By a 6-1 vote, the Chelsea City Council opted out of the county-wide transit plan Tuesday night, Oct. 23.
The city joins neighboring Western Washtenaw municipalities Sylvan, Lyndon, Lima and Dexter townships in choosing not to participate. In fact, the only municipalities to remain as part of the authority to date are the cities of Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Saline as well as Ypsilanti Township.
Council Member Kent Martinez-Kratz was the lone no vote as he thought the city should participate.
The vote followed a work session where Council members agreed that although county-wide transit was a great concept and they were in favor of public transportation, at this point, there were too many unknowns for the elected officials to burden its taxpayers with a millage.
“Our decision is on behalf of the 5,000 people out there,” said Chelsea Mayor Jason Lindauer, of the citizens of the city.
Council members expressed concerns about what the exact millage might be as well as the representation on the board.
In addition, the Chelsea area is currently served by the Western Washtenaw Wave Express (WAVE), which provides not just connector bus rides but also door-to-door service.
