Ozark Regional Transit Requests More Money

FAYETTEVILLE — Officials at Ozark Regional Transit want Northwest Arkansas’ four biggest cities and counties to give a combined $1.5 million annually for public transportation expansion.

Teamed with staff from the Northwest Arkansas Council, transit officials made their pitch to Quorum Court members in Washington and Benton counties Tuesday. They seek 20 percent of a dollar allotment given by the state to cities and counties from revenue generated by the voter-approved highway sales tax.

In Washington County, that equals $245,000 out of $1.23 million for the next 10 years — the life of the sales tax. Benton County would give $255,777 out of $1.24 million, according to transit’s proposal.

That’s for more bus routes to and from small cities such as Prairie Grove, Lincoln, Elkins or West Fork, said Joel Gardner, transit general manager, to Washington County’s Finance and Budget Committee.

That’s also for more capabilities to schedule dial-a-ride services, where callers can schedule pick-ups in even more remote areas of the county, he said. Regional transit can also provide carpool-style vans to pick up small groups in rural cities, he said.

“I don’t want you to think that Ozark Regional Transit is in anyway dictating what we are going to do,” Gardner said. “This is your transit system for your members of Washington County and beyond. The question I always ask is what do you want your transit system to look like?”

Gardner said after the meeting regional transit is first approaching for money the cities and counties that have memberships to its board. Regional transit’s board includes representatives from Washington, Madison, Benton and Carroll counties and also Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville.

“I don’t support it at this level at this time,” said Justice of the Peace Ann Harbison. “We have too many needs in the county with bridges and roads. My first responsibility is to my constituents in south Washington County and almost 50 percent of the rural area is down there.”

The committee last month voted to approve using all sales tax revenue to replace bridges and resurface road in rural areas and not public transportation. Justice of the Peace Eva Madison was the only Quorum Court member to vote against using all of the tax revenue for roads and bridges because the group hadn't considered money for public transit.

Operating a fixed route for five days per week for 15 hours per day would cost $108,000 in 2014, Gardner told Harbison after she asked for specific cost estimates. A dial-a-service vehicle would cost $86,000, he said.

Buses run nearly empty with the exception of a few routes, said Justice of the Peace Harvey Bowman. Justice of the Peace Tom Lundstrum said he talked with transit’s former general manager about increasing the cost for riders.

Justice of the Peace Eva Madison said the people who often use public transportation are too young or old, too poor or physically disabled.

“We build roads that we don’t charge people for and some of those roads and some of those bridges don’t get used often, but we still fund them,” Madison said. “We don’t ask people to pay every time they cross the bridge.”

Gardner said demand for services has increased and transit dispatcher are denying fewer dial-a-ride requests.

“I feel like they’ve done all they can to really squeeze and run efficiently and doing what they can to meet the needs, but we all know this area is growing,” said Mike Malone, executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Council.

Malone said employers considering a move to Northwest Arkansas have cited reliable public transits systems as an important factor in their decisions. The area continues to grow by the thousands in population annually, he said.

Washington County tabled the issue until Nov. 18’s scheduled budget session. Benton County’s Committee of the Whole passed the request along to another committee, said Rob Smith, communications and policy specialist for the Northwest Arkansas Council.