Berrien County staff outline plan to create countywide transportation authority

County staff presented a draft set of articles of incorporation to create a countywide transportation authority that would become the designated recipient of state and federal transit funding in Berrien County. Dan, the staff presenter, said the move responds to a Michigan Department of Transportation letter and is intended to preserve current services and expand transit into unserved urban areas.

The plan proposes an 11-member board appointed by the county board, residency requirements for directors, and limits that bar commissioners and transit employees from serving on the authority. "This is a response to the MDOT directive," Dan said, explaining the authority would be a separate public body created under Public Act 196 with annual operational reporting and county audit rights. He added the authority would not be allowed to pledge the county's full faith and credit and that existing system liabilities would remain with their current operators.

Dan estimated the authority would oversee about 150,000 annual passenger rides in the service area, with 55,000 trips described as essential medical or life-sustaining trips. He said the authority would initially act as the recipient of federal programs (Sections 5307, 5311, 5339) and contract with current providers so riders see no immediate operational change. "At least initially, the authority is just the recipient of money, and then it gets to spend that money to buy transportation from other systems," he said.

Several commissioners asked about logistics, municipal notice and outreach. Dan said state law requires certified-mail notice and a 30-day opt-out window for local governments, after which withdrawal requires petitioning the authority and a two-thirds vote. He estimated year-one costs at roughly $2,000,000 and about $2,300,000 to cover startup, and said the county had applied for supplemental state grants that would taper over three years.