As voters gear up to hit the polls on Aug. 6, they will be asked whether to renew a millage for the Isabella County Transportation Commission, better known as I-Ride.

The commission is asking tax payers for up to 1 mil per year ($1 per $1000 taxable value), which has been the cap since 2004. However, I-Ride’s Executive Director Rick Collins said that the agency has only levied that full amount twice in 20 years (2008, 2009).

Apart from that, I-Ride’s request for levy has been consistent at .862, Collins said. For the owner of a $100,000 taxable parcel, $86.20 of their annual property tax bill goes to the transportation commission at that rate.

“If the voters approve up to 1 mill, every year we go before the county board and we submit our budget to them, and then they choose what (to) levy for the next fiscal year,” Collins said.

Collins said the funds from the taxes will help keep I-Ride operating at the level that it currently does.

“(Without the local millage), we wouldn't be able to afford to operate nearly the number of service miles or hours that we currently do,” Collins said. “We would be able to provide significantly less trips. Essentially, it would take our budget from operating seven days a week right now as we do. We would only really be able to afford to operate about five days a week, seven buses, 10 hours a day.”

According to I-Ride’s website, if the millage isn’t renewed, the commission would lose around $2 million dollars in property tax revenue.

Additionally, to receive state and federal taxes, the transportation commission must provide local matching funds. If the local property tax was not passed, it would lose around $3.8 million dollars in state and federal funding, a total of around $6 million in revenue, the website said.

Collins stressed the importance of public transportation. He said it not only helps people who need public transportation but also has an impact on the local economy.

“We're providing mobility to people that otherwise may not be able to have mobility options through town, whether they be disabled individuals that are unable to drive or maybe they're economically suppressed individuals that simply can't afford to operate a car,” Collins said.

“Transportation overall is an economic driver in a community,” he continued. “We're taking people to places of employment, we're taking people to shopping, we're taking people to doctor's appointments, we're taking employees to their employers. All of these things help drive local economy.

“If we don't have local transit, that makes our community a little less appealing for people looking to relocate for jobs or whatever their situation may be.”

Similar to Isabella County Parks and Recreation millage renewal, Collins said he has seen more interest in this year’s election, compared to previous years.

“This year, we have way more engagement locally than ever before,” Collins said. “And that's great. You know, the community members are involved, they're engaged, they're asking questions. I've had the opportunity to talk to several different groups throughout the community and individuals one-on-one as they call and seek more and more information.”

Collins said that I-Ride is optimistic heading into the election, as local support for public transportation is continuing.

“I think people really understand what we do and what the impact would be if we weren't around,” Collins said. “So historically, we get pretty good support, we're still seeing that we're having pretty good support. As everybody in this community knows and understands, there are some anti-tax sentiments going on, and we do use tax dollars to support our operations.”