Decatur City Council approves three intergovernmental agreements for transit service expansion

Three intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) were approved by the Decatur City Council allowing Decatur Public Transit to expand its transportation services to all of Macon County, Ill., including the village of Forsyth and the village of Mt. Zion. Transportation services outside of Decatur will be covered with state and federal transportation funding and no city of Decatur funds.  

The city of Decatur says Macon County was previously serviced by Showbus, but that operation wasn’t meeting the community’s current needs. The county, city and the Illinois Department Transportation (IDOT) collaborated on these IGAs to ensure rural transportation remains available in Macon County. The city says that while Forsyth is serviced with buses going to the shopping area around Hickory Point Mall, Mt. Zion expressed interest in its community being fully served. IDOT agreed the villages should be incorporated into the urban transit network and be serviced by microtransit, or mobility-on-demand, as the most cost-effective and beneficial transportation solution.  

The city says these partnerships are a great opportunity to enhance connectivity between its communities and potentially bring residents to Decatur to work, shop and dine, go to medical appointments and more. The city says Forsyth, Mt. Zion and Macon County have agreed to subsidize transit operations in their communities should state and federal funding dry up, protecting the city of Decatur from covering any budget shortfalls. The IGAs include provisions for vehicle replacement every five years. Rural transportation will tentatively be available on July 1, 2025.