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| Botts pitches idea for public transportation system to county |
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11/8/2019
By Tom Marshall
Senior Advocate writer
Mt. Sterling Mayor Al Botts is looking for support for a public transportation system to serve Mt. Sterling and Montgomery County.
The system would include a van and possibly another vehicle that would take people to medical appointments, shopping at local businesses, etc. The service would initially be available three days per week, but may expand to five, Botts said.
It would be operated through Gateway Community Action.
Botts went before the Montgomery County Fiscal Court Tuesday morning to ask for financial support for the system.
“If we can open it up (the service) to the county, it’s just that many more people we can serve,” Botts said.
Judge-Executive Wally Johnson and county commissioners Billy Ray Fawns, Melody Townsend and Jack “Rackle” Adams all voiced support.
They agreed that $10,000 would be a good commitment. It would have to publicly be voted on in a regular meeting. Tuesday’s meeting was a workshop in which the fiscal court discusses various issues facing the county, but can take no action.
“We spend money on things that are not as deserving,” Fawns said.
Botts said the city of Mt. Sterling has committed $20,000 toward the project and the Camargo Mayor has offered $1,000. He has not heard from Jeffersonville officials, he said.
Botts told the Advocate the Mt. Sterling City Council passed a budget this year with $20,000 committed to public transportation.
“We (the city) have been solidly behind this program for months, but needed other monetary support to get it off the ground.” He added it’s his understanding the city of Camargo will formally vote at its next meeting on the $1,000 figure the city has discussed contributing.
“I don’t want to do this just for the city of Mt. Sterling and Camargo,” Botts told the Fiscal Court Tuesday. “That would be hard to do.”
Botts is also approaching local banks, businesses and industries for financial commitments.
Townsend said the project should have the support of local businesses, which could generate customers by being on a route or in getting employees to and from work.
With local sponsors, Botts said the project could receive a grant through the state for transportation funds for non-urbanized areas. The community has reached its match to qualify for the grant, he said.
Botts said he is confident the project has enough public support to become a reality. If all goes as planned the service would kick off July 1, 2020, he said.
Similar programs serve Morehead, Winchester and the Licking River area, Botts said. Morgan County and West Liberty had a service, but it has since stopped operation, he added.
The mayor said he has been told that the total annual cost of such a service would be about $60,500. That would include a driver, director (employed through Gateway Community Action), gas and phone service, he said.
Riders would be charged $1 per trip, Botts said. Hours of operation would have to be determined, the mayor said.
A decision will have to be made whether to have specific routes with pickup points or based on individual calls for service, he said.
Botts said he wants the Senior Citizen Center downtown to be one of the areas served.
He said the project is part of a promise he made to local senior citizens when he was elected to office to provide reliable public transportation for them.
The service might be eligible for Medicaid reimbursement for providing transportation to medical appointments, he added.
The service could also be valuable for events such as local conferences or October Court Days, Botts said.
He added the first year would be an experiment to see what works and what doesn’t and make corrections from there.
As part of a five-year plan, Botts said he would like to see Frenchburg added to the service.
WellCare, a company dedicated to public health and welfare, has been very involved in the planning process, he said.
In other action, commissioners:
• Discussed a complaint from an individual concerned about the proposed nuisance ordinance.
The person said they were upset that by mowing properties with high grass and weeds it could hurt the bee, rabbit and squirrel populations, Johnson said.
Adams said he has personally heard more positive feedback on the proposal than just about any other action the Fiscal Court has taken.
The Fiscal Court is expected to take up second reading of the ordinance at its Nov. 19 regular meeting.
• Fawns said the Fiscal Court needs to encourage the state again that Hinkston Pike is in serious need of repairs.
The Fiscal Court also discussed taking over old Maysville Road as a county road.
• Emergency Management Director Greg Beam announced that he has applied for Montgomery County to be designated a Storm Ready Community.
The designation could make the community eligible for grants and possibly a reduction in insurance rates.
The Fiscal Court will meet again in regular session 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, in the fiscal courtroom at the Courthouse Annex. The next workshop will be 10 a.m. that morning in the judge-executive’s conference room. Meetings are open to the public.
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