PA: Westmont seeks revision of CamTran funding formula; bus service backers speak out

At Tuesday’s standing-room-only meeting of Westmont Borough Council, residents who use public transportation urged council members to prevent reductions to bus service next year by paying the full $13,412 request of the Cambria County Transit Authority.

As the council examines expenses to avoid tax increases, it has partially withheld funds requested by CamTran for services in 2026.

The council’s payment is due to CamTran by June, and no changes to bus service will occur while talks continue, Council President Marc McCall said.

He said the council has been satisfied to receive more information from CamTran about the funding formula that dictates annual shares owed by municipalities for services, but the council has not yet committed to paying the full amount to CamTran. It is seeking a revision of that formula.

Eric Ingess, of Luzerne Street, was among the 30 people packed inside the municipal building for the council meeting. He said he takes the bus to work every day and cannot drive because he has a disability.

“If the frequency of buses is cut, I’ve got no way to get to work,” he said.

About 13% of the borough’s households in the 15905 zip code rely on public transportation, said Jeannine McMillan, executive director of the 1889 Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for health and human services in the Johnstown region.

CamTran is funded by local shares from the municipalities it serves, as well as a share from the Cambria County government. Those shares are required by state law to draw much greater funding matches from the state government.

CamTran Executive Director Rose Lucey-Noll said CamTran’s request of $13,412 from Westmont Borough is required for CamTran to receive a state match of more than $100,000.

Last month, the council approved a resolution to pay a lesser amount of $5,000, which would reduce the state match by $67,000 and likely result in service reductions across the borough in 2026, Lucey-Noll said.

April Eyler said Tuesday that she rode the bus regularly until she saved up for a car. Having won election to the council last month, she is set to take her seat on the council in January.

“We have a responsibility to our residents to better their lives,” she said.

After listening to the public comments, council members said public works, police services and other borough expenses have been rising.

In his monthly financial report to the council, Councilman Bill Stasko said revenues are hundreds of thousands of dollars behind the borough’s financial position in December of last year.

Even with the revenue challenges, the council unanimously approved a 2026 budget of $2.83 million Tuesday with no tax increase.

The budget has been prepared with the potential for providing the full $13,412 payment to CamTran, Stasko said after the meeting.

But the council has not yet decided whether it would hand over the funds.

Lucey-Noll said municipal shares for CamTran services are based on a formula set 40 years ago by the Cambria County Planning Commission, an agency independent of CamTran.

That formula calculates local shares for municipalities across Cambria County based on each municipality’s census and miles covered by buses, she said.

Lucey-Noll said Tuesday that she looks forward to CamTran and the borough working together to avoid bus service cuts. At the council’s request, Lucey-Noll said she will ask the Cambria County Planning Commission to revisit the funding formula.

CamTran’s annual fiscal year begins in June. The council has until then to finalize its payment, she said.

McCall said he looks forward to revisiting CamTran’s funding formula with the Cambria County Planning Commission.

“We have a fiscal responsibility to pass a budget, and we have to look at cutting expenses,” he said. “We understand that public transportation is a valuable service, but it’s our job to pick every expense apart.”

He said that while the borough has approved a budget without a tax increase for 2026, it could be a different story next year if expenses including payments to CamTran continue to rise.

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