Will the third time be the charm?
That’s what the North Oakland Transportation Authority (NOTA) board is hoping.
Last week, the NOTA board held a special meeting at which its members voted 6-0 to place a five-year, 0.25-mill property tax proposal on the May 5 ballot in Addison Township. Addison Clerk Pauline Bennett submitted the ballot language to the county Feb. 5.
This will be the question’s third ballot appearance since last August. If approved, it would allow Addison to rejoin NOTA.
Included in the board’s resolution was language stating that if the millage is approved, NOTA will expand the eastern boundary of its service area. Instead of ending at Dequindre Rd., the boundary line would be extended to Van Dyke Rd. (M-53).
Officials are hoping this potential change will encourage more Addison residents to vote in favor of the millage.
The decision to place the millage back on the ballot was prompted by a citizen-driven petition circulated by Addison residents Joe and Pat Schnur. They collected 113 signatures from their fellow Addison residents.
‘That is impressive,? said NOTA Chairman and Oxford Township Supervisor Bill Dunn. ‘I do appreciate the folks here who took the time to go out and gather up these petitions. I thank you for that.?
‘It was actually very heartwarming to hear that there are still people interested in NOTA in Addison,? noted Brenda Wilson, a NOTA board member who represents Training & Treatment Innovations, a mental health service based in Oxford.
The Schnurs were motivated to do this by the plight of Addison seniors who relied on NOTA because they can no longer drive themselves due to age, health or financial issues. Lacking transportation is particularly difficult for elderly people living in a rural township like Addison.
‘Addison Township is really underpopulated compared to the rest of Oakland County,? Joe said. ‘That’s by choice, but the thing is a lot of these people, when they get old, they’re all alone with no neighbors (to help them). The nearest neighbor might be a quarter-mile away.?
Addison received its last NOTA ride on Dec. 30. That’s because last year, Addison voters twice failed the aforementioned millage proposal, which was designed to make up for lost federal and state funding by generating an additional $70,000 annually for NOTA from township taxpayers. It went down 557 to 531 in August and 1,257 to 1,216 in November.
‘It’s no secret that I’m glad this (petition) was brought in,? Dunn said. ‘I’ve always been in favor of Addison being a part of NOTA. I was very disappointed when (the millage) was voted down twice.?
Because Addison couldn’t contribute the additional $70,000 per year, which was considered to be its fair share, the township, along with the Village of Leonard, stopped receiving transportation services.
NOTA now only serves riders in Oxford and Orion townships along with the villages of Oxford and Lake Orion.
NOTA provides low-cost publicly subsidized transportation for senior citizens (age 60 and older), permanently or temporarily disabled individuals and low-income folks. The agency charges its users the nominal fee of $1 or $2 per ride (one way).
Destinations for typical NOTA riders include medical appointments, grocery stores, senior centers, church services, therapy and counseling appointments, hair appointments, employment training, community events and the Oxford-Orion FISH food pantry.
NOTA gave a total of 34,184 rides in 2014, which included 2,071 for Addison, 15,384 for Orion and 16,729 for Oxford.
Although having reliable access to food and medical services is absolutely imperative, Joe Schnur said NOTA also provides elderly folks another vital service by affording them access to a social life through visits to places like the Addison senior center in Lakeville.
‘They really need company,? he said.
When he and his wife make their food deliveries as part of Meals on Wheels, Joe said many of the seniors ‘would rather talk than eat because they don’t see anybody.?
‘That’s the only person they see ? the person that brings the meals,? he told the board. ‘That’s the sad thing.?
The NOTA millage did win in two of Addison’s three voter precincts in November.
Precincts 1 and 2 passed it 478-458 and 495-461, respectively. However, voters in Precinct 3, the township’s southeastern portion, failed it 338-243.
Because Precinct 3 is within the Romeo school district and many of those voters consider themselves to be part of the Romeo community, there’s been some speculation among officials that one of the reasons the millage failed was because NOTA’s service area no longer extended that far to the east.
In October 2013, NOTA cut its service area from 448 to 223 square miles as a way to focus on providing more rides for the authority’s core users and save money.
As part of this reduction, the eastern boundary line shifted from Van Dyke Rd. to Dequindre Rd., resulting in no more NOTA trips to Romeo destinations.
In an effort to win Precinct 3, the NOTA board decided if the millage passes in May, the eastern boundary will be extended back to Van Dyke Rd.
As a result, NOTA Director Lynn Gustafson said the service area would increase by roughly 100 square miles and include not only Romeo, but also Utica, Shelby Township and Washington Township. She told the board the NOTA budget would be able to support this expansion.
‘I don’t see that as being a problem,? Gustafson said. ‘And I think it probably makes sense.?
Gustafson stressed that in order to get the millage passed this time, a grassroots advocacy group needs to be formed in Addison. This group would require both volunteers and money, so she suggested some sort of fund-raiser be held because right now, there’s ‘zero budget? to wage a campaign.
Orion Township Supervisor Chris Barnett, a NOTA board member, suggested that Addison residents who used to rely on the authority write letters to the editor telling their stories, how they’re now ‘struggling to get where they need to go because of the lack of service.?
‘Those put a real face (on) the issue,? he said.
Barnett expressed his concern the NOTA millage might be defeated again because the only other question on the May 5 ballot is a proposal from the state to raise the sales tax from 6 to 7 percent in order to provide additional funding for roads, schools and local governments.
‘A lot of people are going to come out strongly opposed to paying more taxes for roads,? he said. ‘Those are the same people that are going to be voting on (the NOTA millage), so we need to put a face on it.?