Logan County Board:
Committee agrees to cost reduction plan to maintain Logan Mason Public Transportation system
Healthy Communities Partnership and marketing grant to aid program

[June 01, 2017]  LINCOLN - On Wednesday, May 31, the Logan County Board's Transportation Committee held a special meeting to discuss options for Logan Mason Public Transportation due to funding issues.

At May's Logan County Board meeting, Community Action's request for $120,000 of funding to help with up-front transportation for Logan Mason Public Transportation failed with a 6-6 vote.

Though Community Action receives grants from the state to help cover the costs of the transportation program, Community Action Executive Director Alison Rumler-Gomez has said they often have to pay for many costs up-front while waiting on grant funds.

As the special transportation meeting began, Committee Chairman Kevin Bateman asked if anyone would like to change their no vote for the funding. When no one responded, he asked about the plans.

LMPT transportation director DiAnne Turner said board members Dave Blankenship and Dave Hepler and Program Compliance Oversight Monitor Brenda Clark helped her do a needs assessment in order to come up with some options to keep from having to suspend services.

Turner said she would suggest three possible options.

Option A would be to "maintain the current level of service," but would require them to drop some staff. Turner said programs would not change much. They would try to minimize confusion for clientele by not changing stops on the flex route. Turner said this option does not address the service to Mason County, so it puts them at a risk of "under-serving" Mason County residents.

Turner said this option also would eliminate marketing, promotion, a website, advertising, day trips, and anything the board had "originally asked for" to help make LMPT "more visible." These would not be available due to a lack of funding and staff for the program.

Option B would be to cut the number of hours the flex route runs. Turner said through their database, they have found there is "little or no ridership" after 1 p.m. on one route since most use it in the morning. She said the flex route has been in service for a year and has taken all year to begin "picking up steam" after months with little ridership. Turner said this option would still allow for a few hours of service in Mason County and possibly create a flex route there.

Option C would be to do only three hours for the on-demand route Tuesdays and Thursdays, and continue running the flex route as usual. Turner said the routes sometimes work in "tandem" as drivers pick up people on the flex route while transporting on-demand clients. She said this option would allow them to do some on-demand and flex routes in Mason County and help pick up Head Start students there. It would provide a "consistent revenue stream" for Mason County.

As committee chairman, Bateman said he would lean towards option C. Bateman asked about the three-hour flex route in Mason County and whether they could do an on-demand call during those hours. He also wanted to know about the number of on-demand rides in Mason County.

Turner said the Mason County flex route would only go through Havana and Manito, so trying to provide these services would press them for time. She said there are about 200 on-demand rides in Mason County each quarter, or 65 to 70 each month.

Rumler-Gomez said they had about 65 transports per month before adding the Head Start route. She said the number is "somewhat inflated" because it was "really two or three riders" being transported 65 times a month.

Bateman asked whether they could do a flex route on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and just do on-demand Tuesday and Thursday.

Turner said it would take some retraining. Many of the riders there are foster grandparents or people going to Canton for dialysis. She said doing both routes may not give drivers enough time to get back to Manito to pick up Head Start riders.

Rumler Gomez said she has found ridership to be the "most successful" with on-demand and flex routes "running simultaneously" and working in tandem. She said drivers cannot do one on-demand transport in a three-hour time span.

Clark said what Bateman is asking would also require hiring another driver in Mason County, which LMPT is trying to avoid.

Board member Dave Blankenship said he liked option C the best because it seems closest to what the grant requires and could improve ridership in Mason County. He said CAPCIL needs a "contingency plan" so they do not have to come to the county for help with funding the transportation program.

Clark said options A and B could both run into "compliance issues" with the grant and reminded the committee LMPT has to provide "a significant amount of service to Mason County." She said option C would help increase numbers.

Clark said CAPCIL has recently been able to get some matching funds to help the grant, doing $107,000 in work to pull marketing money to the grant. Option C would will allow a portion for marketing.

New board and committee member Gloria Luster asked about how many vehicles they would be using, and Bateman asked if they would keep the larger busses.

Clark said CAPCIL wanted to keep four vehicles, though she thinks they actually need six.

Turner said IDOT would determine what vehicles would be available.

Rumler Gomez said recent discussions have shown the value of the needs assessment and provided some additional ideas on what may be available through public transportation.

Turner said ALMH's Healthy Communities Partnership has bought advertising. LMPT has considered providing some Saturday transportation and reduce the flex route one day of the week to provide five hours for the Healthy Communities Partnership.

Bateman said it makes sense to look at ridership on certain days and assess the needs.

Blankenship said there are some unique funding opportunities like a delivery of meals, which could "possibly lower on-demand customers" and open up some resources.

Turner said "federal guidelines" say the vehicles could be used for delivering packages and meals or services "outside the realm" of public transportation, which could increase revenue and funding. One of the drivers already delivers meals to a Head Start program as part of the flex route.

Blankenship motioned for the committee to approve option C with a contingency plan.

Hepler proposed an amendment that CAPCIL still retain operational control and if revenue streams improve, they have the "authority to increase" the program.

Board Chairman Chuck Ruben said the options looked like a good compromise.

Bateman said the Logan County Board relies on the data CAPCIL provides and he is comfortable with them making slight changes, though he would like them to contact the board about big changes.

Rumler Gomez said they will need to terminate the lease agreement and modify the terms of the operating agreement before July 1.

Option C was unanimously approved by a roll call vote of the six transportation committee members, Bateman, Annette Welch, Dave Blankenship, David Hepler, Luster, and Ruben. Other County Board members present were Janet Dahmm, Emily Davenport, Gene Rohlfs and Bob Sanders.

The motion will be brought forward to the full board at the Regular Board meeting on Tuesday, June 20.

[Angela Reiners]