Trumbull transit officials get boost from discussion with WRTA director

By Ed Runyan | March 26, 2019 at 12:00a.m.

WARREN

“We want to help them because we are a region, not just an island,” Dean J. Harris, Western Reserve Transit Authority executive director, said Monday of the reason he has met with Trumbull County officials in recent months regarding Trumbull County’s public transportation system.

Harris met Monday with the three Trumbull County commissioners; their transit administrator, Mike Salamone; Trumbull County Transit Chairman Bob Faulkner; and others just a few days after a contentious Thursday Trumbull Transit meeting.

At that meeting, Salamone declared that the four “abstain” votes cast out of six board members on a motion to re-bid the ride-provider contract just might be the end of Trumbull Transit.

But the discussion Monday about various ways the WRTA can assist Trumbull Transit in getting its problems worked out seemed to reverse the negative sentiments and angry remarks heard Thursday.

Commissioners Mauro Cantalamessa and Dan Polivka both were especiallly interested in Harris’ suggestion that the WRTA might be able to take over Trumbull Transit’s ride-scheduling function.

Currently, Community Busing Service provides the rides and schedules them, but Trumbull officials have questioned documentation the company provides, so having the WRTA handle ride appointments should instill greater confidence in the data, Polivka said.

There are a number of ways Trumbull Transit and the WRTA could combine, Harris said. If the WRTA were to become the regional transit agency for Trumbull County, Trumbull Transit would have to be abolished, Harris said.

Faulkner said he doesn’t have a problem with that.

“The commissioners appoint the transit board [members] and the commissioners can eliminate the transit board,” Faulkner said. He said if the commissioners follow the steps needed, “it’s fine,” he said.

Salamone said one problem with Trumbull Transit is it has no consistent source of operating funds. The county adds about $400,000 in senior-citizen levy money to federal funding and other sources to reach its $1.3 million annual budget. WRTA, meanwhile, gets much of its funding from sales taxes.