County holds NCDOT 5311 administrative funds public hearing and approves budgeted administrative expenses

Pitt County opened a statutorily required public hearing on Sept. 15 to receive comment on the county’s use of N.C. Department of Transportation 5311 administrative funds, which cover administrative costs such as office supplies, vehicle insurance, salaries and training for rural transit operations. The county official presenting said the hearing did not concern vehicle replacement this year because replacement vehicles were on order. No members of the public signed up to speak. After closing the hearing, a commissioner moved to approve the 5311 administrative items and the board voted to adopt the related administrative budget matters. Why it matters: NCDOT 5311 funds subsidize rural transit administrative functions. Board approval of the administrative items is a routine but required step in managing federal/state rural transit funding. What happened: The public hearing was opened, there were no public speakers, the hearing was closed, and the board approved the administrative budget items for the 5311 program.