NARCOG Transit may end bus service outside of Decatur

Jul. 28—NARCOG Transit is asking the Decatur City Council to more than double its allocation in the fiscal 2023 budget as it looks to provide its bus service only in Decatur and end it in the rest of Morgan County and in Lawrence County in October.

The $300,000 request from North Alabama Regional Council of Governments Transit is among $3.5 million in allocation requests made to the City Council at a work session Monday from a total of 26 local nonprofits for fiscal 2023, according to Chief Financial Officer Kyle Demeester. Eighteen of the nonprofits requested increases over their fiscal 2022 appropriations.

The combined requests are $817,501 more than the $2.84 million the city allocated for nonprofits in fiscal 2022.

NARCOG Transit Director Falguni Patel told the City Council that 95% of the bus rides are urban so the system is looking at providing a service only in Decatur. The Morgan and Lawrence county commissions would then assume responsibility for providing transportation to their senior centers.

"This would allow us to streamline our budget from $3.5 million to $1.3 million or $1.4 million," Patel said.

Morgan County Commission Chairman Ray Long said the commission will consider whether to incorporate NARCOG Transit's proposal in the commission's upcoming fiscal 2023 budget.

If the commission agrees to the proposal, Long said, it would continue to partner with NARCOG in providing free meals to seniors. He said about 37 of NARCOG Transit's buses were purchased for the agency by the county and probably 10 of these buses would return to the county so it could transport seniors to senior centers and deliver meals.

If the proposal is approved by the County Commission and the Alabama Department of Transportation, Long said the change would occur in October.

"If it doesn't pass, things will continue as they are," Long said of Morgan County's participation in the NARCOG transit system.

Long said the transit program has been a losing proposition since the time Morgan County operated it as MCATS. NARCOG took over the system in 2016.

"Nobody rides the buses," Long said. "The fee (to ride) is $2. A trip to Walmart then ends up costing (NARCOG Transit) $40."

Lawrence County Commission Chairman Bobby Burch said his commission is working on a plan to give the county the same transportation coverage that NARCOG Transit now provides. Aging Department Director Robbie Ligon, who ran the transportation program before NARCOG took over, would oversee the program again.

Burch estimated it will cost $150,000 to $200,000 per year to provide senior rides to county senior centers, deliver food to seniors and make rides available on demand. The state will pay for 50% of operations and 80% of program administration, he said.

Burch said the $50,000 that his county gives to NARCOG each year will now be used to help fund a county bus service.

"I'm glad we're in the financial situation to do what we can do to continue the service," Burch said. "I see this as a positive, but we will evaluate it in the future. If it gets to the point that people aren't using it, we will have to make some hard decisions."

Burch said Ligon will have to decide how the bus routes are run. They are negotiating with NARCOG on how many buses his county will get with this separation, but he said he would like to eventually switch to minivans.

NARCOG Director Robby Cantrell said Transit is funded mainly by federal grants and local appropriations while fares account for only about 10% of its budget. The transportation service averages about 65,000 one-way trips a year.

Cantrell said they asked the city for $300,000, instead of the $135,000 they usually get, because they can get more federal money with a higher local match.

"With $135,000, we would probably get less than $500,000 in federal grants," Cantrell said. "With $300,000, we could push that up to as much as $900,000."

NARCOG Transit recently hired a consultant to study Decatur's bus transit needs.

Currently, a rider makes a reservation one to three days ahead of time and bus routes are set based on reservations with the buses stopping at homes, hospitals and local businesses.

One of the things Patel and Cantrell want to study is setting bus stops throughout the city. Bus stops allow the buses to save money by running the same routes daily.

NARCOG Transit did an unsuccessful test run of bus stops in downtown Decatur in 2019, but Cantrell believes it could work if the stops are set in a broader area and at key points in the city.

