Wait and see what Addison and and Orion do.
That’s what Oxford Township officials voted to do last week in response to the North Oakland Transportation Authority’s (NOTA) request for an additional $15,556 to help put a 10th bus back on the road.
‘I am asking to try and keep a level of service that we have provided in the past to the people,? said township Trustee Pat Fitchena, who’s employed as NOTA’s director.
NOTA provides free transportation to senior citizens, mentally and physically disabled people and welfare-to-work participants living in Oxford, Addison and Orion townships and their villages.
Last year, NOTA gave 24,649 rides, the majority of which (11,823) were to and from Oxford.
‘The demand in this area is unbelievable,? Fitchena said.
Earlier this year, NOTA lost its Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) funding, which consisted of $150,000 from the federal government and $150,000 in matching funds from the state.
This significant loss forced NOTA to, as of Sept. 1, cut its Saturday and Sunday services and reduce the daily number of buses on the road from 10 to nine.
‘We’re turning people away right now,? said Fitchena, noting that if additional funds to replace the JARC monies are not found by January, NOTA will be forced to cut three more buses, meaning only six buses would be on the road each day.
In order to restore that 10th bus to active duty, NOTA has requested Oxford, Addison and Orion townships to kick in additional funds on top of their existing annual contributions.
Oxford’s being asked for another $15,556 in addition to its $80,000 contribution. Another $3,500 was requested of Addison, which already pays $18,000 per year (see sidebar story). Orion has been asked to give an additional $16,664 on top of its $85,600 annual contribution.
A request for more money did not sit well with Oxford officials.
‘Times are getting tight,? said Supervisor Bill Dunn. ‘We just can’t keep adding and adding and adding. I don’t know where we’re going to get the money.?
Dunn noted that when NOTA was formed in 2002, former Oakland County Commissioner Larry Obrecht, who helped set it up, told officials how most of the funding was going to come from grants, not local tax dollars.
‘We were sold a bill of goods by Mr. Obrecht,? said the supervisor, noting the township’s contribution has increased from approximately $30,000 in 2002 to the current $80,000. ‘How are we going to stop this??
Trustee Sue Bellairs suggested ‘internal changes? be made within NOTA to save money. ‘We just can’t keep raising and raising,? she said.
Fitchena attributed the increased costs to rising insurance and gasoline prices, plus the fact that NOTA added buses and expanded its services to seven days a week when additional funds became available in recent years.
NOTA is working to find alternative funding sources and has secured promises of an additional $30,000 per year each from Crittenton and Beaumont hospitals, Fitchena noted.
Treasurer Joe Ferrari said NOTA has reached the point ‘where it can’t stay the same size,? it has to increase its membership.
‘I know you’ve got Brandon beating down the door,? he said. ?(They) would like to jump in.?
Adding Brandon Township is NOTA’s ‘best bet? to get the ‘infusion of cash? and ‘infusion of buses? it needs.’I think that’s your solution,? Ferrari said.
Dunn disagreed. ‘I don’t want to get bigger,? he said.
Resident Helen Barwig criticized the $6,000 bonus Fitchena was paid by NOTA last year. She currently earns $48,000 a year (no benefits) as the transportation authority’s director. Her starting salary was $37,000 in January 2004. From October 2003 to Jan. 15, 2004, Fitchena worked as NOTA’s director for free.
‘Between her wage going up and bonuses, that money is being wasted,? Barwig said. ‘She shouldn’t have taken bonuses. She can give them back.?
Barwig suggested NOTA cut its budget from within rather than ask the communities for more money. ‘They do waste a lot of money within,? she said.
Fitchena retorted that she’s ‘made far less? in the time she’s worked for NOTA than the previous two directors. She noted that she’s ‘not making any more money than the first director.?
‘This isn’t for Pat Fitchena,? said Fitchena, referring to the request for additional funding. ‘My staff and myself decided to take no raises.?
Ultimately, the township board voted to table the issue to wait and see what action Addison and Orion officials take in response to the additional funding requests.