With Helena's FY2027 budget officially adopted, Commissioner Gustoson isn't ready to stop talking about transit. At the September 8 city commission meeting, Gustoson asked City Manager Lake to schedule a dedicated work session on transit funding, calling it an area that 'needs some hard decision-making' as the city looks ahead to the next budget cycle. No commissioner objected to the request.
Mayor Dean added a wrinkle to the timeline, suggesting the transit discussion be timed to coincide with the release of the Metropolitan Planning Organization's findings — a move that would give commissioners data to work from before they're asked to make funding calls. The MPC study is expected to inform how Helena allocates transit dollars and whether the current service structure is sustainable.
Transit has quietly become one of the more complicated line items in Helena's budget, touching federal pass-through funding, county coordination, and a ridership base that includes some of the city's most transit-dependent residents. By flagging it now, Gustoson is signaling that commissioners shouldn't wait until next spring's budget crunch to have what could be a difficult conversation about service levels, routes, or funding sources.
No date for the work session has been set. Residents who rely on Helena's transit system or want to weigh in on funding priorities should watch the commission's published agenda for when the item is scheduled.