[0:00] Mark isn't able to be here and Nolan

[0:02] said he would come for the regular

[0:04] meeting. Oh, no. Mark's in Washington

[0:06] DC. Mark is not coming tonight at all.

[0:09] Nolan will be here for a regular council

[0:10] meeting. So, we'll go ahead and call

[0:13] this meeting to order. Um, thank you for

[0:16] being here. And we have some we have

[0:19] Elizabeth

[0:21] Oiggua. Did I say that right?

[0:23] >> Yes.

[0:23] >> Oh, good. Okay. And Avery Walsh. And

[0:26] we're gonna just turn some time over to

[0:27] you guys to present to us if we'll we'll

[0:29] have you come to the podium up here and

[0:32] um state your name and who you are with

[0:36] and start your presentation.

[0:42] » Oh, perfect. Welcome,

[0:46] >> welcome, welcome.

[0:52] and sit on the chair if you want me.

[0:56] I'll be right there if you want

[0:58] contribution.

[1:02] » Um, okay. Do I

[1:04] >> Yep.

[1:04] >> Am I allowed to touch the mic?

[1:06] >> Yes. Please make it.

[1:07] >> You know, sometimes they're like, "Don't

[1:08] touch the mic. It's perfect."

[1:10] >> Avery Walsh. I'm Brightar Consulting.

[1:13] I'm a subcontractor for the state of

[1:16] Utah through the Utah Developmental

[1:17] Disabilities Council.

[1:21] And I am Elizabeth um Osagera aka Libby.

[1:25] Um so you can call me Libby if you'd

[1:26] like. And I am the executive director of

[1:29] the Utah Developmental Disabilities

[1:31] Council.

[1:33] Do you want to introduce yourself or

[1:35] >> Yeah. Are we doing introductions first

[1:37] or should we just dive in?

[1:38] >> Yeah, that's perfect.

[1:44] [laughter]

[1:46] » I am Alyssa Cronin. I am the mobility

[1:49] manager over at Brag Forever Association

[1:51] of Governments for transportation stuff

[1:54] and I'm also a member of the UDC

[1:56] council.

[1:57] >> Perfect. Alyssa is

[2:00] >> okay.

[2:06] >> Well, thank you very much. Um I

[2:09] appreciate your time today having us

[2:11] here. Uh first I just wanted to

[2:13] introduce who we are. um who is the

[2:15] developmental disabilities council and

[2:18] um just in short we are a state entity

[2:22] and we are housed within the you um the

[2:24] Utah department of health and human

[2:26] services and we are um federally funded

[2:30] through the administration for community

[2:32] living.

[2:34] Um we we have a um a pretty unique

[2:39] situation going on um where we

[2:42] um like I said we are a state entity who

[2:44] receives federal funding and um we have

[2:47] some autonomy to help support and

[2:51] advocate for people with intellectual

[2:53] and developmental disabilities to um

[2:57] live self-determined and communitybased

[3:00] lives um as independent and um you know

[3:05] the the lives that they would like to

[3:07] live. Um we we really promote choice and

[3:10] um self-direction and these kinds of

[3:12] things. Our members are

[3:16] governorappointed

[3:17] and the federal law that guides us is

[3:20] the developmental disabilities

[3:22] assistance and bill of rights act. And

[3:25] that law requires that at least 60% of

[3:27] our membership are either individuals

[3:30] with intellectual and developmental

[3:32] disabilities

[3:34] um or family members of individuals with

[3:38] intellectual and developmental

[3:39] disabilities. And the other 40% of our

[3:42] membership are vital state partners who

[3:44] either provide services for people with

[3:47] disabilities or related conditions. So

[3:50] those would be um individuals from um

[3:54] maternal and child health u vocational

[3:56] rehabilitation.

[3:58] We've got representation from the uh

[4:00] state board of education and partners

[4:03] such as these.

[4:05] Um

[4:08] we operate on a state plan um a

[4:14] five-year state plan. And what we do to

[4:16] create this is um kind of this little

[4:18] model we've got in front of you here. We

[4:20] take public input, right? We survey the

[4:24] state um asking people with disabilities

[4:28] what kind of needs and um what kind of

[4:33] um services they would like to receive.

