After more than a year of planning and study, Georgetown City Council could decide the fate of a proposed fixed-route bus system at its June 28 meeting.

City staff presented changes to the proposed system at the council’s May 24 workshop based on direction given at its Feb. 9 workshop, including terms of a possible partnership with Georgetown Health Foundation, Georgetown Transportation Analyst Nat Waggoner said.

“Georgetown Health Foundation sees the bus [system] as a way to … connect people to what the foundation  calls social determinates of health. Those are things like access to healthy foods [as well as] access to recreational, educational or health opportunities,” he said. “So it makes a great deal of sense for us to be working with them.”

Community partners

The nonprofit GHF—a grant-making organization working to promote sustainable community health initiatives in Georgetown—has proposed an agreement with the city that includes up to $200,000 a year for three years to help fund the system’s operational costs, GHF Director of Community Resources Suzy Pukys said.

In the past 14 years she has been working with nonprofit organizations in Georgetown, Pukys said the No. 1 expressed need has been public transportation. [polldaddy poll=9440679]

In November, GHF published the findings of its Southeast Georgetown Needs Assessment, which named public transportation as the most important critical need for low-income residents in the southeast portion of the city.

“[Our interest in partnering with the city] comes from this growing consensus about that need that was reinforced by the study,” Pukys said. “It was the No. 1 critical need in the study. That captured our attention.”

City Council had directed staff at its Feb. 9 workshop to pursue strategic partnerships with groups already working on public transportation.

“[This is a] very generous offer from the health foundation,” Council Member Rachael Jonrowe said. “It does give us wiggle room to try the bus system … [to determine if it works] in Georgetown.”

The council also directed staff members to continue to work with other nonprofit groups in Georgetown, including Faith in Action Georgetown, which provides transportation services to seniors.

“With the city the size we are and the size we will be probably by the next census, the need is greater than one entity can facilitate. … If we realize the strengths of one organization and the abilities of another, then we can marry those two and have a more effective system,” Waggoner said.

Connecting Georgetown

The fixed-route bus system, first presented to the council in 2015, was developed as part of the city’s Transit Development Plan through an interlocal agreement between the city and Capital Metro—the Austin Urbanized Area designated recipient of federal transit funding.

The city was included in the AUA as a result of the 2010 census. Because of the designation,  city transit planning and funding is completed through Capital Metro, said Michelle Meaux, Capital Metro regional coordination planner.

The plan includes four proposed routes that would connect at a transit center near the Georgetown Public Library on Eighth Street, Waggoner said. The plan also includes continuing paratransit service for individuals with disabilities.

Waggoner said stops could include Southwestern University, H-E-B on University Avenue, Georgetown Recreation Center, the Lone Star Circle of Care Lake Aire Medical Center, Wolf Ranch Town Center and the new Sheraton Georgetown Texas Hotel and Conference Center.

Buses would operate for 12 hours daily Monday through Friday and 10 hours on Saturday, and the service could launch in August 2017 with the start of school, he said.

If the council did approve the fixed-route system, Waggoner said the city would take the next year to gather public input on the routes and stop locations.

The city would also create a steering committee, which could include representatives from Capital Metro, the Capital Area Rural Transportation System, GHF and Faith in Action Georgetown, he said. The group would meet quarterly to evaluate the system on performance measures adopted by the council, he said.

Pukys said GHF was interested in getting feedback from those using the potential system to “ensure that the system as it stands is working.”

Funding for the system would come from several sources, including Federal Transit Administration funding, which can change based on population and density as the city grows, as well as the city’s annual budget.

Waggoner said there was also the potential for the city to earn revenue through advertising.

Council direction

Several City Council members voiced their support for the system during the May 24 workshop, including Steve Fought, who had expressed concerns about the proposal in previous meetings.

“I have not been a fan of the fixed-route bus system because it doesn’t do anything for senior citizens or people with mobility issues; however, this is a good plan,” he said, adding that he wanted to ensure performance measures were established. “I was surprised at my reaction to [the plan]. I think [city staff] followed what we want.”

Other council members said they would like to see more information about the budget.

“I don’t know if I believe we are ready for a fixed-route bus system,” Council Member Tommy Gonzalez said. “I want our plan to have more definites.”

Council Member John Hesser reiterated his request for the city to consider including services such as Uber and Lyft to meet transportation needs. However, other council members said they would caution against relying on ride-hailing services as a form of public transit.

“I think [we should] keep in mind that people who need this service might not have a smartphone,” Council Member Anna Eby said.

Jonrowe echoed Eby’s concerns and said she would be hesitant to use public dollars for ride-hailing services.

“I would approach that with healthy skepticism,” she said.

However, Fought said the council had to consider solutions for all of Georgetown, not 1 percent of the population.

City staff members will further research the council’s concerns and questions to present answers at the June 28 meeting, Waggoner said.