McDonough Considering the Purchase of Two Trolley Buses

The McDonough council is considering the purchase of two trolley buses. The city council was presented the option at their August 1 meeting.

McDonough has expressed an interest in buying trolley buses for several years. The trolley buses are popular with cities to offer a shuttle service around town.

McDonough Considering Trolley Buses

McDonough Administrator Steve Morgan requested the council to approve the purchase of two trolley buses during their August 1 meeting. The vehicles available for purchase are the “Hometown Trolley Villager 32.” They are by Model 1 Commercial Vehicles. Each vehicle can seat up to 30 passengers. They are also wheelchair-assessable.

The cost for each vehicle is $241,026, or $482,052 for two buses. To fund this purchase, the city is proposing to use $349 thousand in ARPA funds. The difference, $133,052, would be from the city’s special revenues line item.

According to Morgan, the city must allocate the $349 thousand in ARPA funding before the end of the year. Otherwise, they risk losing the funding. Council members sought clarification, however, that there are other uses besides a trolley bus on which they can spend the funding.

Operating Costs & Route Are Not Yet Identified

The mayor and council shared some of their members participated in a trolley tour in late July. Council member Reeves expressed surprise, however, that they were being asked to approve the purchase so soon afterwards. He inquired about the operating costs to maintain the trolleys should they approve the purchase. Other questions asked by the council included:

• what personnel would the trolleys require?
• what route(s) would the trolleys operate? and
• would there be a fee to ride the trolleys?

Mayor Vincent expressed the details had not yet been finalized. An opportunity presented itself to acquire the trolleys now, instead of waiting two years for the trolleys’ typical build-time. She added the item to the council’s meeting agenda based on their enthusiasm shown on the tour.

Mayor Vincent continued “we have been talking about this for years; this is not a bus route. This is to have connectivity amongst our parks, from one side of our town and the other side.” She added the trolley route would operate as part of the city’s recently-created parks department. The new department does not yet have an approved budget. Finally, the mayor shared this project is separate from Henry County’s upcoming bus route between McDonough and Stockbridge.

Council Members Request to Table the Purchase

Several members of the council asked to table the item, so that city staff could complete more due-diligence about the trolleys’ associated costs. “It’s not just the purchase of two assets; it’s the creation of an operation which warrants a budget and information how it will operate.” remarked council member Reeves. Council members Thomas and Stewart also requested the council to table its decision.

Mayor Vincent made a motion to approve the trolley bus purchase. Council member Payton seconded the motion. It failed 3-3-1. Those voting in favor were Mayor Vincent, council members Burt and Payton. Council members Reeves, Stewart and Varner voted in opposition. Council member Thomas abstained.

The council may reconsider the item at a subsequent meeting. The mayor did not indicate whether she would bring the item back for further discussion. Their next meeting is on August 19.

Interest in Trolleys

Cities often use trolley buses as a shuttle service, especially for tourists. A quick Internet search found several trolley services within Georgia. Some examples include Braselton, Gainesville and Savannah.

Not far from Henry County, the city of Newnan operates a trolley service. The trolley operates on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 1–7 pm. It is free to ride. This is most-often the case with a trolley shuttle.

If McDonough purchases the trolley buses, then the most-likely route would connect the South Point district and the downtown square. Previous discussions over the years have focused on connecting these two locations.

Featured image shows the city of Newnan trolley bus. Newnan photo from The City Menus.