LAKE ERIE TRANSIT MILLAGE RENEWAL
– SAME AS CURRENT – ON BALLOT IN AUGUST
Vote August 4 to make sure your voice is heard!
The Lake Erie Transit millages are up for renewal in Frenchtown and in the city of Monroe and will be on the August 4 ballot, the transit company said today. This renewal of the existing three-year millages – 1.0 mills for Monroe and .75 mills for Frenchtown – would go into effect January 1, 2027 and run through 2029.
“We have been working hard to use this funding as efficiently as possible to provide as much service to the people who need it as we can,” said J.T. Hensley, LET general manager. “We have a history of levying only the millage amount we need to operate. In years when we do not need the full millage to operate, we have only levied the amount needed to cover costs.”
Hensley said the last two levy votes passed with over 70% approval, indicating that the people of Frenchtown and the city of Monroe understand LET’s role in their communities. As a partner with Frenchtown and the city of Monroe for 40+ years, he said, LET knows the value of its services.
“There are a multitude of reasons why we’re needed; many people rely on us to provide transit service to meet their needs. This is a critical service for people who have no other way to get where they need to go,” he said. “In larger cities, riders may use public transit for convenience – to avoid monthly parking fees or vehicle wear and tear. A lot of what we do is need-based service for neighbors with disabilities, veterans and seniors going to work, to doctors’ offices, libraries or shopping.” In Frenchtown alone, he said, LET’s fixed route buses average 17,000 riders a month. The Dial-A-Ride service transports 3,000 riders a month, on average.
Hensley said those numbers indicate the financial benefits LET returns to each community. “Our riders are getting out and spending money in the community.” The company is exploring ways to best determine the financial impact its range of services has on the community, both now and into the future.
Hensley explained “Our two greatest points of focus are, first, ensuring that we are meeting the needs of the community in the most economical way possible, and then, looking to start initiatives that help teach everyone who may need our services what is available to them. We are also adjusting routes to reduce redundancies and diving deeper into ridership trends and analytics to constantly improve our service.”
Hensley stated that LET is in the process of keeping up with changing transit technologies and getting riders to and from their destinations in the safest, most efficient way possible.
Residents can find more information on the LET website at www.lakeerietransit.com, and anyone with questions is welcome to call the office (734-242-6672) and ask for J.T. Hensley or Mariah Wagner “We are always happy to listen to feedback from the community.”
