230 likes | 416 Views
CONNECTING TO THE COMMUNITY. Rural Transit Manager Seminar April 10, 2008 Springfield, Illinois. Rural Transit Manager Seminar April 10, 2008 Springfield, Illinois. Lawrence S. Alpert (Larry) Executive Director Shiawassee Area Transportation Agency (SATA) 180 N. Delaney Road
E N D
CONNECTING TO THE COMMUNITY Rural Transit Manager Seminar April 10, 2008 Springfield, Illinois
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois Lawrence S. Alpert (Larry) Executive Director Shiawassee Area Transportation Agency (SATA) 180 N. Delaney Road Owosso, MI 48867 989/729-2687 Fax: 989/729-8207 sata@tir.com
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois • SATA began operations February 1, 2000 as an inter-governmental agency formed by 4 cities and the intermediate school district, each of whom provided 2 members to the Board of Directors. • Formed under a Michigan Act which does not allow taxing authority. Therefore, any local tax support must be sought from individual municipalities. • SATA existed without any local financial support until the fiscal year which began on October 1, 2003.
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois • Shiawassee County is rural in nature with approximately 73,000 residents. Although SATA has jurisdiction throughout the County, only a portion of the more populous areas are included in its service zones. • Neighboring counties include the larger cities of Lansing, Flint and Saginaw. All are within 40 miles of the county seat in Corunna. • SATA has inter-local agreements with all 5 neighboring counties.
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois SATA’s first requests for local funding were calculated by taking non-contracted ridership for the cities and townships interested in contributing, calculating what the percentage of all riders was for each municipality and multiplying that by the total needed. It is now calculated using the ridership as 50% of the calculation and the other 50% from the taxable property value of that municipality.
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois • Both interior and exterior advertising are sold by the square foot per vehicle per month with a 12-month minimum. • Current rates are $9/sq. ft. per month • Local graphic artist creates & installs the decal for $14/sq. ft. • Blue van photo is 9 sq. ft. x $14 = $126 for decal. Charge to customer is 9 sq. ft. x $9/month = $81/month or $972/year. • Burgandy van on left costs SATA $194. SATA charges $1,500 for 1 year.
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois • The creation of the first public transit agency in Shiawassee County (SATA) was facilitated by the County Health & Human Services Council (unaffiliated with county government). • Leaders of more than 45 organizations meet monthly for a presentation, updates on the progress of various workgroups and of individual agencies.
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois Existing Contracts Include: • 2 individuals with relatives who use wheelchairs & live in a nursing home need occasional trips to medical appointments. • A pre-school taking occasional field trips locally. • An alternative high school with a teen parenting class. • A neighboring transit agency which cannot spare a vehicle to transport a resident of its county to dialysis in our county.
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois Existing Contracts Include: • 2 churches with youth bible classes • A state agency helping people to get training in order to gain employment. • A community services agency • A beverage distributor offering free rides home from a local festival once a year. • A nursing home, an assisted living complex and the log-term care unit of the local hospital.
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois Existing Contracts Include: • The county Council On Aging which pays for “seniors ride free Wednesdays”. • The Arc • 4 school districts to get students to jobs, home from after-school activities • Girl Scouts & the YMCA to summer camps • The county Community Mental Health Authority
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois • The county Community Mental Health Authority is our largest contractor. $542/day for approximately 16 hours of service = $33.88/hour. • Operating this service opens up opportunities to serve residents in parts of our jurisdiction which are not currently in any of our 4 service zones. • Most other contracts are based upon our current hourly rate of $37. This figure is derived from the most recent rolling 12 month cost per vehicle hour and rounded upward to the nearest dollar.
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois The 3 most important parts of gaining contractual service agreements are to: • Be an active member of your community. • Do your homework before approaching an organization about contracted service with your agency. Find out what service they presently have and what it costs them to operate it. If you can find a way to operate it more efficiently, they will listen. • Know what it costs to operate your service per hour & per mile.
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois Revenues are approximately as follows: • 36% from state operating • 16% from federal 5311 operating • 20% from contracted service • 9% from individual fares • 12% from contributed services & local governments (taxes & general fund contributions) • 7% from advertising, small grants, misc.
Rural Transit Manager SeminarApril 10, 2008Springfield, Illinois Lawrence S. Alpert (Larry) Executive Director Shiawassee Area Transportation Agency (SATA) 180 N. Delaney Road Owosso, MI 48867 989/729-2687 Fax: 989/729-8207 sata@tir.com