A new 0.2 percent sales tax is in the process of approval to fund Central Transit and will be voted on in April. If the ballot passes, many improvements will be made to Central Transit.

According to the Proposition One fact sheet, Central Transit is currently funded by the City of Ellensburg, a $3 quarterly fee paid by each student at Central and grants from Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

Bruce Tabb, city council member that sits on the Public Transit Advisory Committee and supporter of the proposition, said the tax proposal is “a local issue that has direct impact on students.”

Ryan Anderson,  Associated Students of Central Washington University (ASCWU) student government president, sits on the Public Transit Advisory Committee. He is on the committee because students have been paying $3 per quarter to fund Central Transit since 2000, which adds up to about $75,000 per year. Anderson is in favor of the imposition of the sales tax.

Anderson explains that the passing of the ballot would “put authority under the city” for the funding of the public transportation.

Anderson said that many students who do not have cars use Central Transit to get to class and to fulfill needs such as going grocery shopping, which means Central Transit is important for students.

“It would be hard for people to take care of themselves without transportation like Central Transit,” Caitlin Sloane, senior nutrition and dietetics major, said.

Although Sloane has never used Central Transit, she recognizes its importance for the city of Ellensburg as a whole.

“I think it’s necessary and beneficial for a fully functioning community,” Sloane said.

This new sales tax could secure a viable future for the transportation’s future.

“If the ballot passes then we begin collecting revenues in October of 2016 and [changes] would be implemented in July of 2017,” Tabb said. “What we have assumed is that the $75,000 that students have contributed would be their general fare.”

Several improvements may be possible for Central Transit if the proposed sales tax passes.

According to the Proposition One fact sheet, potential improvements include expanding transit service in Ellensburg, establishing a fare for public transit, ending reliance on WSDOT funding and funding for a new paratransit program, also known as Dial-a-Ride service.

The new revenue accrued from the sales tax could increase the routes of Central Transit. The bus currently only makes stops at Safeway, Central SURC, Brooklane, Crestview, Central Library, Fred Meyer and Super 1.

Anderson explains that the additional funding could allow Central Transit to add a route to West Ellensburg, which is where a lot of students catch the Greyhound Bus.

“It is clear that the general public supports a user fare so that those who use the system have a stake in the system,” Tabb said. “We envision moving toward a fare system for ridership. So the student fee would turn into their fare for Central Transit, they just need to show their student ID.”

The ballot will be sent by mail and will be due by April 26.

Tabb encourages students to vote saying it is “an opportunity for students to have a direct voice in the community in which they live about an issue that directly affects them.”