Sanford asks taxpayers to discuss Buzzline financing as federal grant nears end

Sanford taxpayers are being asked to advise Sanford on Buzzline’s long-term funding.

In Aug. 2025, Senior Planner David Montgomery presented the Buzzline project, and Sanford knew it had approved a public transportation system without creating a sustainable program for its continuance.

Now, Sanford wants taxpayers to talk to them about financing.

On Sept. 8, 2026, the city released a notice for a public hearing, but first, taxpayers may want to review the history.

In Aug. 2025, The Microtransit Advisory Board (MAB) submitted marketing strategies, distribution plans, and the designated pilot transit zone for consideration and approval.

MAB Members

Rebecca Wyhof Salmon: Mayor of the City of Sanford

Kirk Smith, former chairman of the Lee County Commissioners

Crystal Gaddy: Business Retention & Expansion Director of the Sanford Area Growth Alliance  

Jonathan White: Attorney for Central Carolina Community College

Karyn Christopher: Executive Director of the Stevens Center

Yanira Scott: Executive Director of El Refugio

Wendy Bryan: Executive Director of the Sanford Tourism Development Authority

The MAB members list raises conflict of interest questions when considering the advancement of the city’s attraction with public transportation for new industries and development, the new athletic park scheduled for Buzzline inclusion, college students, Steven Center participants, the immigrant population, and the local tourism promoter. This leads to the question of whether these organizations should fund public transportation.

Sanford received $3.4 million over three years from the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Mobility for Everyone, Everywhere in NC (MEE NC) Grant, which supports on-demand transit in rural, low-income communities. One of only 11 cities selected, Sanford is partnering with the County of Lee Transit System (COLTS) to provide both para-transit and microtransit services, the first city-county partnership of its kind in North Carolina, creating what’s known as a commingle system.

Montgomery emphasized that COLTS “can and will serve” outside the pilot area but warned that long-term funding for Buzzline was uncertain. “When the money runs, how are you going to pay for it?” He said the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) had recommended the $5 fare. “It has to come out of some other funding source between the city and county, and grant money. It’ll have to be figured out down the road.”

Councilmember Charles Taylor proposed higher fares to reduce trips, with nonprofits and businesses offering voucher subsidies.

Montgomery noted that if demand was high, a fourth vehicle could eventually be added from service-generated revenue.

Affordability and sustainability were still issues. The program will exceed $1 million annually, with scarce resources post-2027 federal funding expiration. Then, fares would be the system’s main revenue.

“We have a pool of money, right now, and we all care and think about the poor,” said Member Mark Akinosho, before adding a warning. “To have this advantage for people who go to work, not riding for pleasure or convenience, we have to make sure that we have a pool of money so we can sustain this. Because once the money runs out, the city will be looking for money, the program won’t be able to sustain itself, and we will have to pack up the vans.”

After brief discussion on setting the fares at $3, Montgomery shared that, based on his conversations with the NCDOT, it’s more challenging to maintain revenue if the fare for the same service was raised in two years and two months, when the federal grant expires.

“Right now, it won’t affect you; you have three million dollars. If demand is so high that you have to get another vehicle, that’s a good problem to have. But long term…I don’t see how it’s perceivable that you don’t raise the rate to a significant amount,” reiterating that it costs $1.1 million to operate the microtransit program, with COLTS currently only generating $100,000 annually at the $5 fare rate.

Montgomery said $2.50 was not sustainable. “You’re gonna have to come up with a million dollars a year to service this thing, and that’s just for the zone you’ve identified, not citywide,” acknowledging the council’s stated vision of serving the whole county in the future.

“It’s discriminatory to have a city resident outside a zone to pay a higher rate than somebody that’s in the zone,” Taylor said. “That to me is discriminatory.”

Taylor recommended changing people’s habits, adding that people could be “better stewards of our money” by being more disciplined and not going to Wal-Mart “three times a week,” a consistent trip example used by council members throughout the discussion. He suggested varying fares by time of day to balance supply and demand.

Debbie Davidson, mobility manager for Lee County, cautioned that fare flexibility was not possible in the short term: “It’s not easy to change the fares because they are built into the software package.” For now, she said, it’s “the whole fare or no fare” with TripMaster. Davidson confirmed that free ride vouchers could be leveraged.

Councilmember Jean Dabbs shared her thoughts. “Once we get it started, we have to sustain the program. That’s probably the most important thing that’s been said: we have to sustain this program. I compared the inconvenience or burden of the ten-dollar round-trip fare versus three to five years, maybe the service not existing because we can’t sustain it. That’s a greater burden on the population. I understand why we have to do the $10 round trip, because for the long term, we really are creating a lesser burden on people if we do this.”

 “We knew when we took this on that we were piloting something we’d eventually have to pick up. We’re hoping to get participation from other programs, but this is a real problem the council has been trying to solve,” Mayor Rebecca Salmon said about the unsustainable transportation system the elected city council approved, knowing the problem and taxpayer burden.

The Public Hearing

Sanford City Council will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, to gather input on whether to apply for Capital Cost of Contracting grant funding from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for the Buzzline Microtransit pilot program.

The public hearing will be held during the Sanford City Council meeting at the Sanford Municipal Center, located at 225 E. Weatherspoon Street in Sanford. Public hearings start at 6 p.m. Those interested in speaking at the public hearing must sign up by 5:50 p.m.

Managed by NCDOT’s Integrated Mobility Division, the Capital Cost of Contracting grant allows existing public transit programs to use federal funds to pay for the capital portion of contracted transit services, easing the impact on local operating budgets.

In Sanford, the County of Lee Transit System has partnered with the City of Sanford to operate Buzzline Microtransit, a pilot program that provides on-demand transportation within a designated service area. During the pilot period, the service is fully funded through NCDOT’s Mobility for Everyone, Everywhere (MEE) grant.

Since it launched in November 2025, Buzzline Microtransit has serviced more than 22,000 riders. More than half of those riders are using the service for employment purposes. A fourth Buzzline van will be added this fall, allowing the designated service area to expand to include high-demand areas in Tramway.

The City of Sanford’s funding request for the program is $209,125 and guarantees a local match. If awarded, Capital Cost of Contracting funds would help fund Buzzline for 6 months after the MEE funding period ends in 2027.

Those who cannot attend the public hearing may submit written comments to David Montgomery by September 14, 2026, in person at 115 Chatham Street or via to david.montgomery@sanfordnc.net. Supportive services can be requested by September 14, 2026, at 919-718-4651 or van.dowdy@sanfordnc.net.

Learn more about the Buzzline Microtransit at http://www.sanfordnc.net/buzzline or www.buzzlinemicro.com.

Sept. 10, 2026

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