Thanks to Oxford Township, the North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA) will be able to keep another bus on the road next year.
After months of debating and tabling the issue and waiting to see what action other communities took, township officials last week voted 4-2 to allocate an additional $15,556 to NOTA.
Trustee Pat Fitchena was allowed to abstain from the vote given she’s employed as NOTA’s director.
‘This isn’t for Pat Fitchena, this is for our community,? she said. ‘This is for our seniors. This is for people who cannot drive anymore. This is for people who need to have transportation. There are no taxi cabs. There’s no buses. There is no transportation other than NOTA in this area.?
NOTA provides free transportation to senior citizens, the mentally and physically disabled and welfare-to-work program participants along with people who need rides to chemotherapy and dialysis appointments.
Last year, the organization gave more than 25,000 rides to people living in Oxford, Addison and Orion townships and their three respective villages.
‘Every week we have 6 to ten new people calling to be registered,? Fitchena told officials.
After losing $300,000 in federal and state funding for next year, NOTA was forced to eliminate weekend service and reduce the number of buses it runs Monday through Friday from 10 to nine as of Sept. 1.
The funding shortage has also forced NOTA to pull three buses off the road as of Jan. 1, 2007, according to Fitchena, leaving six buses to serve riders on a daily basis.
In order to keep a seventh bus on the road next year, NOTA asked each of the three townships it serves to kick additional funds totalling $35,700 between them.
Orion was asked to give $16,664, Addison $3,500 and Oxford $15,556.
At its Oct. 30 meeting, Orion officials agreed to contribute an additional $35,700 on its own.
‘Orion Township understood our plight,? Fitchena said. ‘They agreed to fund completely a bus for a year for its operation. They funded the eighth bus and they made the challenge to Oxford and to Addison to get together to try and fund this seventh bus.?
Addison rose to the challenge Nov. 20 and agreed to give an additional $3,500 on top of the $18,000 it already contributes.
Fitchena told officials she secured a three-year funding commitment from Crittenton Hospital for $30,000 annually.
Before Oxford voted to approve more funding, Trustee Sue Bellairs said her peace regarding the issue.
Given the poor state of Michigan’s economy and fact the state has ‘the highest unemployment rate in the country,? Bellairs asked, ‘How do we ask the very people who can’t pay their heating bills to keep increasing the budgets??
‘When do we put an end to the increases, just when do we do that ? this year, next year, the year after?? she said. ‘How can we keep increasing spending, giving to this organization, when the tax base is decreasing??
‘I believe that NOTA, like all other entities, like every house and resident in this community, has to start living within a budget,? Bellairs said. ‘I just want to know when is enough, enough??
Bellairs also voiced her opposition to Fitchena’s ‘obvious conflict of interest? being both a township trustee and NOTA member.
She noted how in late 2005 Fitchena was the tie-breaking vote in the board’s decision to give NOTA an additional $21,900 for its 2006 budget.
‘I don’t see how when it somebody’s job on hand that they can be voting for this,? Bellairs said. ‘I think you’re a wonderful director, Pat, but it’s a conflict of interest in this situation.?
Fitchena wanted to make it ‘crystal clear? that it’s the NOTA board who makes all the decisions, not her.
Bellairs told the board she would not vote, if Fitchena didn’t abstain.
The township board took a vote which included Fitchena and passed 5-1. But because Bellairs didn’t vote, the action was invalid.
Fitchena then requested to abstain and the board voted unanimously to allow her to do so, which led to the proposed funding increase’s passage.
Oxford’s contribution to NOTA now consists of $83,823 from the general fund and $11,733 in municipal credits allocated to the township by the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART).