Commissioners weigh transit options; stakeholders urged a coordinated RFP process

A public comment and extended discussion on March 3 focused on restoring and expanding public transit in Trumbull County.

Dan Keating, a private citizen and former transit board counsel, urged the commissioners to revive countywide public transit by issuing a request for proposals under the federal 5311/5307 urbanized transit programs and said federal grants could support service beyond seniors and disabled riders. Keating told the board the last transit board administered about 60,000 rides and that an RFP could open service to the broader public.

County legal staff described three main structural options: participate in a regional transit authority (RTA), reconstitute a local transit board, or run a county-administered transit system and contract service through competitive bidding. Prosecutor’s office staff noted a relatively recent statutory option allowing a transit franchise-type procurement that can require a long-term contract and discussed past bid exercises.

Commissioners asked staff to convene stakeholders—including municipalities such as Warren, Niles and other affected towns—seek technical-assistance options from ODOT if available, and prepare a meeting to outline pros and cons of each model and the funding commitments required. Human resources noted the county may need to hire or designate an administrator or designee to oversee grant compliance and contract administration if the county-run option is chosen.

What happens next: staff were instructed to schedule a stakeholder meeting to review options and to gather analyses of funding, pros/cons and procurement templates; commissioners emphasized they wanted both positives and negatives presented before deciding whether to pursue an RTA, transit board or county-run model.