The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners has approved applying for nearly $500,000 in federal funding for operations and capital costs of the Cherokee Area Transportation System bus service.

The Georgia Department of Transportation will provide reimbursement funds amounting to $316,443 for operating assistance and $180,162 for capital costs to replace aging buses, according to a staff report to commissioners.

The county must provide a 50 percent match of the operating expenses, or $180,162; and a 10 percent match for the replacement of two buses, or $18,017, staff said. The funding is from the Federal Transportation Administration Section 5311 formula grant program for rural areas. Information: https://bit.ly/2DKyqm6