Minutes 09-11-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Bret Martin said ROAP funds EdTAP, which provides transportation for the elderly and disabled to medical appointments. He said there is also funding for Rural General Public (RGP). Commissioner Pelissier said the Hillsborough circulator can take forever to get from point A to point B. She asked why there has not been consideration of starting a route in the opposite direction. Bret Martin said this has been considered, but it is not in the funded program. He said that is a very expensive, high ticket item. Craig Benedict said this would be another 2,500 hours per year, and the total amount of hours available is only 7,000 hours. He said this will be put on the list for funding in the event of additional funding. Bret Martin said this is listed in the unfunded priorities as "expand the Hillsborough circulator service to half hour headways." He said in FY 2013 OPT provided over 18,000 service hours, and in FY 13 they provided 16,336. He said this program involves 7,300 new hours, and about 2500 of the total hours are fixed routes, and everything else is demand response or contracted. Commissioner Pelissier asked if most of the demand response service is paid for by Medicaid or ROAP money. Craig Benedict said yes. Commissioner Price asked if any TARPO funds will be used in the expansion to the southern region. Bret Martin said no. He said TARPO does not control any transit funding. He said the state has made a policy decision not to give section 5311 funding for operating assistance to systems that are not regionally consolidated. Commissioner Price asked if there has been much discussion about going from Durham Tech campuses and/or providing free fares for students. Bret Martin said these services would service Durham Tech in Orange County only. He said there has not been discussion about free fares for students. Commissioner Rich said a request was made at the work group to make sure there was transparence as to how the half cent sales tax is being used. She said there was a request to put this on the transit websites. She would like for the County citizens to be aware of this as well. She would like to see this information on the County website. Commissioner Gordon said she recommends they do option 2. She said this would allow the loop service to be prioritized as the number one thing on the unfunded priority list. She said option 1 does not have much for the Southern part of the County, and option 2 does. She said it is really helpful to get a one hour headway, and this would be a benefit to Mebane, Efland, and Hillsborough. She said it is important to have some of this funding go to the southern part of the County. Commissioner McKee said he would also support option 2. He said this removes the Efland to Hillsborough commuter loop, but he hopes this can eventually be built back in as revenues increase. He said it does not seem quite fair, if service will be extended into rural areas, that it not be done Countywide, and option 2 accomplishes this. Commissioner Pelissier said she would like a modified version of option 2. She would like to make the three zonal routes only one day a week, and to put in the Efland/Hillsborough commuter loop. Commissioner Price said she is in favor of option 2. She said doing only one day a week just continues to isolate people. She said twice a week would be the better option. Commissioner Price said she hoped to find a way to do a demand response service for those who don't have the funds to pay the $12.75 fee. She said these are usually the people who need it.