SRFCS Debates Bus Buys Or Repair Costs

ST. REGIS FALLS - The St. Regis Falls Central School District is debating whether to spend money on three new buses or to continue spending money to repair four current buses that have proven unreliable and troublesome.

That was an issue Shared Transportation Director Darrin Jock, who works with both St. Regis Falls and the Brushton-Moira Central School Districts, brought to the St. Regis Falls Citizens Budget Advisory Committee Monday.

The committee looked at the proposed spending plans for the transportation and buildings and grounds areas Tuesday, and Jock and Shared Mechanic Frank Snyder were on hand to present information and answer questions.

One part of the proposed budget involves purchasing of three new buses and trading in four buses that were bought around 2007 and whose warranties will soon end, meaning the school would be responsible for repair bills.

While the buses themselves are good products, Jock said the engines inside are not and have needed to be repair several times. One bus in particular racked up a nearly $17,000 repair bill, but fortunately it was under warranty.

Jock suggested the district purchase three new buses and trade in the four that are coming off warranty to avoid possibly costly repair bills and put three reliable vehicles into the district's fleet.

"I don't have faith in the ones here," Jock said. "It's a very hard thing to deal with."

Jock said the district would likely save money right away just by having one less bus in the fleet. When one committee asked about the possibility of just getting rid of the old buses and not getting new ones, though, Jock said a purchase was needed in order to have back-ups.

"Let's lessen the fleet," Jock said. "I'm all about that, but we need to have spares."

The committee member, Randy Farmer, suggested the district may not be able to afford the purchase of three buses - and neither could the district residents who pay school taxes.

"That's good money out of my budget," Farmer said. "I don't think we'd be able to afford three buses. We just shouldn't spend the money just to spend it."

According to a quote from Leonard Bus Sales, Inc. of Deposit, a company Jock said he has dealt with before, the total cost of purchasing three new buses from the company, after the trade-in, would be about $193,000.

But, Business Manager Susan Perkins said the district currently enjoys an 82 percent transportation aid ratio from the state, meaning the district would have to pay just 18 percent of that amount, or about $35,000.

Perkins said the district would pay both the principal amount and the interest on a loan for the buses, but payments on the $35,000 plus interest would be spread out over five years.

"You're going to spend more than that on each bus," Jock said, noting he feels the repairs to the current buses would exceed the amount the school would pay to purchase new buses.

Shared Superintendent Beverly Ouderkirk said St. Regis Falls has considered either sharing a bus fleet and routes with Brushton-Moira or possibly contracting with Brushton-Moira to provide all of the transportation.

"We've not stopped looking at options," she said.