At least bus advocates don't have to worry about losing route 13, which winds through the city's south side and the town of Madison, with stops at the Goodman Pool, the Alliant Energy Center and the county's work-release jail.
The route was threatened earlier this year, when the town of Madison balked at paying $111,000 - a 31% increase - for its share of Metro service. Dane County finally stepped in with a one-time payment of $9,000, to help keep the route running.
Two weeks ago the town agreed, without complaint, to pay Metro $120,000 for service next year. Town chair Jim Campbell says the town met with Metro and knew ahead of time what the cost would be.
"We budgeted for it [in 2009]," he says. "We're satisfied that almost everything was done to minimize costs on this."
Campbell's ultimate solution to such budgeting quandaries is a Regional Transit Authority, which would pay for bus service countywide through a sales tax. "That would be a lot more fair," he says, "if everyone chipped in on it."
