WRTA, Trumbull seek transportation funding agreement

WRTA, Trumbull seek transportation funding agreement

WARREN -- Western Reserve Transit Authority's Dean Harris is completing the writing of a contract with Trumbull County commissioners to reestablish two of five fixed bus routes eliminated in August because the Ohio Department of Transportation did not renew funding that previously paid for them.

Under the proposed agreement, ODOT, using federal funds, would provide nearly $300,000 to pay for bus transportation for the Warren routes, if the local community provides a matching nearly $300,000 grant.

"This is the same type of OPT2 grant we were receiving, but the previous grants paid for 100% of the funding," Harris, executive director of WRTA said. "The local match is expected to be provided by the county and the city of Warren."

The newspaper's efforts to reach Warren Mayor Doug Franklin and Safety Service Director Eddie Colbert about the city providing funds for the bus service in 2024 were not successful as of press time Tuesday.

Trumbull County Transit's Mike Salamone told Commissioner Denny Malloy during Tuesday's weekly Trumbull County Commissioners workshop that Warren has tentatively agreed to provide $150,000 toward the local match. However, the city's administration will have to convince its council to agree on providing the funds.

"If the memorandum of understanding between WRTA and the county is completed, bus service in the Warren area could resume in late March to early April," Salamone said.

Harris is hoping to have the draft memorandum of understanding completed before the end of the year.

Harris said ODOT did not approve the renewal of the last grant because the county had not found a permanent funding source to pay for public transportation in Trumbull County.

"This will give us another year," Harris said. "I do not know if the state will provide this kind of funding to this area again. We have to find a way to permanently fund this."

The two routes being considered for renewal are on Elm and Parkman Roads. WRTA's Warren Express route was not affected by the closure of the other bus routes, because it has been providing rides to people traveling out of and to Youngstown and funded through that county's sales tax.

ODOT has been providing funding for public transportation in Trumbull county since 2019, Harris described. A proposed solution was to have Trumbull vote to join WRTA and to, with Mahoning voters, pass a quarter percent sales tax increase to pay for the services.

In Trumbull County, the proposed tax increase would raise approximately $7 million a year. The sales tax would raise approximately $9 million per year in Mahoning county.

"Critics of the proposed tax increase described it as giving too much power to Mahoning voters in deciding a tax that will be paid for by Trumbull residents," Harris said.

WRTA received a $1 million grant from ODOT that funded the five fixed routes in 2020.

Commissioner Niki Frenchko, who was not at Tuesday's workshop, has been a proponent of the county joining WRTA to receive bus service throughout Trumbull County.

Frenchko said that with the passage of the quarter percent tax increase, WRTA will provide transportation services throughout the county, not just the areas that were previously served by the five fixed routes.

Commissioners Mauro Cantalamessa and Malloy have both, in previous meetings, expressed reservations against supporting placing a sales tax vote on the ballot.

Cantalamessa also did not attend Tuesday's workshop session.

Trumbull commissioners have had several meetings with local officials and residents discussing the busing issue and have vowed to get at least some of the public transportation returned to the county.