Worth Working to Save
Jennifer Roblez
Friday, August 10, 2007
ZANE BROWN, owner of DZ Cab, was grumpy Thursday morning.
He hadn’t slept the night before for his churning thoughts on how to save Emporia’s longtime taxi coupon program.
Emporia city commissioners were to discuss eliminating the program and other proposed budget cuts and a 4-mill levy hike, today at a 1:30 p.m. study session on the 2008 general fund.
“My shoulders are weighing hard,” Brown said.
The taxi coupon program is open to people older than 65 — or age 62, if on Social Security income or similar retirement program. Others qualify through medical disabilities or various types of public assistance.
Brown estimates DZ Cab completes 1,700 to 1,900 coupon rides a month at a cost of $2 a ride to the passenger and $2 to the city.
Noncoupon riders pay $5 one-way, $1 more largely due to higher gasoline prices.
For the 300 to 400 elderly, disabled or poor people Brown says he transports through the coupon program, that’s $2, rather than $5, for a one-way ride to a doctor’s office, pharmacy or grocery store.
The program’s cost to the city is $40,800 to $45,600 a year, Brown said. The city’s proposed budget cuts for 2008 estimate the cost of the program at $46,500. Brown said he thinks the true cost is closer to $42,000.
Brown said he hasn’t heard an alternate plan from city officials or commissioners, leading him to think the city-funded coupon rides are a roll call vote away from elimination. The budget has to be completed in about two weeks.
“They’ve done made their decision ... they’ll be gone by the end of the year,” he said. “Nobody wants to bend over backwards for us.”
If true, that’s a shame. Now is not the time to lose our pioneering spirit.
The city manager’s reasoning in proposing more than $200,000 in service cuts is that the city can make a clean break from the taxi coupon program easier than it can for other services. No employees to lay off. No buildings to sell.
Yet the coupon rides are an asset that extend deep into this community.
What happens to businesses like hair salons or Wal-Mart and Dillon’s if seniors can’t get there to shop? What happens to the city’s health-care economy if people can’t make their doctor’s appointments or pick up medicine that could keep them alive? And what does it say about Emporia if we throw in the towel?
These aren’t riders who normally have family members to turn to for a lift and they don’t have deep pockets to pay $10 a round-trip.
In this case, the city’s economic expedience would cast a dark shadow. Brown isn’t the only person losing sleep over this community benefit, nor should he be.
Why not keep the program and hike the rider share 50 cents and reduce the city’s share by 50 cents? That could generate about $11,500 in additional revenue for the city, lowering its annual cost to $35,000. If riders pay $1 more a trip that might halve the city’s cost.
So far, though, no one is kicking around a program-saving ordinance.
Wouldn’t a small rate hike buy enough time to approach Sens. Brownback and Roberts and Rep. Moran for help in getting a grant through the Older Americans Act or the Federal Transit Capital Grants?
What about approaching private foundations like the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety?
Could an Emporia auto dealer donate a van to DZ Cab to help the company keep prices low for seniors and the city? Think of all that free advertising!
Why not research what other cities are doing to get their most vulnerable people to point A to point B?
Impossible ideas you say?
I’m ready to volunteer if I can and not violate any journalism ethics.
Care to join me?
Jennifer Roblez may be reached by e-mail at newsroom@emporiagazette.com.
madpoet (anonymous) says...
Sounds like an excellent idea to me! Of course the elderly or disabled are the first to be kicked to the curb. They're "invisible" to a lot of people. I find it hard to believe that as much tax dollars are poured into this town/county ways can't be found to conserve money without the threatened layoffs etc. I feel for Zimmerman, it sounds like Commons dug us a hole then left while the going was good. He has a tough job but have a little compassion for heaven's sake!
August 10, 2007 at 2:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
netloafer (anonymous) says...
The last time the commission talked about eliminating the taxi subsidy someone at the meeting recommended that the commissioners forego their monthly salaries to save the taxi subsidy. Maybe it's time for that to happen.
August 10, 2007 at 3:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
slipandslide (anonymous) says...
not only do the cabs transport the elderly and disabled, they also provide a social element to peoples lives. the drivers get to know their customers well and treat them like family. i took cabs for a year and it was amazing how the customers and drivers act like long time friends. this also adds a level of security to folks who are diconnected from their families and dont have anyone checking in on them. the coupon program is the last thing that needs to be cut. i dont know what a solution would be, but cutting it should be reconsidered.
August 10, 2007 at 7:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CAFEmporia (anonymous) says...
I strongly disagree with the notion that this should be handled as a volunteer program in which individuals donate money to keep the program going. This is something the community should provide to its elderly and disabled members. We are not in hard times. This is not a terrible, depressed economy. It is strong, by most standards, and we should have no problem at all providing such cost effective and inexpensive services to those who need it.
I agree with curtailing large expenditures and capital programs. It seems logical to cut back on hiring if the budget is difficult. But it is illogical and nonsensical to end programs that make this a better place to live when they are among the lowest numbers on the spreadsheet. This is a program which should continue at taxpayers' expense.
C A French
August 10, 2007 at 9:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
netloafer (anonymous) says...
CAFEmporia
That was my point as well. If the city is going to nitpick at small, yet valuable programs like the taxi subsidy, I think they should eliminate their salaries and be commissioners just as a service to the community. Their salaries and the cost of the program are about equivalent.
August 11, 2007 at 6:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )