Poll Results: Let Prison Health Workers Pay Full Price for Transit Passes

Earlier this week, we took readers' pulse on to employees of California Correctional Health Care Services. CCHCS is the state agency that in what was widely seen as a major coup for Elk Grove.

Of those of you who voted, most—71 percent—disagreed with lowering the price of a monthly pass from $100 to $80 for the workers.

At this week's city council meeting, council members seemed to agree that the idea at least merits more scrutiny. They postponed making a decision so they can investigate how to make the plan cost-neutral for the city—maybe by negotiating a better deal with MV Transportation, the private contractor that operates e-tran buses.

City transit manager Tiffani Fink also offered new details that could make the plan more attractive to the city and riders. Many state workers currently choose to buy Sacramento Regional Transit passes, which also work on e-tran buses, she said. But Elk Grove only retains a portion of that revenue. The city hopes the $80 price could encourage workers to buy the passes directly from e-tran—with all of that money going to Elk Grove.

Fink also added that riders would not have to work at CCHCS to purchase the passes, though they would only be valid on local routes and reverse commutes between Sacramento and the area around the Laguna Springs Corporate Center.

Council members also approved an agreement allowing Laguna Springs Corporate Center owner Pappas Investments to defer required development impact fees on the project for 10 years, saving the company an estimated $910,000.

For those keeping track at home, that brings the total direct and indirect city subsidies for the project so far to $4.2 million.