WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI — A bus service will expand services for older adults in western Washtenaw County with funds from a new countywide millage that raises about $11 million a year for services that benefit older adults 60 and older.
The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday, Sept. 3, to allocate $333,333 to the Western Washtenaw Area Value Express, known as the W.A.V.E.
W.A.V.E. was one of four transportation services that responded to a request for funding proposals issued by the county earlier this year.
In addition, two other organizations, Jewish Family Services and People’s Express, are also being considered for $333,333 awards each.
However, the county board voted 7-2 to postpone voting on those because the organizations did not include documentation of their annual revenue, which county officials had asked for from all funding applicants.
A county committee was tasked with reviewing proposals and recommending how the county should spend $1 million of the millage funds. All three organizations had requested $500,000. The committee recommended splitting the $1 million equally among them.
W.A.V.E. officials were looking to fund a weekend service in the Chelsea area, the Chelsea Community Ride Service, for six months, according to their request.
They also want to expand door-to-door services to 10 routes.
Their goal is to serve about 500 older adults with an estimated 10,000 trips in six months.
Jewish Family Services is also looking to expand its transportation services with a goal of more than doubling rides for seniors from about 450 a month to more than 900 a month.
Currently JFS’s fleet of 12 vehicles include seven that are wheelchair accessible. Door-to-door rides mostly take older adults to medical and health related appointments.
While they transport people across all Washtenaw County communities, they have been primarily focused in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, and Saline.
JFS’s goal is to expand older adults’ access to medical appointments and pharmacies, government offices and other essential services, while also improving transportation equity for older adults in rural and underserved areas.
If awarded the funds, the expansion would particularly target the Milan and Willis areas.
Also awaiting a vote on its funding request, the People’s Express, known as PEX, provides low-cost transportation in southeast Michigan.
PEX has a fleet of more than 130 vehicles, which take about 240,000 trips a year in Washtenaw, Livingston and Oakland counties, as well as Detroit.
The service is looking to use county millage funds to purchase ADA accessible minivans and cover transportation operations for older adults in the county. PEX officials want to expand hours of operation for older adults to 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
PEX and W.A.V.E. officials both indicated their requests for county millage funds align with one another, with PEX mostly focused on the eastern side of Washtenaw County and W.A.V.E focused on its western side.
There was some debate among county board members at Wednesday’s board meeting, with a couple commissioners arguing that the board should have voted on funding for JFS and PEX that night.
Other commissioners argued against approving funds when applications were incomplete.
JFS and PEX will have time to submit missing budget documentation showing revenues.
The county board is expected to vote on those requests Wednesday, Sept. 17.
