Douglas turns down Carson's $16K JAC request

Douglas County commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to turn down a request to help fund a Carson City bus service that runs over the county line to a shopping center on Topsy Lane.

Carson City's transportation commission voted to send a request last month to Douglas County commissioners for $16,000, the amount Carson says it takes to run the Jump Around Carson (JAC) bus service every year to the Carson Valley Plaza shopping center.

The Carson transportation commission will meet Wednesday and could vote to cancel bus service to Douglas County. The city had asked Douglas for months for the funds.

Patrick Pittenger, Carson City transportation manager, said he will recommend the commission do that.

"We've gotten to that point," he said.

Shelly Aldean, head of the commission, has said canceling service to Douglas is a possibility. It is only fair the county should help pay for something it benefits from, she has said.

Charles Desjardins, also a member of the five-person commission, agreed that canceling service to Douglas is an option.

"It's about time they step forward," he said.

Most of the 30 riders a day to the shopping center are Carson residents going to shop or work, according to Commissioner Richard Staub.

The money isn't worth canceling service, he said.

"I'm not going to let an imaginary jurisdiction boundary stop us from serving our citizens," he said, adding that "every time we hold out our hand to Douglas County, it gets slapped."

Douglas County commissioners said this week that they have to be cautious with their budget during the slow economy. Some said they would consider running their bus service into Carson if the city stops service to the county.

"I'm not out to build the big fence between Carson and Douglas," Doug Johnson, head of the Douglas County commission, said earlier this week.

Carson City started its bus system in October 2005 and pays $450,000 a year for it. The system has 9,000 riders a month.

• Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212. Nevada Appeal News Service reporter Susie Vasquez contributed to this report.