Changes coming to Access Brown County transportation

The Access Brown County program is going to transition to being its own independent public transportation provider with the Indiana Department of Transportation starting next year.

For that reason, INDOT is requiring Brown and Shelby counties to split away from Johnson County and become independent public transportation providers.

Brown County YMCA Executive Director Kim Robinson announced the transition at the Feb. 17 Brown County Commissioners meeting. Robinson also handles the day-to-day administration for Access. Currently, the Brown County program is under the umbrella of Johnson County with Shelby County.

Access Brown County started operating in 2009 after local people worked for eight years to fill this gap in local services. In 2004, it was identified as the second-biggest need in Brown County in the Community Wide Needs Assessment. The Y took over operation of the local transportation service in 2014 after its former parent organization, Thrive Alliance, determined it no longer could subsidize it.

County residents of all ages use it to get to doctor’s appointments, work, school and stores, to name a few. It is free for riders 60 and older. Rides are arranged by appointment only, a minimum of 24 hours in advance and as far out as three months.

The cost is $5 one way in county and $7.50 one way out of county.

In order to become an independent public transportation provider, Access Brown County would need the commissioners to receive funding from INDOT and have those funds run through the commissioners.

Robinson said she would write the grants for the program, but she would need the commissioners’ help also in getting the titles of Access Brown County’s newest vehicles from the Johnson County Commissioners.

If Access needed to buy a new vehicle, Robinson said 80 percent of the cost would still come from INDOT with Access paying the other 20 percent. But right now, Access does not need any new vehicles.

“We’re getting another small transit (bus). We have a minivan and a 2019 small transit. We’re not going to be writing any more grants for awhile. But when we submit to INDOT for our matching funds for operations, it would go through the commissioners,” she explained.

She said she could have a representative from INDOT come to a future commissioners meeting to provide more information.

“I agree with you that it’s something we need to have. We’ve talked about this over the years,” county commissioner Diana Biddle said.

Robinson said the program will not have to be independent until January 2022, but that Access needed information from the commissioners to get into INDOT’s grant funding system. The commissioners should vote on taking over responsibility of the program by next month, Robinson said.

“I kind of like the idea of having more control over the project. It’s different, but certainly public transportation is very difficult in rural areas,” Biddle said.

School board approves policy updates, resolutions

The Brown County Schools Board of Trustees approved the following at their Feb. 18 meeting:

• Adoption of NEOLA policy updates on employment of the superintendent; flex program; student assessment; annual performance report; staff evaluation; determination of legal settlement and eligibility for enrollment of students without legal settlement in the corporation; withdrawal from school; suspension and expulsion of students; student employment; cost principles — spending federal funds; procurement — federal grants and funds; animals on school corporation property; school safety; environmental health and safety issues; child abuse and neglect; transportation; religious/patriotic ceremonies and observances; relations with special interest groups.
• Adoption of the Ten Year Vision for Brown County Schools plan.
• A board resolution granting appraisals for property for the Brown County Career Resource Center.
• Modifying the second trimester end date from Feb. 19 to March 5.
• Amending the eLearning policy for school year 2020-2021.
• Separating Brown County High School mentor teacher Dean Keefauver effective at the end of the 2020-2021 school year. This was not a termination.
• Appointing Brown County Junior High School academic coach Kevin Roush, $414.66 stipend (for two-thirds of the 2020-2021 school year), effective Feb. 5. He is a replacement for Kathryn Lane.