Members of the Public Transit Advisory Committee met for the first time Monday, getting an overview of Jefferson City's transit system and direction on where future discussion may lead.
Jefferson City transit has been a recurring issue throughout the last few years, as some residents call for expanded service, while city officials try to lower a roughly $1 million general fund subsidy for the service.
Late last month, the City Council appointed the first members of the newly-created Public Transit Advisory Committee, an idea first brought to the council by the Citizens for JeffTran group in spring 2013, after the transit system had been faced with budget cuts. The committee consists of seven members, each representing a specific interest.
At the first meeting Monday, Public Works Director Matt Morasch and Transit Division Director Mark Mehmert gave overviews on the operations and budget of transit and discussed the overall duties of the committee.
Committee members voted Ann Bax as the new chair and Bill Case as the vice chair of the committee, and discussed meeting quarterly or as needed if there is a transit issue to discuss.
Morasch said the committee likely will meet again in April or May to discuss the possibility of increasing fares on the city's transit system.