[4:36] We also review different data sources.

[4:39] Um what kind of services are available,

[4:42] where we finding gaps, uh what federal

[4:45] mandates exist, what have best practices

[4:47] look like, and then we take those and

[4:49] reshape them into what are our state

[4:51] plan goals. Currently, we've got uh four

[4:54] goals in this current plan period, which

[4:57] is um our 2022 to 2026 plan. And within

[5:01] that, um, it's supporting physical and

[5:03] mental health and safety, uh, improving

[5:05] public policy skills and, um, community

[5:07] advocacy skills, expanding and enhancing

[5:11] access to formal and informal community

[5:13] supports, and, um, what we came to talk

[5:16] to you about today, and um, very

[5:19] important is uh, transportation,

[5:21] expanding access to accessible and

[5:23] affordable transportation.

[5:26] We do this uh a number of different

[5:30] ways. We have um the DD act which is

[5:32] like I said the legislation that

[5:34] authorizes us is very prescriptive in

[5:36] how the council can do our work. And um

[5:39] we've got some different activities um

[5:42] like building coalitions um working with

[5:47] policy makers and government leaders to

[5:50] help um to improve policies to change

[5:56] laws to um work with these kinds of

[5:59] different mechanisms. As far as policy

[6:01] advocacy goes, we also deliver training.

[6:04] We provide technical assistance and we

[6:06] also um include stakeholder voices and

[6:09] like through building coalitions and

[6:11] stuff like that. We also provide

[6:14] funding. So we um will provide grants or

[6:19] uh subawwards with our federal funding

[6:22] so that communities can try new and

[6:24] innovative ways to provide services to

[6:27] um people with disabilities who live in

[6:29] um Utah's communities. So just before I

[6:33] turn it over to my colleagues here, one

[6:36] of the reasons that transportation is um

[6:38] officially designated in our state plan

[6:41] as well as been identified as one of our

[6:43] vital goal areas is because we really

[6:45] want to cultivate this idea of uh

[6:48] systems change in expanding accessible

[6:51] transportation options because it really

[6:53] helps to create communities where

[6:55] individuals are u naturally included.

[6:59] Right? That's kind of like I said

[7:00] earlier, the the whole mission of our

[7:02] council is making sure that people are

[7:03] included in their communities and also

[7:06] uh more empowered to work and live and

[7:09] play independently um where they want to

[7:11] be, right? We all want to be a part of

[7:13] our our neighborhood to the fullest

[7:15] extent and transportation really can

[7:18] make or break that for a lot of

[7:20] individuals.

[7:22] >> Can I ask a question real quick? I I

[7:25] just am wondering how that all melds

[7:27] into our senior population, especially

[7:29] those that are homebound or like is that

[7:32] I I I think when you think of

[7:35] disabilities, you maybe don't think of

[7:37] just older people who are just older

[7:39] people and that's their that's not

[7:41] really a disability, but they are just

[7:43] as hampered sometimes. How does that

[7:45] work into the plan that you have?

[7:47] >> Um that's a that's a wonderful question.

[7:49] So where um we don't necessarily exclude

[7:52] those who are aging um our immediate

[7:56] focus is those individuals with

[7:58] intellectual and developmental

[7:59] disabilities uh but we do closely

[8:02] partner with aging and adult services

[8:04] because like you're saying um those

[8:06] populations overlap and they have a lot

[8:07] of very similar needs. So um through

[8:10] some of these initiatives like

[8:13] transportation

[8:14] um we're trying to work very creatively

[8:17] on how can we engage senior centers and

[8:20] um area area agencies on aging um to

[8:24] solve these problems and and to identify

[8:26] solutions for transportation because

[8:29] they're very similar. So, um, our plan

[8:32] doesn't immediately address aging

[8:34] adults,

[8:36] but it also does.

[8:38] >> Yeah.

[8:39] >> Got it. Thank you.

