Citizens and municipal leaders bounced ideas around Monday night here at the Village Hall to get the public transportation ball rolling to the area south of Madison.
Representatives from Oregon, Stoughton, Brooklyn, Rutland and Evansville formed a committee to study the feasibility of bringing commuter bus service to Oregon and Stoughton.
"This is something that will help relieve the highway system over time," said Charles Miller, an Oregon resident. "And it is an answer for people who are aging in place out here and still need to get to Madison on occasion."
Committee members' first charge is to take the concept back to employers in their communities and learn about the needs of employees.
Stoughton Mayor Helen Johnson expressed an interest in finding out if enough Madison and Oregon residents work in Stoughton to justify a reverse commute into her community.
"Our job is to provide jobs, goods and services at home and then make it easier for people to get to Stoughton," said Johnson.
Another immediate task for committee members will be to come up with potential bus routes as well as park and ride locations.
"The park and ride is very popular," Catherine Debo of Madison Metro told the committee. "It is a very useful concept for attracting folks from the rural area to use the service."
Evansville Mayor Janis Ringhand asked Debo if Rock County residents would be able to use the service.
Ringhand expressed an interest in a park and ride in Oregon, noting that a 2004 survey found that 47 percent of Evansville residents work in Madison.
Debo responded that public transportation would be open for any resident.
A subcommittee was formed to write a survey that will be mailed to residents in each participating municipality. Debo advised the committee as a whole to make their survey as specific as possible in order to get a clear picture of the need for commuter service in the area.
Not everyone spoke in favor of bus service to these bedroom communities.
"While this is a noble cause, we are already draining people out of our communities," said Brooklyn resident Sue McCallum. "Not one tax dollar should go into that kind of system. Your time, money and effort should go into creating jobs within your communities."
As Metro is a division of the city of Madison, an inter-municipal contract would be formed with each city, village or town that decides to participate in bus service. Hans Noeldner, Oregon Village Board member and chairman of the new Public Transportation Committee, estimates the cost of the potential service to be about $50,000 a year, based on current bus service being studied in Sun Prairie. The cost would be split among any municipalities that choose to participate.
The next committee meeting will be at the Stoughton City Hall at 6 p.m. Nov. 16.