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Kootenai County reviews transit service, grant management and Kootenai Health partnership
Summary
At a Feb. 19 special meeting, county transit manager Chad Engel presented ridership and service maps while commissioners debated the county's role as grant recipient, the partnership with Kootenai Health, and whether governance or funding should shift to cities or a joint body.
Kootenai County commissioners heard an overview of the countypublic transportation system and debated the county's role in managing federal grants and a long-standing partnership with Kootenai Health at a Feb. 19 special meeting.
The discussion matters because Kootenai County currently acts as the primary recipient for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants that fund vehicle purchases and operations; commissioners said that responsibility brings both matching-fund benefits and potential compliance liabilities that could affect the county's finances and future grant eligibility.
Chad Engel, transit manager for Kootenai County, told the board the county's most recent service-and-fare equity analysis and 2020 census overlays show fixed routes concentrated around Coeur D27Alene and employment centers. Engel said the county operates three fixed routes that serve Coeur D27Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Dalton Gardens and Hutter and described the system's technology and paratransit obligations. "As part of the Federal Transit Administration or FTA requirements, for providing fixed route services, we are required to offer ADA paratransit services," Engel said, summarizing the program's curb-to-curb paratransit zone and…
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