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Area 10 urges Owen County to cover $30,000 local-match gap to keep rural transit service
Summary
Area 10 director said Owen County provided $69,747 toward a required 19.11% local match for 2027 transit grants but still faces an estimated $30,312 deficit; the council agreed to consider the request during summer budget workshops.
Amy Gerats, director of Area 10, told the council that the agency has provided rural public transportation in Owen County for 35 years and that the service carried 7,962 rides in the last year.
She laid out the federal/state pass-through funding arrangement and the local-match requirement. "Owen County's share of our required local match for 2027 is 19.11%," Gerats said, and she identified a current pledge of $69,747 from Owen County that leaves a roughly $30,312 shortfall for the match the program needs to sustain county-only operations.
Council response and next steps: Members asked questions about fiscal-year timing and noted the grant deadline and budget workshops planned for August; the council took the request under advisement and directed staff to consider the match during the 2027 budget process rather than making an immediate appropriation.
Why it matters: Rural transit provides errands and medical transportation for elderly and homebound residents in parts of the county without fixed-route service; a funding gap could reduce rides or require service adjustments.
Follow-up: County staff said the request will be included in budget deliberations this summer and that any county contribution would be determined alongside other grant-match priorities.
