SPRINGDALE -- The Ozark Regional Transit Authority board agreed Thursday to hire a facilitator to help begin implementing a 10-year public transit plan.
The board also approved a plan to give employees a bonus for their efforts during the covid-19 pandemic.
Abby Foster, owner of Ahnimisha Consulting in Bella Vista, was selected to guide the board members through the transit plan.
Joel Gardner, executive director of regional transit, said the work includes defining the vision and goals of the board, providing guidance on challenges and opportunities the growth of transit will present and getting board members engaged in the hunt for funding opportunities. Funding options include a quarter-cent sales tax proposal in the major cities to expand transit in the region's urban areas.
Foster's proposal was one of three the board considered. Foster was selected based on her past work on projects with Fayetteville, her being the only local applicant and cost. Board members felt the fee structures and travel for the other applicants, one from North Carolina and the other from Austin, Texas, could lead to unforeseen expenses.
Foster has worked with Fayetteville on several projects, including a site for a parking garage and a short-term rental ordinance. Foster leads workshops, training seminars and professional coaching and offers consulting services.
A contract must still be signed, and Gardner said he's looking at alternatives sources to pay for the work rather than using the transit provider's federal operating money. Foster's rate is $250 per hour. Gardner said his staff will develop a budget.
The other entities submitting proposals included Alliance Transportation Group, which wrote the transit development plan; and Kristin Joyner of KJ Backpack, a transit consulting firm.
The plan envisions a more urban focus on transit in the region with representation on the board commensurate with how much money an entity contributes. The current board makeup gives equal voting rights to four counties and four cities, some of which contribute little or nothing to public transit costs.
Ozark Regional Transit, which is essentially the Northwest Arkansas Regional Transit Authority, is looking to change its board to address that urban and rural divide. About 96% of its ridership is in the four major Northwest Arkansas cities.
The board also authorized $2,500 bonuses for each employee. Gardner said he expects about 60 employees who worked during the period to receive the bonuses.
Mike Lanier, chairman of the authority, said employees have done "yeomen work" over the last year and a half and their effort deserves to be recognized by the board so they know their efforts are appreciated.
Money for the bonuses will come from $548,000 regional transit received from the federal American Recovery Act, Gardner said.
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Making connections
Connect Northwest Arkansas, the 10-year public transportation development plan, looks at every aspect of public transit in the region and makes recommendations to improve and increase service and the coverage area.
It envisions expanded routes and on-demand service in the region’s urban areas.
Individual plans within Connect Northwest Arkansas have been developed specifically for Ozark Regional Transit and Razorback Transit to define their roles in a regional system. Individual plans have also been developed for each of the four major cities.
Work on Connect Northwest Arkansas was commissioned and paid for by the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. The plan and the study leading up to it cost $280,000.
Here’s a link to the plan: www.nwarpc.org/tran…
Source: Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission