START’s federal transit award: $3.4M for FY27 vs. $5.9M requested
START will tell the Town Council and county commissioners it learned June 3 it was awarded about $3.4M in FY2027 Section 5311 funding, roughly $2.5M below its request.
START plans to brief the Town Council and Teton County commissioners on a key number it got from the Wyoming Department of Transportation: about $3.4 million in Federal Fiscal Year 2027 Section 5311 funding, versus the $5.9 million START requested. The packet says START received notice on June 3, and staff characterized it as “significantly less funding than requested.” START Board Federal Funding Update Packet
This matters because 5311 dollars are the backbone reimbursement program for rural transit operations and maintenance, and START’s own fiscal section ties the lower award directly to a local budget gap. Commissioners should press for a plain-English accounting on Monday: how the $3.4M award was calculated, what assumptions START used when it asked for $5.9M, and what performance measures (ridership, cost per trip, farebox recovery, on-time performance) will be used to judge whether any local backfill is buying results, not just postponing the next shortfall.
Source Documents
| Date | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| July 6, 2026 | START Board Federal Funding Update Packet | packet |