One of the criteria the STIF Advisory Committee must use to evaluate proposed projects for funding includes whether the project would increase the frequency of bus service, expand bus routes and bus service, and reduce public transportation fares for communities with a high percentage of low-income households. Prior to this year, the STIF Advisory Committee was required to define “communities with a high percentage of low-income households” in their bylaws.
In 2026, the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) adopted a statewide definition for the term “community with a high-percentage of low-income households” in 2026 that applies to FY28-FY29 STIF Formula Fund Plans. Under this adopted definition, this term now refers to:
- A group of people living in geographic proximity to each other who have a higher percentage of low-income households than the state average; or
- A group of people sharing a common characteristic, such as enrollment in Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or another income-eligible program, who have a higher percentage of low-income households than the state average, regardless of where any person within the group is located.
Definition (a) aligns with the definition previously provided in the LTD STIF Advisory Committee Bylaws: a “High Percentage of Low-Income Households” means an area where the percentage of Low-Income Households is above the State of Oregon average number of Low-Income Households statewide in the same year.
The Oregon Department of Transportation has developed an interactive mapping tool to help LTD and the LTD STIF Advisory Committee identify geographic areas of Lane County that have a high percentage of low income households.
*High percentage of low-income households means an area where the percentage of low-income households is above the State of Oregon average number of low-income households statewide in the same year.
Improvements benefitting areas with a high percentage of low-income households are not limited to services provided directly to these areas. Improvements may also include services that connect individuals from areas with a high percentage of low-income households with employment, services, shopping, social centers, places of worship, etc.