[8:41] >> And maybe we can put Alyssa on the spot

[8:43] a little bit later.

[8:44] >> Any comments about the senior the senior

[8:47] population that you work with? Um, so

[8:50] this is nationwide. Just some statistics

[8:53] and facts for you. Um I think the most

[8:57] interesting part about the facts that

[9:00] I've shared here um is that across all

[9:03] the different states 145 different

[9:06] standalone services cost $781 million at

[9:10] the time of this study that is um

[9:12] referenced here. So instead of, you

[9:15] know, putting that 781 million into more

[9:19] thoughtful programs or direct care, you

[9:22] know, you're spending it on

[9:23] transportation because the

[9:24] infrastructure doesn't necessarily

[9:25] support um a larger volume based type of

[9:29] service. Um Medicaid requires the

[9:33] individuals who receive waiverss uh for

[9:35] home and community based services which

[9:37] is geared towards the um the disability

[9:40] community that they have access to

[9:43] transportation. If the transportation

[9:45] system doesn't exist or the

[9:47] infrastructure is not there then the

[9:49] provider uh is required to provide that

[9:52] transportation service. So you'll see a

[9:55] lot of transportation programs

[9:56] interwoven into residential and day

[9:58] programs. um that becomes part of the

[10:01] service that they provide.

[10:05] Um and then I guess cash is sort of an

[10:08] exception, but 40% of rural counties in

[10:10] the United States don't offer any form

[10:13] of public transit. We're aware of how

[10:15] great you guys are doing with some of

[10:16] your transportation. Um, but you should

[10:19] know that you're kind of in the the

[10:21] minority for how that most counties in

[10:24] um, America that are rural

[10:26] um, don't offer any form of public

[10:28] transit.

[10:31] Um, specifically, so that's nationwide.

[10:35] Um, and then statewide,

[10:37] um, the council did a survey and here's

[10:41] some of the results of the survey. And I

[10:43] can let Libby speak to how the survey

[10:46] was conducted. um and maybe some of the

[10:48] results.

[10:49] >> Yeah. Um and Lisa can speak to this as

[10:52] well because she helped she was very

[10:55] instrumental in creating the survey

[10:57] instrument and helping us to um collect

[11:00] this information. Uh at the time the the

[11:03] survey is a little bit our data is a few

[11:06] years old. Um and the reason for that is

[11:09] because at the time we didn't have

[11:11] statewide data that um represented

[11:15] where

[11:17] accessible, affordable transportation

[11:19] was available and where some services

[11:21] were lacking. So, um although we didn't

[11:24] have necessarily the number of people

[11:29] that would be ideal, um we did have um a

[11:33] pretty good representation of um cities

[11:36] and counties across the state. So, we do

[11:39] have a pretty good picture of what

[11:42] people are really experiencing when it

[11:44] comes to transportation limitations and

[11:47] um what they're reporting as far as what

[11:49] they're experiencing in their

[11:51] communities. And when we talk about

[11:53] transportation, we're not just talking

[11:55] about fixed route service, right?

[11:57] Getting on and off the bus and and

[11:59] whether a bus is even available. We're

[12:01] talking about whether or not your

[12:03] community has sidewalks or um if you've

[12:07] got uh debris in pathways or are there

[12:10] curb cuts available so that you can

[12:12] navigate your wheelchair. Um or uh if we

[12:16] want to be more universally

[12:18] designminded,

[12:20] lots of people benefit from curb cuts,

[12:23] right? Um wagons, people with strollers,

[12:27] uh shopping carts. I know bikes aren't

[12:29] allowed on the sidewalk, but if you got

[12:31] little ones, you kind of want them on

[12:32] the sidewalk. Um so anyway, these are

[12:35] some of the things that are um people

[12:37] are experiencing in their communities.

