Transit members criticize lack of direction

3 on board resign after calling out commissioners

WARREN -- Trumbull County Transit Board members railed against Trumbull County commissioners at their monthly meeting, questioning a "lack of direction" and purpose for the board to which commissioners appointed them.

In addition, the board chairman resigned, citing the commissioners' unwillingness to fully staff the board and provide leadership, Duane Hennen said at Thursday's meeting.

Hennen announced his resignation at the beginning of the meeting and stated it was effective immediately, but proceeded to lead the meeting "to finish out his obligations." Some members asked Hennen to remain on the board, but he said there was no reason to do so.

"There is nothing for us to do," Hennen said.

Hennen said commissioners refused to fill an empty board seat despite repeated requests during the five months he was chairman.

Hennen said the transit board initially was founded to insulate county commissioners from direct management of the transit system and bad press, and commissioners are now "too chicken to do their job."

"The transit board is their own entity with their own bylaws and purpose," said Commissioner Niki Frenchko, who took office earlier this month. "They have lost participating communities and contracts due to their own shortcomings. The county is looking forward to the possibility of regionalized transportation, perhaps without the transit board. We have an informational meeting soon with our transit administrator, ODOT, the FTA (Federal Transit Administration) and Eastgate (Regional Council of Governments) representatives to ensure that our decisions are made in consideration of all variables, and the public's best interest."

THREE OPEN SEATS

With one board seat already unfilled, Hennen's resignation and the resignation of member Marlene Rhodes on Thursday, three seats are open on the board.

Rhodes states in her resignation letter she sees "no further use for the Trumbull Transit Board" since accomplishing the goal of paying off the board's debt to its former contractor, Community Bus Services. The board owed millions to the bus company for contracts in 2018 and 2019, but paid off the last of the debt last month.

Part of the delay in paying the contractor was a decision by the FTA to hold up funding to the board as members and the transit administrator worked to correct issues the FTA had with how the transit board ran the now-defunct service.

Hennen is correct in saying there is nothing for the board to do now, transit administrator Mike Salamone said. That is because the board has no matching funds to use the remaining grant it has access to, no designated funding source to go after grants and projects, and because when there was a chance to create projects before certain funds expired, the board did not act on it in time, Salamone said.

County commissioners have considered disbanding the transit board entirely, as it no longer has any funding source and no longer funds or oversees any transportation in the county. Commissioners have brought a transit program Salamone is running under their direct purview and have engaged with the Western Reserve Transit Authority to build a plan to join the public transit system in Mahoning County.

WRTA now is running a pilot program in Trumbull County. With the transit program commissioners and Salamone are running, the service the Trumbull County Senior Levy Advisory Council runs and the pilot program, more rides were given in the county in 2020 than in 2019 under the transit board, Salamone said. Exact figures are expected to be released next week.

The remaining board members on Thursday, including Hennen, Linda Kirkland, Carl Clemens, Jim Pirko and Martha Yoder, voted to pass a resolution asking commissioners to define the purpose and role of the board now, and to replace the board members.

"There is no leadership in the county," Clemens said.

Hennen and Clemens implied the commissioners may have been hoping the board would disband itself, so commissioners do not have to go through the process of disbanding it.

"They do not know how to communicate," Hennen said.

TRANSIT PLANS

Kirkland said she too is concerned with the purpose of the board and concerned about the structure. She said she would support dissolution of the board, if that is what is needed.

Hennen said commissioners have no "Plan A" or "Plan B" for transit and aren't willing to give the board a mission to tackle.

Salamone said "Plan A" is to join WRTA and "Plan B" is to continue things as they are now, with coverage provided through joint operations to reach different population groups.

Clemens said as someone who uses public transit because he is blind, he is worried how commissioners will fill the need for services if joining WRTA doesn't work out.

Clemens said he wants direction from commissioners who need to "get off the can and start moving."

There also may be a gap in services if the state-funded WRTA pilot program ends May 30 before the county can join WRTA. Transit officials in both counties are looking for alternative funding to continue the pilot program to fill the gap.

A joint plan for county transportation is being developed, but is not expected to be finished until the end of March. A plan detailing WRTA's services if the county joins is expected to be presented to commissioners when it is completed.

SALES TAX NEEDED

Trumbull County likely will need a sales tax increase to pay for the services -- fixed-route bus services and door-to-door pickups -- if the county joins. Although nothing has been determined, a 0.25 percent increase is expected to be necessary to match the amount Mahoning County charges to fund operations there.

Ohio takes a 5.75 percent sales tax from all counties. Trumbull County adds a 1 percent tax, so shoppers in the county pay 6.75 percent. In Mahoning County, the county takes 1.25 percent and WRTA takes 0.25, so shoppers in the county pay a total of 7.25 percent. An additional 0.25 tax would add 25 cents to a $100 purchase and could generate an estimated $6 million to fund transportation in Trumbull County.

If the county joins WRTA, the transit board will have to be disbanded because state law prevents transit boards and transit authorities from operating in a county at the same time, Salamone said.

When board attorney Dan Keating asked if the board wanted to pass a resolution disbanding the board, Pirko said he was against it and said the board does have a purpose -- to find ways to get rides for the public. Pirko said he does not want to "abandon the battlefield."

Kirkland said there is definitely a need for transit in the area, and she too uses public transit. Without support from commissioners, board members don't have a mandate or the ability to support public transit, Kirkland said. However, Kirkland said she and other members could be advocates for public transit without serving on a board.

Pirko said the members should push to get rid of the three-commissioner system in Trumbull County by leading a charge to get a charter government.

"Let's give 'em hell," Pirko said.

Charter county governments can replace the standard three-commissioner board, like Cuyahoga County and Summit County did. Both counties have an 11-member county council and charter government.