At Rocky View County (RVC) council’s first general meeting since the holiday break on January 9, councillors heard and approved a plan that will “streamline” the funding for the Rocky View Regional Handi Bus Society (RVHB).
For two decades the County has been supporting accessible transportation under a previous agreement with RVHB, where providers could submit grants to the County for approval. Funding would then be allocated for accessible transportation for county residents every year via the annual budget. This new policy would provide a framework that would guide funding every three years.
"We're thrilled," said Paul SIller, the executive director of the RVHB, in a later interview with Rocky View Weekly. "We've been talking about this with the County for almost a decade...This (agreement) formalizes the partnership between us, the service provider, and the County."
Siller also said that there have been times in the past when RVHB's request for grants were rolled back because of the County's budget considerations. He hoped the three-year agreement would allow the charity organization to do some longer term planning. They have been seeing increasing numbers of years every year since coming out of the pandemic.
The current draft passed legal review and would also allow for the County to streamline the entire funding process and would provide a consistent funding framework, according to the County’s Family and Community Support Services coordinator Jodi McKay.
Outlined in the Administration's three-year funding plan were the cost breakdowns per year, in which $444,400 would be allocated for 2024, followed by $487,000 in 2025, and $527,500 in 2026.
Since 2019, the Rocky View Regional Handi Bus Society has been the only applicant and service provider for specialized transportation for county residents, and has operated on a pre-book, rideshare model. Current funding allows for, “up to 20 one-way trips and can be booked at a cost of $4 for every 10 km travelled”, according to the report presented to council last Tuesday.
Siller said that the proposed funding agreement with RVC will go a long way in getting other funding agreements with different municipalities. "Going from no agreement to a three-year agreement is a pretty major step," he said. "We're trying to get formalized agreements with the other five municipalities we work with and having this one will hopefully make the next agreement discussion a little easier."
Siller said he hoped the new funding model with the County might serve as a template for agreements with the other four municipalities where it operates: Beiseker/Irricana, Crossfield, Chestermere and Cochrane.
Council voted unanimously to approve the funding plan, with the only question coming from RVC Division 1 Coun. Kevin Hanson.
“If another option becomes available down the road, could we potentially dovetail this, or share coverage?” asked Hanson.
McKay clarified that, “Yes, the policy would still stand. We would evaluate applicants and bring them forward to the council.”
County administration stated that in the coming days and weeks they will share details of the new funding plan with interested county residents.
Operationally, there will be no change to the County’s current handi bus service under the new funding agreement.
