Transit Directors Approve “Match” Increase, Proposed Budget

 

By Jonathan Weaver
As is done annually, the municipalities part of Town and Country Transit will pay more for bus service this coming fiscal year.

Compared to the 2013-14 fiscal year, Applewold Borough, East Franklin Township, Ford City Borough, Kittanning Borough, Manor Township, Manorville Borough, West Kittanning Borough and Armstrong County as a whole will pay more than $2,000 more as part of “local match” requirement originally stated in Act 44 legislation.

General Manager Patti Lynn Baker hopes to have agreements by all municipalities with a timetable to pay their increased amounts – which range from $45 in Applewold and Manorville Boroughs to more than $600 in Kittanning Borough – as soon as possible.

“In order to be able to submit the Consolidated Operating Application, I need a “local match” resolution stating (board members) agree to the mandatory “local match” – which is a five-percent increase over last year,” Baker said. “The “local match” will leverage $546, 849 (in state funding) this year.”

The seven joined municipalities, as well as Armstrong County as a whole, will contribute $44,410 in “local match” funds – which is about eight percent of the total amount given by the State.

Town and Country Transit received more than $512,000 in state aid during the 2013-14 fiscal year.

Kittanning Borough will feel the largest increased expense, with about $600 more than last year needed to satisfy the fiscal year 2014-15 contribution.

Applewold Borough Representative Chuck Nicely made the motion for approval before it was unanimously approved at Wednesday’s monthly board meeting, 5-0.

All will take back contracts to their respective municipality leaders to sign and return.

“The sooner I get everything entered and submitted to PennDOT, they start the review. The sooner you get it submitted and they start the review process, the sooner we’re in the queue to get money after July 1,” Baker said. “Last year was the earliest we ever submitted it – at the end of April, and that is what I’m shooting for this year.”

Municipal representatives also had to sign off on a proposed $1.4 million budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year.
The financial plan which combines both fixed-route and shared-ride projected revenues and expenses is not the final budget since different financial amounts may be edited by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation during the next two months of review.

Analysis shows it costs about $400,000 more to run the shared-ride program (approximately $914,600) than the fixed-route program (approximately $513,400).

More than $93,000 is expected to cover both fixed-route and shared-ride vehicle fuel costs.

But, the proposed financial plan is more than $80,000 less than the 2013-14 proposed operating budget, Baker said.

“We’ve really clamped down on all spending because we’re trying to get things paid off,” Baker said.

The 2014-15 combined proposed operating budget includes more than $110,000 for payment of back debt for both fixed-route and shared-ride expenses.

That includes paying off a subcontractor by August, another by the end of July 2015 at the latest and paying off the bank loan for mortgage expenses this fall.

Baker said the proposed budget assumes Town and Country Transit will receive about $120,000 in asset maintenance funding from PennDOT; if not, Baker said the budget will become “very challenging.”

If the budget works out nearly as presented, current costs should remain constant, unlike they were last fall.
“Our intention is not to ask for a fare increase for fiscal year 14-15,” Baker said.

The new Ecolane software is also expected to control efficiencies. She noted some of the transit agencies that do utilize it see savings in driver’s time and fuel efficiency, but hopes to be “pleasantly surprised” at this point next year.

Baker will review the budget and other items with PennDOT officials at a conference in Lancaster next week.
“We’re taking in some seminars and other things like that while we’re there, but the main reason we’re going is to touch base with PennDOT when they have their roundtable open house. It’s actually a good time for us to sit down and talk to them and discuss our needs and what’s going on here,” Baker said. “It’s been really beneficial the past couple years they’ve had that. It opens up a lot of doors, I think.”

Most vehicles – including one of the buses given by Washington Rides in Washington County - are on the roadway and do not need repairs.

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