Clinton County Rural Transit Board defers director appointments, hears report on ridership, funding and staffing

The Clinton County Rural Transit District Board of Directors on a voice vote in May 2025 deferred decisions on two director appointments and approved the board’s minutes and financial report while staff outlined ridership trends, funding pressures and staffing needs.

Board members voted to defer action on agenda item B-1, the appointment for Place 6 director, and on B-2, the at-large director slot, after motions to hold the items for a later meeting. The board later approved the minutes of the previous meeting and unanimously approved the financial report.

At an operations briefing, a transit staff presenter summarized January ridership and service changes for the district’s rural demand-response program and new commuter routes. The presenter said demand-response trips were 1,075 for one month entry, Medicaid trips were 17, and “Our total demand response for the month of January was 1,440 people.” They also said the commuter service added routes through China Spring, Crawford and McGregor and that outreach material was mailed in both English and Spanish to reflect McLennan County demographics.

The presenter described competition for Medicaid-funded trips from private nonemergency transportation providers and brokers, saying brokers had been awarding trips to private operators that do not carry the same regulatory costs. “We are having some meetings with the non emergency transportation brokers to kinda discuss the expectations that we have as public transit,” the presenter said, and added, “I'm the president of the Texas Transit Association.” They told the board those private providers are often able to bid lower rates because they do not follow the same drug- and alcohol-testing and other regulatory requirements as public transit providers.

Board discussion focused on whether a lower broker rate was pulling trips from the district and on how to measure the district’s share of the market. One board member asked staff to seek peer data on private-provider trip volumes and broker assignments; staff agreed to look for available reporting and to consider an open-records request if needed. The presenter said they would check public transit reporting systems and try to provide comparative data for the board.

Staff and board members also discussed driver recruitment and wages. The presenter said part-time drivers are paid $15 an hour and that full-time drivers who obtain a commercial driver’s license receive higher starting pay (the presenter said the full-time/CDL starting pay was increased to about $19). The presenter said the district trains employees in-house for CDLs and will pay training costs for employees who choose to pursue the license. Board members and staff noted competition with private-sector employers and app-based providers for flexible schedules and pay.

The operations briefing covered an unexpected software cost tied to integrating the rural fleet with the City of Waco’s passenger app; staff said the expense was covered by grants. Staff also reported receipt of a new capital vehicle funded through a grant received in February.

Board members asked staff to pursue community outreach—one board member asked staff to contact Kevin Neal at the City of Lorena about giving a short presentation to that city’s council—and to bring back data showing how the district’s trip volumes compare with other providers in the area.

The meeting closed after routine scheduling discussion about meeting frequency and a note that the board is required to hold four meetings a year.