By Cheryl Splain, KnoxPages.com Reporter
MOUNT VERNON — To meet deadlines and take advantage of federal transportation funding, Director Martin McAvoy recommends hiring a part-time mobility manager for Knox Area Transit.
McAvoy told the Knox County Commissioners on Monday that the 5310 grant funding requires a locally developed, coordinated transportation plan, which the county does not have. He proposed hiring an intermittent manager to develop a plan in conjunction with The Station Break, United Way of Knox County, Board of DD, the Knox County Department of Jobs & Family Services and other entities.
The goal is to have the plan in place in time for apply for 2017 funding. The plan will identify the transit needs for seniors, low-income and disabled residents as well as current transportation providers, and prioritize services and projects for funding and implementation.
“The mobility manager and coordinated plan focus on the needs of the community,” said McAvoy.
“We are one of the few counties in the state that doesn’t have a plan,” said Matthew Kurtz, director of KCJ&FS. “We have to put some money up front into this intermittent worker to coordinate all of this.”
Kurtz said it will take $15,000 in seed money to fund the interim position. KCDJ&FS will put in $5,000; Kurtz said he has made preliminary contact with other entities regarding funding and said he should know by the end of September whether the funding is available.
The plan will also include provisions for ongoing self-sufficiency and a full-time mobility manager. The manager position will be funded through grants and possibly fees from other involved organizations and agencies. Kurtz said the commissioners might also be asked to contribute more.
Kurtz said the plan not only will utilize everyone’s resources better, but it also has advantages such as cooperative purchasing of tires, access to ODOT-bid vehicles and the ability to hire more mechanics to manage fleet vehicles.
McAvoy told the commissioners that KAT ridership continues to climb. Through June 30, the count was 70,345, excluding shuttle riders. In 2015, ridership totaled 68,354. “I was surprised at the numbers as I was going through it; it’s really picked up,” he said. Ridership to the Knox County Fair also increased compared to last year.
Revenue is over $629,000 thus far in 2016. Unexpected expenses include higher cost for driver physical exams, purchase of a digital time clock and higher-than-expected employee training costs.
Currently, KAT’s policy on physical exams is that all drivers are required to have Department of Transportation physical certification. DOT certification involves doctor reports, list of symptoms and the exclusion of some diagnoses relating to over-the-road long hauls rather than the short trips made by KAT drivers. McAvoy recommended, and the commissioners agreed to, a revised policy that requires DOT certification for CDL drivers and T-8 (bus driver) physical certification for non-CDL drivers.