[12:39] So, uh what we found that I think is we

[12:44] really want to call attention to was

[12:46] most people expressed that they had very

[12:49] limited access to their very fundamental

[12:51] needs. Um medical visits and access to

[12:55] grocery shopping. um a accessing

[12:58] prescription medication, right? They

[13:00] can't even go to Walgreens to fill their

[13:02] prescriptions. They can't get their

[13:03] groceries. They can't get to medical

[13:04] appointments. um which is concerning

[13:08] enough, but they

[13:11] didn't have access to recreational

[13:14] opportunities or the ability to

[13:16] participate in their community, which

[13:19] has a pretty hefty toll on how you feel

[13:22] as far as being included in your

[13:25] community and takes a toll on people's

[13:28] mental health. Right? If you're excited

[13:30] to go to the the 20 the Pioneer Day

[13:34] parade, but you can't get there and you

[13:36] wanted to go and enjoy the fireworks and

[13:39] the community barbecue at the park and

[13:42] you don't have no way there that really

[13:45] has a big impact on an individual's

[13:47] life. So, um these are just some of the

[13:52] things that the survey uh brought to our

[13:55] attention. So I guess um I don't know if

[13:58] you have any questions about that. Like

[13:59] I said the data is a little bit old and

[14:01] I can share with you what cities

[14:04] participated from cash. Um we can pull

[14:08] that up but

[14:08] >> we can provide the full report if you

[14:10] guys like it.

[14:11] >> Is this so this is just Cash County or

[14:13] this is the whole state? Some of our cities were part of it.

[14:17] >> Okay.

[14:18] >> Got it.

[14:19] >> Yeah.

[14:20] Um so one of the pieces of the research

[14:26] that the council is is funding um that

[14:28] we're leading through this activity is

[14:30] really understanding what other counties

[14:32] are doing um and what works. And we've

[14:35] we are finding that innovative solutions

[14:38] is really the answer in rural counties.

[14:40] Fixed route doesn't make sense all the

[14:41] time. And I know you guys have connect

[14:43] Transit that has a pretty solid fixed

[14:45] route but that you're only hitting, you

[14:48] know, a certain bubble. And so being

[14:50] able to expand beyond that is a is a big

[14:54] solution that

[14:56] um rural counties really need to lean

[14:58] on. Cash County does really well. Um and

[15:01] Bragg, thanks to Alyssa, I think really

[15:04] helps um a lot serve a lot of

[15:06] individuals across the region.

[15:09] Um we've found that um

[15:13] the the use of

[15:17] these you know voucher type programs or

[15:21] um mobility management programs really

[15:23] helps put the dollars to use in in a

[15:27] effective volume based way um and can

[15:30] serve a lot of people with a little bit

[15:32] of little bit of money that may not

[15:34] require as much infrastructure that

[15:36] maybe a fixed route does. Um, so we've,

[15:40] you know, we've talked to a number of

[15:41] different government groups, um, and

[15:44] counties, rural counties across the

[15:46] region, including I spoke with some

[15:48] folks in Twin Falls who have a similar

[15:50] voucher style program with buses and

[15:52] vans. Um, and then Bragg helps support

[15:56] with Connect Transit's help, um, voucher

[16:00] programs and then also single source

[16:02] contracting. And then um there's also

[16:05] mileage reimbursement available in other

[16:08] areas of the state through the UN basin

[16:11] um and down in the fivecount region. We

[16:14] see solutions like this being applied in

[16:16] these rural counties and they seem to be

[16:18] working really well. Um and we just we

[16:21] love to see those kinds of things

[16:23] continue and make sure that you are all

[16:25] aware of you know the efficacy of the

[16:27] dollars that you're spending um in this

[16:29] area.

