Killeen council members to mull agreement with Hill Country Transit District

Killeen City Council members during a workshop on Tuesday are scheduled to consider a resolution approving an agreement with Hill Country Transit District for additional bus routes.

“The purpose of this agreement is to continue and increase the services HCTD provides to the city, including Route 550 Silver Flex Route and Fixed Route 5, and associated complimentary ADA services,” that document shows.

Under the agreement, the city will pay $100 an hour for Route 550 Silver Flex. It will pay $200 for each hour of service on Route 5. Both will be calculated each October based on the previous 12-month average cost per service hour.

The expanded service areas include the intersection of Stan Schlueter Loop and Central Texas Expressway.

The Hill Country Transit District operates HOP, a regional public transit system that operates in a nine-county area. In the Killeen Urban Division, that includes Harker Heights, Killeen and Copperas Cove. The Temple Urban Division covers Belton and Temple.

The complete agenda is at killeentexas.gov.

On Monday, a workshop is planned for 5 to 8 p.m. in the main conference room at City Hall so that council members can provide more input on the fiscal year 2023 budget.

City Manager Kent Cagle provided a 90-minute overview of the $112 million proposed budget to the council on July 5, but members insisted on meeting with Cagle again after Councilman Michael Boyd took exception with how the budget was drafted.