County transit panel sends $72.8 million in 2027–28 bus contracts forward, including $48.2 million for SMART
An Oakland County commission panel voted 5-0 Thursday to send five transit agreements that would be paid from the county transit millage to another committee. County Clerk Lisa Brown also led a talk on getting voters to early voting sites.
By OCJ Staff
Five agreements that would spend up to about $72.8 million from Oakland County's public transportation millage on bus service in 2027 and 2028 cleared their first step Thursday, Oct. 15.
The county Board of Commissioners' Transit Ad Hoc Committee voted 5-0 on each agreement to send it to the Economic Development & Infrastructure Committee, according to the committee's draft minutes. The votes were referrals, not final approvals. The full board has not voted on the contracts.
The contracts
The proposed agreements, and the most each could draw from the transit millage, according to the minutes:
| Provider | Amount (not to exceed) | Term |
|---|---|---|
| SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation) | $48,200,000 | 2027–2028 |
| People's Express (PEX) | $8,600,000 | 2027 only |
| North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA) | $7,087,771 | 2027–2028 |
| Western Oakland Transportation Authority (WOTA) | $6,555,200 | 2027–2028 |
| Older Persons' Commission (OPC), serving Rochester Hills, Rochester and Oakland Township | $2,336,550 | 2027–2028 |
The amounts add up to $72,779,521. The minutes list each amount separately and do not give a total; the Journal added them.
Every agreement except the People's Express deal includes an option to extend it for up to two more one-year terms. Each would also let the county's transit manager shift money between budget lines at a provider's written request, as long as the total does not go up.
The $48.2 million SMART agreement is separate from the 2026 SMART contract change of up to $2.1 million that was on the full board's Oct. 15 agenda. Our preview of that meeting has details on the 2026 change.
The committee also voted 5-0 to send the Legislative Affairs & Government Operations and Economic Development & Infrastructure committees a proposal to move transit money to Oakland County Parks for a wheelchair-accessible bus. The minutes do not give a dollar amount.
Rides to early voting
Commissioners added a late item to the agenda so County Clerk Lisa Brown could lead a discussion on transportation to early voting, which runs Saturday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 1. The group also talked about messaging and transit access to county parks.
The minutes do not say what was discussed in detail or whether anything was decided. The Journal's early voting guide lists sites and hours.
Who was there
Chair Brendan Johnson and commissioners Marcia Gershenson, Angela Powell, Philip Weipert and David Woodward attended. Commissioner Michael Gingell was absent with notice. No one spoke during public comment.
The committee also heard a quarterly report on local transit providers for April through June from Eli Cooper, the county's transit manager, and planner Dominic Pavone.
What we still don't know
The full Board of Commissioners met later the same day. Its Oct. 15 minutes had not been posted on the county's meeting site as of Monday, Oct. 19, so the Journal has not confirmed the outcome of several items, including the 2026 SMART change. The Journal also has not confirmed when the Economic Development & Infrastructure Committee will take up the 2027 agreements.
The county board's 11-7 vote against bringing a proposed ICE policy to the floor was reported last week.
This story uses the Oakland County Transit Ad Hoc Committee's Oct. 15, 2026, draft minutes, which are subject to committee approval.