[16:31] Can I ask what Alyssa what Bragg how how

[16:34] bragg participates in the like I know

[16:37] that there's people with disabilities

[16:39] that can call connect right and does

[16:42] brag is brag a part of that is that the

[16:44] conduit or how does that usually work

[16:46] >> yeah so the calleride system and stuff

[16:50] that connect doesn't interface directly

[16:53] with um I'm the mobility manager so I do

[16:57] mobility management

[16:59] which includes

[17:02] uh travel training for individuals which

[17:04] individuals can call and tell us what

[17:06] their situation is and what kind of

[17:10] type of services that they need to get

[17:13] to and we can connect them with whatever

[17:15] is available. So we'll go out and teach

[17:18] people how to ride the bus or fill out

[17:20] applications for uh the paratransit

[17:24] caller ride system. Um one of the other

[17:26] options that we do have at we our

[17:29] lifeline mobility program, which is a

[17:31] voucher program for people in the county

[17:34] that cannot use connect transit to get

[17:38] to their critical quality of life

[17:41] services, medical, nutrition, stuff like

[17:43] that. And we use volunteers, usually

[17:48] family members or something that then

[17:49] can take their

[17:52] the individual that needs the ride to

[17:55] the destination that they need to get

[17:56] to. So that program is funded through

[18:03] federal dollars and connect actually

[18:06] puts funding into that and that most of

[18:10] the clients that we have for that are

[18:12] seniors or individuals with disabilities

[18:15] >> that so the family member would get

[18:17] reimbursed for fuel type of a thing.

[18:19] >> Yes. We have we have the mileage

[18:22] reimbursement that we can do under that

[18:24] program and if they do not have a family

[18:27] member that can provide that

[18:28] transportation. Now, we've started a

[18:30] partnership with a nonprofit

[18:32] organization called Susie Senior

[18:34] Companionship Services and they will uh

[18:39] accept under our contract basically

[18:43] uh reimbursement money and then that

[18:45] person can come and get that individual

[18:48] to take them where they need to go. The

[18:50] majority of those trips end up being

[18:52] individuals that have like medical needs

[18:54] or like Salt Lake because we don't have

[18:57] any inner city

[19:01] services

[19:01] >> and that's door to door, right?

[19:03] >> Yes.

[19:04] >> So, I I didn't even know about this. So,

[19:05] if someone wanted to help with that,

[19:07] would they contact Suz's or would they

[19:09] contact Bragg and just say, "Hey, I have

[19:11] some time and I could take people

[19:13] places."

[19:14] >> Uh, if they would like to, we are going

[19:16] to be starting that this fiscal year in

[19:18] July of actually having volunteers.

[19:20] We've been working through the red tape

[19:22] of who's in charge of the liability

[19:24] portion for having a random volunteer

[19:27] come in. Sure, we are starting that one

[19:29] now. It used to just be an individual

[19:31] would have to have a friend or a family

[19:33] member or somebody that was able to

[19:36] transport them. It didn't matter who,

[19:38] but they had to select whoever it was.

[19:40] And then we had people that were in a

[19:44] wheelchair for instance or needed a

[19:46] needed that accessible vehicle and a

[19:50] friend or family didn't have it or

[19:51] somebody that just didn't have family.

[19:53] Um Sus's has been wonderful. They came

[19:56] in and were like, "Yeah, we'll we'll go

[19:58] ahead and help you [laughter]

[19:59] help you do that." So

[20:01] >> yeah, because I'm sure there'd be a

[20:02] vetting process. You'd want to do a

[20:03] background check. You want to make sure

[20:04] their car is up to standard. That sort

[20:07] of thing.

[20:08] >> Yeah, that's that's our next step. first

[20:10] one when we had that like well there we

[20:12] go we've got at least people can get the

[20:15] transportation they need but that's our

[20:17] end goal because when it includes the

[20:20] community uh there's all sorts of other

[20:23] benefits other than just the just the

[20:25] transportation and it makes individuals

[20:28] that would like to volunteer and give to

[20:30] the community and the members and the

[20:32] opportunity to do so without being

[20:35] something that they feel like they can't

[20:36] do because they can't afford it Right.

[20:39] >> Really would like that not to be a

[20:41] barrier, especially when it is shown to

[20:43] be the most cost affordable way to

[20:45] provide transportation

[20:47] >> that is out there so far.

[20:48] >> I mean, I'd like to help promote that

[20:50] when it is available. So,

[20:53] >> let us know. Yeah.

[20:57] » Um, do you have any questions for us

[20:59] other than that? Would appreciate that

[21:01] question.

[21:03] >> Uh, you say you were 100% federally

[21:06] funded.

