City continues bus service negotiations

The city’s bus service negotiations with the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA) are moving forward on a more positive note.

The city had originally planned to cut mid-day service on two of its three BJCTA routes and contract with ClasTran to provide VIP paratransit services between roughly 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. However, ClasTran decided to hold off on making an agreement to give the city and the transit authority more time to negotiate.

Most of the specially-called finance committee meeting on Jan. 7 involved council members asking BJCTA representatives about amounts charged in recent years. These charges had concerned the council enough to cut its funding in half for FY 2015.

In FY 2013, Homewood paid BJCTA $226,262 for 1,315 service hours and budgeted for a similar amount for the following year. However, the city was charged for $274,142 in FY 2014, an increase of $47,880 with no prior notice of rate change and that was not stipulated in any contract. It was this jump that started Homewood’s concerns with transit service, Ward 3 Place 2 Representative Walter Jones said.

BJCTA representatives said the increase was a result of what the county tax assessor charged because Homewood was among a subset that paid ad valorem tax for the transit authority. No one had an answer as to why that amount was charged without consulting city staff that was not present at the meeting.

“The collection of ad valorem has nothing to do with what we pay,” Homewood attorney Mike Kendrick said.

The two parties agreed that BJCTA would continue to look into the cause of the 2014 charges and that now they must consider how to most efficiently use Homewood’s funds moving forward.

“We all want bus service, but let’s customize it to fit Homewood’s needs as best as possible,” Jones said.

“I think there’s a amicable compromise here,” Ward 1 Place 2 Representative Britt Thames said. “While none of us are transit engineers, we want to address the concerns of residents who are seeing empty buses.”

 Former BJCTA Board Chair Johnnye Lassiter was ousted from her position a few days before the Jan. 7 meeting and was replaced by Patrick Sellers. Lassiter was the one who initially ordered the decision to stop Homewood bus service on Dec. 22. That decision was prevented by the city council’s decision to pay for full services through Jan. 31.

Sellers suggested BJCTA representatives hold a work session with the Homewood Planning Department regarding specifics of bus routes moving forward. Jones asked that they also look at whether they are effectively using ClasTran for special needs transportation.

“If we are making any more changes, they need to be for the long term,” Jones said.

Sellers and Board Attorney Courtney French also asked for additional funding beyond the current budgeted amount, which is half of the previous year’s budget, as a part of a new plan. In response, council members asked that BJCTA suggest general ways Homewood can make more efficient use of funds before discussions about money begin.

“I do feel so much better about what we have talked about today,” Jones said in conclusion. “There is obviously commitment on both sides now.”

Whatever they do, the two groups emphasized that they want to keep communication open.

“That’s the key,” council president Bruce Limbaugh said.

Jones said he anticipated coming to a conclusion on the plan for transit by the end of January. For updates on the bus negotiations, visit thehomewoodstar.com.