A Department on Aging bus traveled Second Avenue this morning. |
Board to eye transit change Sept. 15, 2009 The Langlade County Board will hold its September meeting Thursday, and there is a good chance that the public transit system is in for major changes.
The meeting starts at 9 a.m. on the lower level of the Safety Building.
The Executive Committee will introduce a resolution asking for approval of an agreement to join the Menominee Regional Transit System, bringing an era of county-sponsored buses criss-crossing the county to an end.
The resolution notes that the transportation system here has a budget of approximately $104,000, using a Wisconsin grant of $67,000, a county matching fund of $13,000 and rider fees of $24,000.
Using those figures, the committee states that the “county in unable to sustain the level of services by the Red Robin Transit System.”
In neighboring Menominee County, the Menominee Indian Tribe has operated a regional transit system for 27 years and has a budget of about $2 million per year, and the committee is eyeing tapping into that resource.
While it will shut down the Langlade County buses, the advantages of the union include the ability to maintain the same level of transportation service at the same level of funding.
At the same time, if offereds the opportunity to expand services and reduce rider fees, as a study of the situation shows.
“By joining the existing regional transit system, residents of Langlade County will have the opportunity to travel to all destinations served by the Menominee Regional Transit System,” the study states.
Currently the Menominee buses are making daily trips to Green Bay, Appleton, Shawano, Milwaukee, Madison and Rochester, Minn. And if approved Thursday, Antigo.
The Menominee system employs more than 50 people including a full-time transit director, two full-time mobility managers and drivers and mechanics.
The resolution notes that there will be no financial impact to the county at this time — but it will idle some buses and employees.
While the transportation is the leader, there is plenty of more business on the agenda.
The Public Safety and Personnel committees will ask that a casual employee position be created in the child support agency, which will be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through Dec. 31, 2010.
The child support agency will be receiving $40,601 in federal funding with $11,603 being used for this position.
Refilling a full time and part-time union register nurse’s positions will be sought by the Social Services and Personnel committee, which will actually be a cost savings to the county during an employee switch.
The registered nurse who will be going part-time will have to pay half of her health insurance premiums resulting in a savings of $834 for 2009 and $3,450 in 2010.
The supervisors will also consider refilling the union office manager position for the Department on Aging to cover a retirement on Oct. 9.
The cost of refilling the post for the rest of this year is $14,760, with $8,280 in fringe benefits, and next year, $52,279, with $23,248 in benefits.
In another personnel matter, there is a proposal to create a full-time union information and assistance/clerical position and eliminate a full-time and part time post for the Department on Aging.
The fiscal note on the resolution states that if approved, the department will save $33,923 in the 2010 budget.
The Board of Health and Personnel committees will seek to refill a full-time public health nurse post and eliminate a part-time public health nurse position.
The savings will be more than $17,665 in the department’s budget.
Those same two committees are promising that the county terminate a contract with Gemini Employee Leasing to provide various services including tobacco education and public health preparedness.
The county spent $39,208.15 in 2008 and so far this year, $27,853.15.
Supervisors will consider a grant for the H1N1 swine flu preparedness program. The grant will be for $33,271 and the expenses for the casual employee cannot exceed that amount.
The Solid Waste Committee will seek to make an application for a 2010 clean sweep program. There is currently $24,000 in the solid waste accounts for the collection.
Board chair Michael Klimoski and Supervisor James Jansen will bring a resolution to the floor for a joint agreement for the aging and disability resource center of central Wisconsin.
The proposal would add Lincoln County to the already existing group that includes Langlade, Marathon and Wood counties.
There is no fiscal impact.
The Water and Land Use Planning Committee will suggest approval to amend zoning maps to allow a change for a parcel along Highway 45. The change would allow the land to be shifted from agricultural to commercial.
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