KINGSTON — Like most public agencies relying on various taxes for funding and at the same time, dealing with increasing fuel costs, Kitsap Transit is looking to make a few changes.

But officials don’t want to do it without going to those they serve first.

The agency will be hosting two public meetings next week to gather input from residents on several issues, including proposed fare increases and the possibility of reducing the size of its service district.

Service development director John Clauson said the reason for the meetings is “to make sure the entire community has the opportunity to express their feelings.”

The meetings will be at 1 p.m. Nov. 2 and 7 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Kingston Community Center.

Kitsap Transit is proposing to restructure its district boundaries. When the agency was first created in 1982, the boundaries included Port Orchard and Bremerton. Since then, various communities, including more rural areas such as Hansville, have annexed into the district.

Before Initiative 695 passed in 1999, there was an incentive to provide service to the entire county since the state’s Motor Vehicle Excise Tax made up a majority of the agency’s budget. However, when I-695 slashed the agency’s tax revenue, that goal was promptly erased, Clauson said.

One of the challenges of serving the outlying areas of the district is the fact that they are not developed enough and lack ridership, Clauson said. Some of the communities, like Hansville, are right on the border just having barely enough riders to warrant bus service.

“We’ve been struggling for years with Hansville to get enough riders,” he said.

Shrinking the district size reduces the expectation of a fixed route service. Even so, service will still be provided to the outlying areas through Access (bus service for elderly and disabled residents), and van and worker pools. Kitsap Transit recognizes the fact that the majority of revenue for the agency comes from sales tax, which people pay when they shop within the service district, such as Silverdale, Clauson said.

For fare changes, the agency is proposing a 25 cent increase one of several ways: increase fares during peak hours to $1.25 and keep it at $1 during off-peak hours; charge 25 cents for transfers; or just increase the fare to $1.25 across the board.

Clauson said the agency is looking at increases for several reasons, as the fare structure has not been analyzed since 1997 and health care and labor costs have risen.

Fuel costs have had an impact, too, as the agency had budgeted fuel costs at $1.50 a gallon for 2005. Due to the spike in the price of low sulfur diesel, the agency is paying $2.50 a gallon and the system uses 3,000 gallons a day.

The meetings’ structure will include a presentation of the proposals followed by open discussion period. There will be opportunities to speak up as well as write down concerns.

Clauson wants to know what the community would like the agency to do differently to better serve residents.

“I want to hear from the community as what they think we should be doing in the future,” he said.