Bullhead Area Transit System Commission Regular Meeting – August 3, 2026
Bullhead Area Transit System Commission Regular Meeting – August 3, 2026
The Bullhead Area Transit System (BATS) Commission held its regular meeting on Monday, August 3, 2026, at 5:30 PM in the Bullhead City Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order with all commissioners present, including Commissioner Hendrickson attending via Zoom. Key agenda items included public comments, approval of minutes, grant updates, a city council workshop report, and the launch of a short-range transit planning project.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The Commission unanimously approved the minutes from the May 11, 2026, meeting. Motion carried by voice vote.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Harvey Pryor, a resident, expressed strong support for adding a bus stop on the orange route at 2585 Miracle Mile and near Alanis Way, noting that the current route does not stop at the hospital, forcing patients to walk a half-mile or more. He also urged the commission to survey the north end of town to serve apartments there, noting that children lack transportation to the Boys & Girls Club. He requested timely action on these long-standing requests.
Discussion Items
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Transit Program Updates (presented by Michael):
- 5307 Grant Update: Staff reported significant progress on transitioning from the previous 5311 program to the 5307 direct-recipient model. The annual apportionment is approximately $1 million. The first grant application, covering funds from October 2024 through September 2026, is expected to be submitted within days, with approval anticipated in 1–2 weeks. Additional grants for the next fiscal year (2026–2027), a replacement bus (5339), and a fleet-wide radio system upgrade are queued. Staff hopes to present financial data at the November meeting.
- Passenger Complaint Report: No reportable complaints were received during the quarter.
- City Council Workshop Presentation: Staff presented to the City Council on boarding/alighting safety, access to service providers, bus stop shelter amenities, and new/expanding services. Council requested minor, low-cost modifications, which staff are working on. A short-range transit plan was discussed as a tool to systematically address service changes.
- Transit Planning Project Update: The contractor, Kimley-Horn, held a kickoff meeting the previous week. The short-range transit plan will take about a year to complete and will include extensive data analysis (ridership, on-time performance, stop amenities, dial-a-ride) and public input via surveys, stakeholder meetings, and on-board/stop postings. The plan is fully funded through the MPO at no cost to the city.
- Upcoming Service Closures: No transit service will run on Monday, September 7 (Labor Day) and Monday, October 12 (Columbus Day).
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Commissioner Comments: A commissioner asked about contingency plans for bus breakdowns in extreme heat. Michael responded that backup vehicles are pre-checked daily and can be swapped out typically within 20–30 minutes, with mechanics on standby to minimize passenger inconvenience. No formal action was taken.
Key Outcomes
- Approved minutes of the May 11, 2026, meeting (unanimous).
- Noted progress on the 5307 grant application and the transit planning project; staff will continue to update the commission.
- No future agenda items were identified for the next meeting.
- Meeting adjourned at approximately 6:30 PM (time not specified in transcript).
Meeting Transcript
All right, welcome. This is the Bullhead Area Transit System Commission regular meeting Monday, eight August 3rd, 2026. Call to order, madam. All council members are present. Council Member Hendrickson is joining us tonight via Zoom. Are you with us? Sorry, my mic is really giving me issues here. Commission member Hendrickson, are you with us? I am here. Okay. Thank you. All right, excellent. All right, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. I don't see any presentations. Is that correct? All right. Uh call to the public. Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Harvey Pryor, and uh at the last city council meeting was informed that we don't really get people from the public to come give input, so I had to make sure somebody does come and give you input. There are a lot of things that we would like to see here in Bullhead City as far as the butt bats system. We've asked many many times if there could be another bus stop added right over here on the other side of Alanis Way, right next to where the new bat system is supposed to be getting their new home. If we can have the orange route stop at twenty-five eighty-five miracle mile, there's a bus stop right there as it's making its route the rest of the way around. If I have an eight o'clock appointment, it won't stop and drop me off. It'll go all the way up to the hub. Eight o'clock it leaves there and comes back this way. The bus sets out there for what 14 minutes doesn't go anywhere. In that same time, it could be making a stop over here on the Alanis. What's that gonna take? Two minutes off of that 14. It could stop right over here at the hospital. So now what? It's taking four more minutes off of that. It would be servicing a hospital. It's kind of ridiculous to think that people get out of an emergency room and got to walk over a half mile or a quarter mile to get to a bus. So please we've asked for these things. Can we start getting some results? Please. I understand you're finally getting a survey to check the north end of town to start servicing some of the apartments up there. I'm sure some of the kids that live in those apartments up there would be love to be able to get down here and participate at the boys and girls club during the summers and everything else. There's no transportation for a lot for a good portion of the town up there. Say there's no need for it, but been a while since anybody's ass. So thank you very much. Yeah, have yourself a beautiful day. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Any other seeing none? All right. Uh approval of the minutes. Discussion and possible action to approve the minutes of the commission meeting held on May 11th, 2026.
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