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89 <br /> Chapter 5: Organizational Options <br /> Option 3: Transit as a Separate Department <br /> This option involves creating a separate Transit Department, Under the current OPT <br /> organization, it will soon have a staff of 16 not including any planners, it eventually could well <br /> become a staff of 25 or more to support the planned and potential services. This is a significant <br /> staff of non-planners to include in a department that is designed as a professional staff <br /> providing regulatory functions, and allowing OPT to become an operating department <br /> providing a public service could make sense for both departments. Figure 5-5 presents this <br /> organizational option. <br /> The transit program has significant interactions with finance related to its various grant funds, <br /> special taxes, user revenue, and potential for either receiving or paying funds to other <br /> providers:with Human Resources for staffing;with Information Technology for <br /> communication and software; and with Asset Management Services for vehicle maintenance, <br /> repair, fueling and storage services. Functionally, OPT coordinates more with human service <br /> programs (Aging, Health and Social Services). The customer for public transit is likely to be <br /> either a person who is dependent on transit for some or all of their mobility because of age, <br /> income, disability or client status; or a commuter who chooses transit because of cost, parking <br /> issues or convenience. To the extent that OPT's ridership is transit dependent, the ability to <br /> work directly with human service programs would make sense. The benefits of this move <br /> come from the alignment of transit with agencies providing services, potentially alike in their <br /> identification of needs, development of services and the actual delivery of services. This <br /> currently takes place between transit in Planning and Inspections and these other departments, <br /> but there is a possibility of improvement in communication and collaboration. The logic of <br /> having a separate Transportation Department that is not included as a sub-function of another <br /> department is that transit is unique in its dependence on support services, its need for <br /> coordination with human services, its customer focus, and its interactions with regional <br /> entities—and therefore needs to be outside a departmental structure that has other functions <br /> as its primary focus. <br /> Creation of a Mobility Management function in OPT would further develop this role as the <br /> Mobility Manager would need to be aware of all transportation services available to Orange <br /> County residents; participate in developing, provide information, and market these services; <br /> and link residents with the most appropriate service. Including a Mobility Manager in this <br /> separate transit department could justify a new title, such as "Department of Mobility Services", <br /> which would become the single go-to source for transportation. Currently, the Department on <br /> Aging has a Transportation Specialist who works to identify transportation options for persons <br /> needing mobility, which is the basic function of a Mobility Manager. This person maintains <br /> information on the transportation options available to county residents, including not only <br /> OPT, but also the other programs. The person in this position also manages the senior <br /> KFH <br /> NCDOT Orange County 73 <br /> Transit Assessment Study <br />