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WARREN -- Mayor Doug Franklin on Wednesday expressed interest in working with Trumbull County to provide transportation alternatives for residents losing fixed-route service when the Western Reserve Transit Authority eliminates five routes in Trumbull County.
The Mahoning County-based WRTA announced last month it will be eliminating its bus routes into Trumbull County, except for the profitable Warren Express route that travels to Warren.
The last day of service is Friday.
Franklin met with WRTA Director Dean Harris, Commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa and Trumbull Transit Director Mike Salamone for about 90 minutes to discuss the changing public transportation landscape.
WRTA is not able to continue providing the bus service because the Ohio Department of Transportation did not renew an annual demonstration grant it gave WRTA for Trumbull County in 2020 .
"We started the conversation on how to move forward," Franklin said. "It was a productive conversation, because we were able to lay out some options on how to move forward. We did not agree on many. We have to identify a dedicated funding source."
Franklin said he can support a system being suggested by Cantalamessa where communities would provide funding based on the number of residents who use it.
This type of system worked well for Warren when the county previously operated a transit system.
"We contributed the most at that time," Franklin said. "We paid about $23,000 a year. That system did not have fixed routes. There was less surety for riders."
The mayor said Warren would have to see the potential cost for any new system and then present it to Warren city council. Council would have to approve the financing of any proposal.
Salamone said the county's transit service will not be able to address the needs of riders who are under 60 years old and not disabled once WRTA ends its service.
Trumbull County Transit receives funding from the Senior Levy and from the Trumbull County Board of Developmental Disabilities. The loss of WRTA's fixed routes will not affect senior citizens who use the county's on-demand busing services.
Since learning the five routes will be ending, commissioners have been discussing ways to provide transportation to non-seniors and residents who do not have physical disabilities. Community members have complained the loss of WRTA threatens jobs of some workers in Trumbull County and would affect people who take public transportation to do shopping and / or to go to doctor appointments.
Commissioners Cantalamessa and Denny Malloy have been leading discussions about finding alternative ways to provide transportation to those who will be most affected by the loss of the routes. Commissioner Niki Frenchko has long been an advocate of the county joining WRTA and then allowing residents to participate in a WRTA-led effort to increase the county's sales tax by 0.25 percent for transportation.
That quarter percent increase is estimated to raise $7 million a year.
The county receives 1 percent from the current 6.75 percent sales tax, according to Cantalamessa.
If the proposed sales tax increase passes, then WRTA would receive one-fifth of all the sales tax money coming into the county, Cantalamessa said.
Mark Joseph of Niles, told commissioners Wednesday if alternative transportation is not found, he would likely lose his job and ability to reach his therapy program.
Salamone said he met with Lordstown Mayor Arno Hill about working with area businesses to provide transportation for their workers that now take WRTA to and from work.
Cantalamessa does not believe areas of the county that do not use the bus system should have to provide sales tax to support the system.