Hall work session turns into voting session
For the second time this year, the Hall County Board of Commissioners ran what was initially scheduled as a work session meeting as a voting meeting on Monday.
Typically, commissioners ask questions and discuss county business at work sessions before voting on them at meetings.
County officials publicly announced the change on Friday morning. However, the news was confusing for at least one Hall County resident who wanted to speak at the scheduled commissioners meeting on Thursday.
After the meeting, Doug Aiken told county officials he did not sign up to speak because of the confusion.
"I've got an issue with that as a taxpayer," he said.
The decision to change was made as a cost-cutting measure because there were fewer items up for discussion this week, said County Administrator Randy Knighton. There will now be no board meeting on Thursday, which means the county won't spend $200 on renting space at the Georgia Mountains Center.
A sense of uncertainty continues to swell around the future of Hall Area Transit programs as the Hall County Board of Commissioners continues to grapple with balancing short- and long-term budget concerns with offering services to the county's most vulnerable residents.
On Monday, commissioners agreed to apply for a federal grant that covers much of the county's Dial-A-Ride transit program at their special called meeting, but signaled they would revisit the grant and other transit services funding at their next meeting March 22.
Some commissioners are concerned about the "strings attached" to federal grants, requiring monetary matches from local governments.
At the next meeting, the commissioners could reverse course on the grant application to fund the program, which supporters say offers irreplaceable services to Hall's elderly, chronically ill and disabled residents.
Unlike the more recognizable Red Rabbit service provided by Hall Area Transit, Dial-A-Ride offers curb-to-curb transit services to residents throughout the county.
The white vans are available to the general population but largely provide services to nondriving residents going to the senior life center, seeking mental health services or other essential assistance, said Phillippa Lewis Moss, director of the Hall County-Gainesville Community Service Center. The vehicles are wheelchair accessible, Moss said, and some of those residents who use the service would not be able to use taxis or transportation services.
About 1,200 residents use the services, according to the Community Service Center.
The required matching funds would be split by Hall County and the city of Gainesville, both owing roughly $148,000 to cover operating costs and replacement of three vehicles. Some of those costs have increased due to expectations of high fuel prices.
Moss told commissioners the grant application was due next week.
Commissioner Craig Lutz, who has been resistant to federal grants that require binding budget promises, was hesitant to commit the county to the program again.
During last summer's budget process, Lutz said, he discovered it was difficult to reduce county costs for programs funded in part by federal dollars, due to restrictions in the grants.
"It appears to me that we're in a situation now where we can't take these things for granted any more," he said Monday. "I'm afraid this is just a never-ending cycle, which causes us to (be bound) in future relationships down the road."
During Monday's meeting, Lutz questioned Moss on the details of the expenditures. He asked to "personally" inspect the vehicle for replacement and to get the address for Dial-A-Ride customers in his district.
The commissioner told The Times after the meeting he was looking to contact users to "put a face on the issue."
Lutz was not the only commissioner with concerns.
Commissioner Billy Powell also had questions about replacing vehicles.
Three vans are up for replacement after nearing 150,000 miles or a five-year life span, based on federal regulations, Moss said.
Powell said he would expect public transportation vehicles to last longer.
"We have the least expensive buses among transit systems in Georgia," Moss explained. "Their life spans are very short."
The total cost to replace the vans is $140,000. The Federal Transit Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation would cover most of that, leaving Gainesville and Hall County to split $1,400 or 10 percent of the total cost.
The proposal to apply for the grant passed with unanimous approval, but only with the caveat that commissioners would revisit this issue later this month and perhaps pull the request.
In voting for the proposal, County Chairman Tom Oliver said he's not ready to cut ties with program.
"We're only as good as our weakest link in the community," Oliver said. He went on to say that even though some may view the program as an inappropriate government subsidy, the service is key to many of the county's vulnerable residents.
The commission's noncommittal approval of the grant application on Monday could signal more cuts to the Gainesville-Hall County Community Service Center, which runs Hall Area Transit.
Facing an $11.5 million budget shortfall last year, commissioners made deep cuts in many county services, including $120,000 to the center, which is funded both by Gainesville and Hall County.
Commissioner Ashley Bell, who has been a supporter of Hall Area Transit, reminded commissioners that this grant and others like it routinely come before the board.
"If we're going to support it, these are the things that happen every year," he said. "We come in, we approve grants and move forward."
Rather than pick apart each grant annually, Bell said there should be a broader discussion among commissioners about the direction of these services at their next meeting.
"At some point we have to make a fundamental decision," Bell said of the county's decision to provide transportation services through grants. "It's fair to have that debate, so let's just have it."
That debate is expected for the March 22 meeting.