Lowndes County officials are deliberating whether the county can partner with a local nonprofit organization to provide a transportation system for the general public.
Moses James Jr., president of Legacy Transportation in Columbus, went before the board of supervisors during Monday’s meeting to seek matching funds for a Mississippi Department of Transportation grant.
The grant will provide $319,333 for the transportation service. However, James said it requires $186,435 in local match. The more partners the organization can sign on to help with the match, the less each will pay toward it.
James said he’s approached Columbus Air Force Base and the Mississippi University for Women, but both entities have been unable to partner with the program.
The county’s decision is, for now, still up in the air.
Board attorney Tim Hudson, during Monday’s meeting, said in order to partner with a private organization, the county will likely need authorization from the Mississippi Legislature.
“This is very similar to Head Start, when they asked us to purchase a bus to help them,” Hudson said. “We could not do that without local and private legislation passed. I think that would be the route we will have to go.”
Supervisors tabled the matter until the Aug. 15 board meeting.
“I have some hesitation about partnering up with a private entity,” District 2 Supervisor Bill Brigham said. “I just need to know more about it.”
Board President Harry Sanders said, regardless of the transit service’s finer details, the county can’t proceed without legislative authorization. To start that process, the county would have to approve a resolution in favor of local-private legislation.
“Counties and cities are set up differently,” Sanders said. “Cities can do whatever they want to with their money as long as it’s not something illegal. Counties are the exact opposite — we can’t do anything unless the Legislature in Jackson gives us permission to do that.”
Mayor Robert Smith said James has approached him seeking support for the transportation service. Smith said he likes the idea, but any proposal would have to go before the city council.
Still, Smith said he’d like to see some other entities partner with the Columbus Mobility Solutions.
“I would hope that some of those other local entities would get involved with it, from the match standpoint,” Smith said.
Proposed service
James, speaking to The Dispatch, said Columbus Mobility Solutions will have four vehicles — two six-passenger wheelchair-accessible minivans, one 17-passenger wheelchair-accessible bus, and one 17-passenger non-wheelchair accessible bus.
The service will be demand-responsive, he said, with no predetermined bus routes. He said people who want to ride need to call at least 24 hours beforehand to set up their drop-off and pickup times. For trips, such as those to a doctor’s office where it’s hard to know when someone will need to be picked up, he said riders can just call when they are ready.
James said he’s been working to get the grant for about two years, and established Columbus Mobility Solutions as a 501c(3) for the service.
Should the service come to fruition, he said it should provide inexpensive transportation for residents. He said a trip within city limits would cost $4 one way, while trips to neighboring cities like Starkville or West Point would be $25 for a round trip.
“It will go outside the county, but will only pick up people here,” he said. “Let’s say you’ve got a doctor’s appointment in Jackson. We’ll take you there, if you just call and preschedule. It depends on vehicle availability, because we’re only starting out with four vehicles. It’s basically first come, first serve.”
He said he hopes to expand and one day have a fixed bus route.
James found inspiration for the transit service after the city’s attempts to set up a public transportation system with Indiana-based Lawrence Transit Systems fell through in 2013.
“It was something that I wanted to bring,” he said. “I know it was something (Smith) wanted to bring to the city and I’ve just been working on it for the last two years.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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