Councilmembers on Tuesday agreed to move forward with a resolution authorizing the city manager to apply for SFY 2027 Section 5310 funds through the Ohio Department of Transportation to support enhanced mobility for older adults and individuals with disabilities.

Staff presenter Jeffrey said the Section 5310 program can fund vehicles, equipment and operating support for community transportation programs. He described a pilot concept that could include vehicles with wheelchair lifts or ramps, a third-party operator to handle scheduling and operations, and the potential to contract out insurance and day-to-day operations. Jeffrey said comparable municipal programs have used third-party operators and app-based scheduling and that a pilot would allow the city to assess demand before deciding whether to operate service in-house.

Jeffrey presented a rough example budget discussed in consultations with other communities: a program build-out could run in the low six figures (an example figure presented was roughly $144,000 total) with the city providing a local match (staff described a typical 20 percent match in some examples). He emphasized the application window opens Oct. 1 and that authorizing the application for the 2027 cycle would allow staff to continue detailed planning.

Council members raised service-area and operational questions. Several members stressed the need to survey seniors and potential riders to identify destinations (doctor appointments, VA visits, pharmacies and medical centers were mentioned as priorities) and to set service boundaries before larger commitments are made. Staff said the pilot could set and later modify geographic limits, and that other municipalities had extended service beyond city borders for select medical trips.

The discussion covered alternatives for delivery: purely third-party contractor, hybrid volunteer models and an eventual in-house program if demand justified it. Council suggested pursuing grant sources that specifically fund vehicle lifts and accessibility equipment in addition to ODOT money. Staff said they would gather additional cost estimates, survey potential riders and return with final application materials.

Council had no objections to placing the application authorization on the Monday meeting agenda for formal consideration.