Carroll County commissioners keep transit hours, review annex renovation plans

Carroll County commissioners voted unanimously Aug. 28 to keep Carroll County Transit operating hours at 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. following a public hearing filled with opposition to proposed cuts.

Transit Director Sonja Trbovich had suggested possibly reducing hours to 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. to help offset a budget shortfall caused by a $77,155 reduction in the 2026 ODOT grant and the loss of a higher-rate Council on Aging contract.

Trbovich estimated the system will need $115,000 to cover the annual gap, though about half that is needed upfront due to the state’s fiscal year calendar. Seniors, riders and residents testified and submitted letters stressing that reduced hours would prevent them from making early or late appointments. Commissioners said cutting hours would not solve the deficit and would instead reduce revenue. Officials pledged to explore other solutions, including advertising and potential grants, to address the funding challenge.

In other business, commissioners:

— REVIEWED plans to renovate part of the annex building into a community meeting center with a warming kitchen, bathrooms and a new entrance. The project will be funded in part through an application to a federal grant.

—APPROVED a work order for the Carroll County Agricultural Society to provide road-closed signage and exit banners.

— AUTHORIZED nine permits for EOG Resources Inc. to install natural gas pipeline driveways and temporary water lines in Augusta Township.

— LEARND county agencies are working with EOG to reduce truck traffic during the Mill Festival. The Emergency Management Agency and local planning committee are seeking to limit congestion near the event grounds.

— REPORTED the Carroll County Health Department’s roof replacement is complete, along with new overhangs and a vinyl railing. The improvements were described as both practical and visually appealing.

— PAID the bills of $668,804.87. The annex building contractor bill came in for air conditioning, heating units and such.