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Despite uncertain future, SATA ‘not going away,' says director
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Saturday, July 8, 2006 8:34 AM EDT
Argus-Press Photo/Anthony Cepak Through a seat headrest, Jean Makara, 84, is seen riding on a Shiawassee Area Transportation Agency bus Friday morning. Despite the recent decision by some service areas to not place a ballot question from SATA for an August vote, SATA officials and riders are not too concerned. The ballot question would have asked SATA to be changed to an authority, which would have allowed SATA to ask for millage support from its participating municipalities.
Picking through a plastic bag filled with paperback novels, Betty Forrester and Jean Makara spent their ride to the Shiawassee Council for Aging chatting and conducting their monthly book trade.
Traveling to the center once or twice a week for lunch and a game of bingo, Forrester and Makara depend on the services of the Shiawassee Area Transportation Agency. Forrester started riding the SATA bus eight years ago after she gave her granddaughter her car.
“I don't know what I'd do without (SATA) really,” she said. “Where I live there aren't many drivers, and if they do drive they aren't very good.”
Makara started riding with SATA three years ago when driving became difficult for her. Although she has family in Owosso, Makara prefers to depend on SATA instead for rides.
“Each time I have to ask someone else for something, I feel like I'm losing a little bit of my independence,” Makara said.
SATA's recent failure to move from an agency to an authority does not bother Makara or Forrester as long as it is not in danger of stopping its services.
“SATA is not in danger of going away - we're here for the long haul,” said SATA Executive Director Lawrence Alpert.
According to Alpert, the main reason the agency would like to become an authority is because it would give them the ability to request future millage support from the municipalities it serves. Having to request funding from each individual municipality is, if nothing else, time-consuming, Alpert said.
The five members of the agency that would allow it to become an authority are Corunna, Caledonia Charter Township, Durand, Owosso, Perry and the Shiawassee Regional Education Services District. A unanimous agreement to dissolve the agency was needed for a change to authority status; Perry and Durand did not support the resolution.
Previously the cities of Owosso and Corunna, alongside Caledonia Charter Township, had agreed to dissolve the agency as long as all elements to form an authority were accepted. One such element that would need to have been accepted was passage in three political subdivisions of SATA for a .25 millage on the August ballot supporting a transportation authority.
As an agency, municipalities can contribute funding from their general fund or through a millage. Becoming an authority would lead to the same millage throughout SATA's jurisdictions and lead to equal funding. During the current fiscal year, Corunna and Owosso supported the service through a millage while Caledonia Township, Durand, Perry and Perry Township offered support from their general fund.
Vice-chair of SATA's board and Perry City Councilman James Huguelet said that sharing the same millage rate as other municipalities does not make sense for Perry.
“We don't have the ridership to justify the payments,” Huguelet said.
Corunna Mayor and member of the SATA board Steve Corey believes that the agency will face difficulties with funding as the millages supporting the agency in Corunna and Owosso will run out September 30 as the fiscal year comes to a close.
“This may force people to recognize there might be a funding problem,” Corey said.
He also believes that the board needs to investigate other avenues to fund the agency instead of going to the voters.
“We have no plans at this immediate time to put a millage on any ballot,” he said.
Right now SATA has no local funding for the upcoming fiscal year starting Oct. 1. According to Alpert, $102,000 was placed in the budget to come from local municipalities with the rest of the agency's budget coming form state and federal funding.
“The board will have to give serious consideration to when and how much is going to be asked (from local governments),” Alpert said.
He also said funding is usually requested in May, but was not this year because of the possible change to an authority status.
“I don't see a change to an authority for at least another year - if even then,” he said.
Just last year, more than 63,000 passengers utilized the services offered by SATA with an average fare of just over $1, according to Alpert.