Bullhead Area Transit System Commission Meeting Summary – May 11, 2026
Bullhead Area Transit System Commission Meeting – May 11, 2026
The Bullhead Area Transit System Commission met on Monday, May 11, 2026, at 1:30 PM. All commission members were present. The meeting included a presentation on the city's General Plan update, staff reports on transit funding and planning, approval of corrected minutes, and a discussion of complaint tracking procedures.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The commission voted to approve the minutes of the February 2, 2026 meeting with two corrections: (1) Commissioner Frizzell's motion to elect Robin meeting (Robin's name was misspelled) and (2) Commissioner Henderson's motion to elect Cindy Frizzell as vice chairperson for the 2026 calendar year. Motion carried unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke during the call to the public.
Discussion Items
- General Plan Update Presentation – Johnny Loera from Planning & Zoning presented the draft circulation element of the city's General Plan update, which must be updated every 10 years. The document identifies traffic improvement goals, including new east-west connections, north-south access via extending Landon Drive, and supporting transit. Commissioners asked about reinstallation of light poles removed during construction (specifically pole 236), the necessity of landscaped median barriers on minor arterial streets (explained as safety features), and requested a higher-resolution map. The public can comment via the city's website.
- Transit 5307 Transition Update – Staff reported significant progress in transitioning from a 5311 sub-recipient to a direct 5307 grantee. City transit projects are now listed on the MPO Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) and the State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP). The annual certifications and assurances were completed. Grant applications will be submitted in FTA's TRAM system by the end of May, with approval expected in about two weeks. Staff will then process back-reimbursements for service already provided, with a goal of catching up by end of summer or fall.
- Passenger Complaint Report – Staff reported zero formal complaints in the first quarter of 2026. In response to commissioner questions, staff explained complaint methods (phone, in-person, Title VI postings), that informal complaints are tracked but not formally required, and that driver complaints against passengers are handled via incident reports. A commissioner asked about excluding problem passengers; staff noted only a court order can permanently ban a rider, citing a past incident where a judge barred a passenger for throwing a metal tumbler through a bus window.
- Transit Planning Projects – Staff reported participation in two planning efforts: (1) The Bullhead Area Transit System Short Range Transit Plan (funded by a 5305e grant, consultant selection expected by June after MPO board approval, project duration about one year) and (2) the Bullhead City MPO Long-Range Transportation Plan (2050 outlook). Both will involve public input and commission updates.
- Transit Service Holidays – Staff announced no transit service on Monday, May 25 (Memorial Day), Friday, June 19 (Juneteenth), and Friday, July 3 (Independence Day observed).
Key Outcomes
- The commission unanimously approved the corrected February 2, 2026 minutes.
- No formal passenger complaints were received in the first quarter of 2026.
- The transit funding transition to a direct 5307 recipient is nearly complete; applications due by end of May 2026.
- Staff will provide a higher-resolution map to commissioners for the General Plan circulation element.
- The short-range transit plan and MPO long-range plan will proceed with consultant selections in June 2026.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good evening. We call to order the Bullhead Area Transit System Commission for Monday, May 11th, 2026. Roll call. All commission members are present. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I apply pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, an indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Good job. All right, presentations. Yes, good evening, Madam Chair, Commissioners. My name's Johnny Loera with the planning and zoning department for the city. And uh first off, I want to thank you for taking a few minute minutes to discuss our general plan update. So the first thing I want to say is well, what is a general plan, right? Is the question we get most often. So the general plan is essentially a roadmap of the community's intentions regarding development of the city. It includes sections dealing with circulation, land use, open space and recreation, water, and so on. The state requires that every 10 years, cities update their general plan to ensure that it reflects the current priorities and values of the community and this residents. With our last update being approved in 2016, this year we're preparing an update to be presented to council on June 16th, and then placed on the ballot for the November election. I believe Mr. Pelusa was kind enough to provide you with the draft of the circulation element of the general plan update. It identifies current conditions, assets, and projects that have been completed within the last 10 years. The end of the section has a list of goals, objectives, and policies, and this is really what we're looking for feedback on. You'll note that most of that section is centered around improving traffic conditions, which we know is one of the top concerns of residents of the city. So the goals include adding new east-west connections between the highway and the parkway, improved north-south access, which we know there's a project in the planning stages to extend land and drive between the parkway and highway 68, which will help alleviate some traffic off the highway. There are also goals related to supporting our transit system and improving cooperation with Laughlin and working closely with the Bullhead MPO, who we know will be undertaking a long-range plan here in the coming months. So really what we're looking for is feedback from the commission members and from the public on these goals, how to improve them, and whether we need to add any new goals.gov backslash general plan update, where we have the existing general plan, the draft update, a survey, and contact information for staff members. Do you have any, Cindy? No. Do you have any Livia? Do you want me to go right now? Yeah, go ahead. Okay. Um several polls have been removed for construction, commercial construction along Highway 95, and also for the turn lanes. Will all of those be reinstalled once the construction is completed? Light poles or yeah, light poles. Yeah. Um, I'll find out from our public works. I believe they should they will be, but again, I'll talk to our public works director to make sure that's uh being handled. So specifically, there's a poll number southbound 236. That looks like the construction is done behind that poll, but it still hasn't been replaced. Poll 236. Yeah. Okay. Okay, I'll discuss with our public works director. Okay, thank you. I just had one question in regards to some of the information I read in the plan, which I understand your request is looking for feedback on the goals. However, um, and I may be late to the party. I believe this is possibly been discussed in the past, but my uh curiosity couldn't help but wonder what um why it's necessary that there be a landscape barrier median when possible on our roads. So, like on page 39 when we're talking about minor arterial streets. Yes, which I think this draft actually didn't have some of the updated actual sections that are in the newest version that I just came up with that I had to draw up.
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