Denton County approves grant-funded transportation agreement with SPAN to serve seniors, veterans and people with disabilities

Denton County Commissioners Court on June 3 unanimously approved an agreement with SPAN Incorporated to provide grant-funded transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities, contingent on continued availability of federal Section 5310 transit program funds.

The agreement was introduced as agenda item 14e and passed after brief remarks thanking county staff and SPAN’s board for months of preparation. Commissioner Williams moved to approve the agreement; the motion was seconded by the chair and carried unanimously.

Why it matters: The Section 5310 federal program subsidizes transportation for older adults and individuals with disabilities. County leaders and SPAN officials said the funding will expand rides for seniors, veterans and people with disabilities who otherwise have trouble accessing medical care, grocery stores and other services.

Commissioners and county staff stressed the agreement is contingent on ongoing federal funding. County Auditor Jeff May reviewed SPAN’s finances as part of the review process and provided a favorable evaluation of the agency’s financial viability before the court advanced the item.

A SPAN representative said, “This funding is gonna make a huge difference. … Transportation is a topic that’s very important because when we have all these resources in the community but people can’t access these resources, it doesn’t help anybody.” The representative added the organization prioritizes live staff answering calls and connecting riders to services.

Ernest Lineberger, who identified himself as representing SPAN and Meals on Wheels of Denton County, addressed the court during public comment before the vote and thanked commissioners for moving the item forward. Lineberger said SPAN provides daily meals, on-call transportation for veterans to VA hospitals, dialysis transportation and rides to grocery stores.

The agreement’s text states performance is contingent on the availability of Section 5310 funds. County leaders said the contract and funding require ongoing federal funding allocations and that the county’s support is conditioned on those monies remaining available.

SPAN said the agency can be reached through its website (span-transit.org) or at its Denton office at 1800 Malone Street.

The court recorded the item as approved unanimously; no implementation timeline was included in the agenda materials presented at the meeting.