County Council Votes on Transportation Agreement With Columbia, Lexington Co.

Richland County Council voted Tuesday to accept an amended version of the intergovernmental agreement between Richland County, the City of Columbia and Lexington County on how to operate the bus system.

Richland County Council voted 7-4 to approve the intergovernmental agreement — with one amendment: the City of Columbia cannot use $25,000 of the funds it already allotted for operations of the bus system to pay for a consulting firm.

The city agreed to provide $3.8 million for operation of the Central Midlands Transit Authority for the 2011-12 fiscal year that began on Oct. 1. In July, t.  

Now, the city wants to use $25,000 of the $3.8 million to pay Wilbur Smith Associates, a firm that does transportation and other types of consulting, according to the latest version of the intergovernmental agreement that went before county council Tuesday. The firm will likely advise the CMRTA on the that will be necessary in January to keep the system running.

Several council members expressed concern that if the CMRTA budget came up short by $25,000 at the end of the year, Richland County would be responsible for providing half of that to cover the deficit.

Councilwoman Joyce Dickerson, who is also the outgoing chair of the CMRTA board, said the CMRTA budget is already tight enough without the city using $25,000 for consulting.

“To strap [the CMRTA] budget with an additional $25,000 is heresy on that budget,” Dickerson said. “If [the city] wants a consultant, let them pay for it and let it not be deducted from the budget of the CMRTA.”

Council Chair Paul Livingston said hiring a consultant will actually be beneficial, but also thinks that the county shouldn’t be asked to come up with money if the CMRTA budget falls short at the end of the year.

The council voted on a motion to approve the intergovernmental agreement, but to ask the city to find another source of money to pay for the consulting.

Voting in favor of the motion were Gregory Pearce, Damon Jeter, Livingston, Jim Manning, Seth Rose, Kelvin Washington and Dickerson. Opposed were Bill Malinowski, Norman Jackson, Val Hutchinson and Gwendolyn Kennedy.

The City of Columbia and Lexington County also have to give final approval of the intergovernmental agreement before it officially goes into effect, said Frannie Heizer, attorney to the CMRTA board. 

The next CMRTA board meeting is at 1 p.m. Oct. 31. Columbia City Councilman Brian DeQuincey Newman will take over as chairman of the CMRTA board at the meeting.

The board will vote on a contract with Veolia, the company that runs the bus system’s day-to-day operations. If approved, Veolia will appoint an executive director for the CMRTA.

Before Veolia offered the option of providing an executive director, the board searched for applicants for the position and had narrowed it down to four applicants. The search for an executive director was from Richland County and the City of Columbia to keep the buses running through September.

The on the possible reduction in bus routes.