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DART saves Senior Rides program
By Jon Vanderlaan, jvanderlaan@acnpapers.com
The tightening budget in Plano is not without its casualties, one of which was scheduled to be the Senior Rides program -- but an agreement between the city and DART will spare it for at least another two years.
Because DART service does not flow extensively through Plano, especially its northwest reaches, the agency has agreed to fund the program at $50,000 per year for the next two years, or until the northwest Plano park-and-ride station is operational.
The program has offered taxi vouchers and mile reimbursement as part of its services since its inaugural year in 2008.
“We’re not expecting there to be significant change in terms of what the client deals with,” he said. “It marries the two agencies a lot more in terms of looking directly at the issues of senior transportation.”
Todd Plesko, DART vice president of planning and development, said until the agency can bring more coverage to that area of Plano, funding the program is a good option.
However, Vice Chairwoman of the planning committee Pamela Gates said she does not want other member cities to believe the funding is a pilot program and available to all.
Because Plano is in a different situation than member cities, it is a one-time funding agreement, she said.
Stark said despite spending just over $50,000 in 2009 and estimating the cost of the program at more than $70,000 in 2010, administrative cuts should keep the program under the $50,000 budget.
The program originally was going to cut the mile reimbursement program as part of those cuts, but as of the planning committee meeting, that part of the program still was in the plans.
Stark said the Geriatric Wellness Center is going to absorb some costs, and marketing also is going to take a cut, because the program already is almost at capacity with about 90 clients.
He said when the funding is cut off in two years, he believes not only will Plano have a park-and-ride station in the northwest area of the city, but DART and Plano will have come up with a Mobility Management Plan, which DART is working on courtesy of a United We Ride grant.
According to a presentation by DART Innovative Services Project Manager Daniel Dickerson, eligible seniors 65 years old or older can purchase discounted taxi vouchers at $25 for a $100 voucher or have mileage reimbursed at 50 cents per mile.
Plano still will be charged with running the program with funding from DART.
Committee reviews legislative agenda
Fred Pratt, state relations manager at DART, presented the executive committee with the proposed legislative goals of the agency, one of which caught the ears of board members.
Pratt said imposing an administrative penalty for HOV lane violations would be beneficial for the agency for such violations as crossing double white lines and driving in the lanes without the required number of people in the vehicle.
Board member Mark Enoch said the agency would be able to recover loss revenue to Justice of the Peace courts, which he said makes sense because the courts do not expend any resources yet still collect on violations.
John Danish, vice chairman of the board, said a backlog in the courts could help the agency's case to keep those revenues within.
Pratt said although the agency has the ability to take the issue to Austin, he wants to see if it can resolve the problem locally.
A host of other issues also appeared on the agenda: Allow Regional Transportation Authorities to create local government corporations; allow DART to enter into fuel hedges and other financial arrangements for longer than five years without an election; provide employees of DART contractors with the same liability projection under the Texas Tort Claims Act while they are working on DART projects; and increase the threshold for the use of competitive sealed bids.
The agency also would work with Metropolitan Transit Authorities to repeal the sales tax exemption given to gas and electricity sales for residential use.
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