for Another Year

After weeks of heated discussions over its revenue-challenged 2010-12 budget, the Walnut Creek City Council decided on ways it wants to save some of the city's beloved programs--at least for the next year--from the free rides on the downtown trolley to school crossing guards. 

But Council members agreed that regional funding efforts are needed for some of these programs.

Route 4, from the Walnut Creek BART station and around downtown, will remain free for at least another year.  Mayor Pro Term Cindy Silva suggested that the city's $200,000 annual subsidy to County Connection could come from the city's $1.3 million parking enhancement fund. Drawing from this fund to finance free trolley rides makes sense, she explained, because the trolley plays an important role in reducing the number of people driving into Walnut Creek and crowding its parking places.

The trolley transports approximately 900 riders daily, 26 per hour. It is one of County Connection's most popular routes, serving commuters and shoppers.  It costs $700,000 a year to operate.

But the city is not signing over a blank check. Silva added she wants a report in six months to find out who is riding and what the impact would be on ridership if the city decided to charge a fee. 

"We would like to hear by February 1," she said. "That gives us time to think about ridership and we can get a real sense of seasonality, too," said Silva.

Council member Gary Skrel was skeptical."Look at the difficulty we face.  $200,000 is a big ticket, and I am torn on this," he said. 

Council members are also set to continue funding for school crossing guards, who work at six intersections near schools throughout town. Silva suggested that the money for this program could come from a $314,000 Council Contingency fund. At the same time, Silva suggested the city explore ways to partner with nearby cities covered by the Mount Diablo Unified School District, which also has three elementary schools and one middle school in Walnut Creek. 

Mayor Sue Rainy agreed with Silva. She expressed concern about the discrepancy among schools, saying some schools benefit from this service while others don't. She said the schools can look at where the needs are by making crossing guards a regional effort.

Walnut Creek's Concert Band will be spared as well, but council members suggested that the band should start to seek additional private support as well. 

Another program the city helps pay for, through matching grant, are crisis counselors at some Walnut Creek schools. These are usually part-time counselors who are available to help students in a variety of ways, helping them with family problems, drug abuse, suicide prevention. Council members Kish Rajan and Gary Skrel spoke strongly in favor of continuing support for this program, at least for the time being, so that schools are not suddenly left without the money to keep these counselors on staff.

The City Council is scheduled to formally adopt the budget, with these plans for saving these programs, at the next City Council meeting June 15.