Council on Aging cites ridership growth, wins 80/20 vehicle grant and seeks county support for garage

A representative of the Council on Aging told Adams County council that transit ridership has increased markedly, reporting about 1,300 employment trips in the first eight months of the year and overall ridership up nearly 100 trips from 2023 to 2024. The speaker said collecting fares has reduced reliance on donations and that the program meets approximately 98% of requests, turning riders away only when vehicles are full or drivers are unavailable.

The representative said the program received a timing‑accelerated NDOT grant for an eighth vehicle: the agency will cover 80% of the vehicle cost and the Council on Aging will provide the 20% match. The vehicle seats two wheelchairs and nine ambulatory passengers, which the speaker said will expand capacity for employment and medical trips.

On capital needs, the Council on Aging representative described a proposed 8‑bay garage to house vehicles and hydraulic lifts, saying earlier, smaller estimates of about $75,000 rose in later engineering estimates to approximately $150,000. The speaker asked the county to consider building the structure on 0.6 acres the county purchased with ARPA funds and then leasing it back to the Council on Aging to preserve the asset for county control should the nonprofit cease operations.

Operational costs were noted: the nonprofit reported paying about $24,000 a year for commercial vehicle insurance across seven vehicles and said payroll and fuel costs have risen substantially. The speaker asked commissioners to continue support and indicated more detailed cost and lease proposals will be returned to council for formal consideration.

What happens next: Council staff will present quotes and lease proposals to the commissioners and council. Any county expenditure or formal lease would require further budgetary motions and probable advertisement and appropriation vote.