County committee signs off on distribution of FTA Section 5310 mobility grants

The Milwaukee County Committee on Transportation and Transit on an unanimous voice/roll call recommended approval for the Department of Transportation to apply for, accept and administer Federal Transit Administration Section 5310 enhanced mobility funds for seniors and individuals with disabilities across the Milwaukee urbanized area.

The funds support vehicle purchases, mobility management and operations for programs such as volunteer driver services that serve seniors and people with disabilities. Senior Grants Compliance Manager Kirsten Mawhinney told the committee the county has administered the 5310 program for more than 10 years and that the county’s award process follows Federal Transit Administration requirements.

The committee heard that demand for 5310 funds substantially exceeds available dollars. Jennifer Sarnicki, deputy chief transportation planner with the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, said that for 2025 roughly $1,600,000 was available to distribute while requests exceeded $4,200,000; for 2026 requests were more than $3,000,000 while roughly $1,500,000 was available. Sarnicki said the projects presented “scored highly in our selection process” and demonstrated financial and technical capacity, and that the selection process is intended to prevent duplication among providers.

Supervisor Tom Martinez made the motion to recommend adoption. The clerk recorded four ayes, zero nos; the motion prevailed.

Committee members did not request additional changes during the item. Mawhinney and Sarnicki said they were available to answer follow-up questions about project lists or evaluation criteria and noted the item was also referred to the committee on finance.