Cantrell said they're also making a partial switch from the familiar minibuses to minivans. He's waiting on the arrival of eight minivans that were recently ordered. — Other requests

Funding requests were submitted by four agencies that the City Council hopes will instead be funded by Decatur City Schools: Decatur Youth Symphony, Morgan County Child Advocacy, the Boys and Girls Clubs of North Alabama, plus part of the allocation request for Decatur Public Library.

The school board allocated $200,000 to the nonprofits in each of the last two years and would have to vote to renew the allocation in its fiscal 2023 budget. The four nonprofits asked for a combined $30,000 increase this year.

Other items from the council work session on nonprofit appropriations:

—The Carnegie Visual Arts Center again requested $50,000 even though it got only $17,000 in fiscal 2022. Director Kim Mitchell said the additional money would allow her to hire more operational help "so we can do more programs. It would take the burden off meeting our daily expenses."

—The Decatur-Morgan Seniors Council again asked for $5,000, but Director Amy Rakeshaw also requested that the city purchase an automatic defibrillator for its facility. She said they're starting a new program to assist families with loved ones who have dementia.

—The Decatur Downtown Redevelopment Authority's request is $100,000. Executive Director Kelly Thomas said the group is trying to promote the proximity to downtown of Rhodes Ferry Park and the north side of Wilson Street. This would include way-finding signs along the Bill Sims Bike Trail, which goes under Wilson Street near Rhodes Ferry. They're also working on improvements to Rhodes Ferry Park.

—The Decatur-Morgan County Entrepreneurial Center asked for $125,000 and didn't request the normal allocation from the city for the Best and Brightest Initiative, a program that incentivizes college graduates to move to Decatur by paying a portion of their student loans. The initiative got $90,000 in fiscal 2022. E-Center Director John Joseph said he didn't make the request because he's evaluating future changes to the initiative. Council President Jacob Ladner said the council plans to discuss Best and Brightest with Joseph at a later date.

—The Morgan County Rescue Squad asked for $22,500 after receiving $15,000 each of the last three years. Director Danny Kelso said they're planning to build a new headquarters for about $1.2 million. State Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, and the Morgan County Commission helped the squad purchase 3 acres near the Decatur Fire & Rescue Training Center in the Flint area. The city's allocation would be for operations, not the new center.

—After getting turned down for requests of $20,000 in 2021 and $50,000 in 2022, Hands Across Decatur did not submit a request for the fiscal 2023 budget. This program helps the city's homeless population.

—While outlining Morgan County Health Department's request for $130,000, Judy Smith, administrator of the Alabama Department of Public Health Northern District, said COVID-19 positivity rates — the percentage of those tested for the virus who have it — are increasing. According to the ADPH, 25% of those tested for the virus in Morgan County over the last week have tested positive.

Smith said there have been 86 deaths this year to increase the overall total to 521 in Morgan County. COVID vaccination rates are down, she said, as are vaccinations for other illnesses.

"An adjacent county had a recent outbreak of chicken pox," Smith said.

Smith said the Health Department, which asked for a $10,000 increase for fiscal 2023, is adjusting to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and thus put into effect an Alabama law that outlaws all abortions except in some instances where the health of the mother is at risk. Smith said they are looking at more family planning services to prevent pregnancy.

The department is trying to help Women, Infants and Children (WIC) recipients with prenatal and dental care for children, she said. WIC is a state-administered supplemental nutrition program for pregnant women, breastfeeding women, women who had a baby within the last six months, infants, and children under the age of 5.

—The Princess Theatre Center for the Performing Arts once again asked for $120,000 after receiving $80,000 this year. Executive Director Mary McDonald said the need is for operational funding so it can use ticket revenue and private contributions to continue making improvements to programming.

McDonald said the theater has major air conditioning problems with two of its 10 units not working. The city owns the theater.

—The Decatur Public Library requested no increase in its fiscal 2022 allocation of $377,935. Director Sherry Sakovich said a series of cost reductions, including cutting staff and joining the city's health plan, reduced the library's budget to make it as lean as it can get. She said the funds are needed as usage of the library has increased dramatically since the pandemic.

— bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432. Twitter @DD_BayneHughes.