Kootenai County delays decision on transit vehicle grant and maintenance contract after public questions

Kootenai County commissioners deferred action Jan. 21 on two transit items: a grant agreement to buy demand-response paratransit vehicles using FTA 5339 funds and a three-year maintenance contract for paratransit vehicles.

The grant before the board was identified as agreement C2579KC with the Idaho Transportation Department, using Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 5339 statewide funds in the amount of $396,000 with a local match of $99,000 for the county’s transit department. Chad Engel of the transit department told the board the grant agreement had "been reviewed and approved by legal." Engel said the funds would be used to purchase demand-response paratransit vehicles.

The board also considered a maintenance agreement with Kootenay Truck and Auto Repair for routine maintenance and repairs on paratransit vehicles. Engel said the contract term is three years with a total value "not to exceed $75,000," and warned that without a maintenance provider "the buses could break down or have maintenance issues, and then the service would come to a halt or be crippled."

Why it matters: A county decision to accept federal transit funds and to contract for vehicle maintenance affects who provides service, how vehicles are labeled and staffed, and whether certain local riders — including patients traveling to medical facilities and veterans — will be served without passenger charges.

Public comment and board action: Ron Hartman spoke during public comment about items 15 and 16, saying the items had been on the Jan. 7 agenda and raising concerns that buses purchased for Kootenai Health were labeled "Kootenai Health" rather than CityLink and were driven by Kootenai Health employees rather than county staff. Hartman asked why county money would be used "for private organizations," questioned whether VA facilities were being served, and requested transparency about the funding sources for both the vehicle purchases and maintenance contract. He said, "I don't think, as a taxpayer, I should be paying and funding something that is a service that's not provided to me." (Ron Hartman, public comment.)

During the item review, one commissioner expressed opposition to the transit system and said they were "not in favor of this transit system," after which the board agreed to take the items up at a later meeting. No motions to approve either the grant agreement or the maintenance contract were made; both items were postponed.

What was clarified on the record: Engel stated the grant had legal review and that the maintenance contract covers buses already in service. No formal vote was taken on either item. The transcript does not record specific details about which county funds would provide the local match or whether the county has a written operating agreement with Kootenai Health addressing vehicle labeling, staffing, or service eligibility.

Next steps: The board indicated it will revisit the grant and maintenance contract at a future business meeting; no date for reconsideration was set on the record.