Bloomington Transit approved one route change and will revisit another, after some deliberation at its monthly meeting Tuesday.
The Transit Board also approved a $32.6 million budget for 2025, roughly six million more than the current budget. Employees will see a six percent wage increase.
The budget must be approved by the City Council.
The board also discussed proposed changes to Route 1 and Route 3 East.
The Route 1 change would eliminate a loop that covers Bloomington Meadows Hospital. The change was proposed due to low usage in that part of the route and continuous delays throughout the route.
Board member Shelley Strimaitis said each stop in that section only draws three or four passengers each day. The removed section would be covered by the BLink microtransit service and shave off about six minutes on the route.
Read more: Bloomington Transit launching new zone-based microtransit service
However, public comments on the route included those who are reliant on the current route and may not be able to afford BLink transit.
Charlie Brooks, CEO of Bloomington Meadows Hospital, spoke during public comment at the meeting.
“There's a stop right across the street from us, and so we do have people who come daily for an assessment, and family members should come to visit patients in addition to staff,” he said.
The board postponed a vote on the proposed change for the next meeting on Sept. 17.
The board also voted to change Route 3 East, eliminating the early morning and evening route change. The limited-service areas removed from the route are covered by BLink.
The change will go into effect Aug. 26.
