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Public asks about Myers transportation deal; administrators describe fuel concessions and internal controls
Summary
A resident asked whether the district's chosen transportation provider had past audit problems and how the district will prevent fuel misuse; administrators said the company contracted with Kiski Area SD is a separate Myers entity, described internal fuel-review controls and said Myers offered fuel and mileage concessions that reduced costs.
At the meeting, resident Justin Jokens identified himself and pressed administrators for details about the district's transportation proposal and for assurances that procurement controls prevent fuel misuse.
Jokens asked whether the Myers company the district proposed to use was the same entity that had earlier audit problems in another municipality. Dr. Lohr and district administrators said the district's Myers Transportation is a separate company and that reports tying local staff to wrongdoing were false. "That's not true," Dr. Lohr said when asked whether the district had hired the same company with an audit record elsewhere; administrators invited the resident to follow up after the meeting for documents and further explanation.
Administrators described contract concessions they said reduced cost. A business-office administrator explained that the vendor offered a fuel concession and adjusted the mileage formula for routes outside district borders, saying, "So a couple of the concessions are the fuel ... we get our fuel for $2 a gallon ... and so they're ... paying 80¢ as opposed to the $2 and $2.05 we're paying today." The administrator also said the contract increases the threshold for out-of-district mileage charges from 85 to 95 miles in certain cases.
On controls, the superintendent said the district has multiple internal checks on fuel usage and that the vendor has "skin in the game," including initial fuel payments in the early years of the contract, reducing incentives to siphon fuel. Administrators offered to provide Jokens with the district's cost analysis and bid/proposal materials electronically and to meet after the session.
The transcript records no formal vote on the transportation contract during this meeting; administrators said they are reviewing first-round bids and will share more detail with board members and the resident who asked for it.
