Rossford to stick by TARTA

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ROSSFORD – In a decisive 5-2 vote, City
Council decided Monday to remain a member of TARTA.The vote marked a turnabout for the council where
membership in the regional transportation authority has a been a sore topic for over a decade.Councilmen
have long complained about lack of ridership, lack of service and lack of responsiveness to the city’s
concerns, and along with Perrysburg, Rossford officials asked State Sen. Randy Gardner to push for
legislation to allow communities an easier way to exit the system.The council set up a committee to study
the options and consider the alternatives. What they found, said Councilman Mike Scott, who was a member of
the committee, was that providing any kind of service to the city’s elderly and disabled who most rely on
the system would be far more expensive than staying in.The city residents now pay 2.25 mills to TARTA, Scott
estimated that the city would have to raise that to 4 mills to provide its own, inferior service.He noted
that Rossford situation was different than Perrysburg’s. Rossford’s neighbor decided to leave TARTA and
contract to provide its own system. Rossford, Scott said, was too small to carry that off.Several members of
council referred back to their earlier skepticism about the system."As much as I thought we needed
out," said Councilwoman Caroline Eckel, "everything seems to keep pointing back to we are getting
a great benefit. … I think we’re getting a lot more than we are paying for."Those supporting staying
in cited the needed to provide some service for those citizens, elderly, disabled or unable to drive, who
need it. The call-a-ride service which allows passengers to be picked up for a $1 a ride has been especially
valuable, members of council said. They also said it makes Rossford more desirable to developers.Voting
against the resolution were Jerry Staczek and Chuck Duricek. Both said they wanted to see the voters decide
the issue.Staczek was particularly adamant, stating that the proponents of staying with TARTA didn’t want to
put the measure on the ballot because they knew it would fail."This should go to the community,"
he said.But Greg Marquette said that the community was represented by the seven members of council.Duricek
cautioned that TARTA may go back to its lack of responsiveness once Rossford decides to stay in the
system.Also supporting the resolution was council president Larry Oberdorf.Comment before the vote was
mixed.Resident Dick Goeke said he sees empty buses driving by his home every day. He’s even checked how many
people get off the bus to work in a downtown factory and counted only 10, far less than the stream of cars
going into the facility.He said the elderly can get some service through the Wood County Committee on
Aging.Former Councilman Leonard Michaels said that support for TARTA at the ballot has steadily and
precipitously declined over the years. Those were numbers council should pay attention to.But TARTA also had
its supporters. Penny Levine and Neal Levine, both of Sylvania, spoke on behalf of the group Community
Advocates for Transportation Rights.Penny Levine said she’s had to depend on TARTA when she had surgery on
her foot and couldn’t drive.The service helps those who cannot drive themselves to more fully enjoy
life."There are people who need this," Neal Levine said, To exit TARTA would amount to
"turning your backs on the community."Rossford resident Cheryl Sharp echoed those sentiments.
"I think TARTA taxes are not very great," she said. "A community is as great as the services
it offers. Maybe we don’t use it, but for people who do we pay so they can have a better life."Mayor
Neil MacKinnon expressed strong support for the system saying it was important in the development of the
Crossroads of America area as well as a crucial service for some citizens.He pledged that if the council
were to vote against staying in TARTA he would veto the action.

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