Orange County NC Website
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: September 16, 2003 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 7-Q <br />SUBJECT: NCDOT Rural Operating Assistance Program (ROAP) Grant Funding <br />DEPARTMENT: Transportation/OPT PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) Yes <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Rural Operating Assistance Program <br />Certified Statement <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Jerry Passmore, ext. 2009 <br />AI Terry, ext. 2002 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To hold a public hearing and to approve a FY 2003/04 Rural Operating Assistance <br />Program (ROAP) fund application for $108,150. <br />BACKGROUND: The North Carolina Department of Transportation Public Transportation <br />Division designates ROAP funds each fiscal year to Orange County. ROAP consolidates the <br />Elderly and Disabled Transportation Assistance Program (EDTAP), the Work First <br />Transitional/Employment Transportation Assistance Program, and the Rural General Public <br />(RGP) Program into a single application package. These ROAP funds allow Orange County to <br />continue servicing the above-mentioned programs from July 2003 through June 2004. <br />Orange Public Transportation (OPT) is the lead agency for public and human services agency <br />transportation in rural Orange County and the recipient of the EDTAP allocation of $55,368 with <br />no local match required. OPT will continue to use its allocation to provide medical <br />transportation for the sixty-plus and disabled residents of Orange County. Additionally, OPT will <br />offer one shopping/personal business round trip per week to those same two population groups <br />who live outside the Chapel Hill Transit service area and do not have access to the Orange <br />Express public shuttle. To the extent possible, trips will be grouped by geographic area per <br />weekday and the destination will be to the closest possible provider. The "Orange Voucher <br />Program", an effort that began being funded by EDTAP in 2000-2001, will continue to offer <br />eligible disabled persons under the age 60 up to $100/month to pay for travel arrangements to <br />meet the individuals' needs and to the destination(s) of their choice. This service is provided <br />Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. All EDTAP service recipients are asked to <br />contribute three dollars per one-way trip. This fee is waived for any individual whose family <br />income is at or below 125% of the poverty level as determined by the Department of Health and <br />Human Services. Contributions are utilized to fund additional trips. <br />With an allocation of $10,111, Orange Public Transportation provides former Work First <br />participants or other low-income persons certified for Medicaid or Food Stamps with a maximum <br />