[21:09] Is it matched with state monies at all?

[21:12] >> We

[21:15] don't know I don't talk very loud so

[21:17] I'll come to the microphone. Um we don't

[21:19] have any state funding.

[21:21] >> No state monies or anything.

[21:23] >> So uh

[21:26] >> are you concerned?

[21:27] >> Yeah. Yeah,

[21:29] >> there's a lot of federal monies that are

[21:32] starting to kind of

[21:35] >> losing

[21:36] >> Yeah.

[21:38] >> losing availability.

[21:39] >> That is that is true. Um Yes. And I I

[21:42] can I can understand your question and

[21:46] um there have been some days when we've

[21:48] been like, "Oh, buckle up." But I think

[21:50] we're um we have um I think we're well

[21:56] positioned. I think um Congress really

[21:59] understands the value of our program and

[22:04] um

[22:05] in the

[22:07] budget recommendations at the federal

[22:09] level for the next fiscal year, we've

[22:11] remained level funded. So if that comes

[22:15] to pass, that's that's good news. When

[22:17] lots of programs are seeing reductions

[22:18] in funding, we're we're hanging in

[22:22] there. So

[22:23] >> share about how much of your money that

[22:25] comes from the federal is actually

[22:27] passed through in the form of grants

[22:29] >> and is that to counties to

[22:33] nonprofits or to who who applies for

[22:36] these

[22:37] >> uh anybody with a tax ID number. Um we do a competitive process so we'll um

[22:46] you know release a scope of need and

[22:49] anyone can apply that's eligible. We do

[22:52] have to follow the the state of Utah's

[22:54] competitive bid process and then we

[22:57] review those um based on the project and

[23:00] we usually um will open projects based

[23:03] on our goal areas. Right now we are

[23:08] wrapping up our state plan. So the um

[23:12] only

[23:13] open

[23:15] grant we have at this time is a um I'm losing my words here. It is a

[23:25] health related project and the funding

[23:28] is is a kind of a small amount to be

[23:30] honest. It's about $50,000.

[23:33] And so, um,

[23:35] what we typically do is either,

[23:39] um, many grants that are either, you

[23:42] know, 10 to $50,000 up annually and

[23:47] then, um, that are open for

[23:50] um, you know, whether or not the

[23:53] contractor is meeting their

[23:54] deliverables, we'll renew up to three

[23:56] years. That's usually how we write our

[23:58] agreements. But if it's a larger scope,

[24:01] obviously,

[24:03] not obviously, sometimes you can do a

[24:05] whole lot in transportation for 10,000

[24:06] bucks, but sometimes it takes a a bigger

[24:09] amount of money. Um, and those kinds of

[24:12] projects, we've invested more like a

[24:16] $100,000 for those kinds of activities.

[24:19] Um, but

[24:22] >> depends on what it is we're trying to

[24:24] accomplish, right?

[24:24] >> Well, Bragg's really easy to work with,

[24:26] right? Yeah.

[24:27] >> I mean, they're

[24:28] >> fantastic. just just keep dumping it to

[24:30] them and they'll be fine.

[24:31] >> Yeah. Yeah.

[24:32] >> They're they're they're really good with

[24:34] their dollars.

[24:34] >> Yes. Well, uh just so we're very clear

[24:37] on this, um Alyssa is not a grant

[24:40] recipient. She is a governor appointed

[24:42] council member.

[24:43] >> Okay.

[24:44] >> Yeah. Yeah. So, they are not one of our

[24:46] grantees.

[24:46] >> So, you does that mean that she that

[24:48] Brad can't can a grant bragg apply for

[24:51] those grants?

[24:51] >> Um no, not not while she is a council

[24:54] member.

[24:56] >> But that's that's okay.

[24:59] the county could

[25:00] >> leverage those dollars.

[25:02] >> Yes.

[25:03] And there's been projects that the

[25:05] council's funded like the pilot project

[25:07] for last mile final um other

[25:10] transportation initiatives that have

[25:12] been innovative in their approach trying

[25:15] to see what actually works, what the

[25:17] infrastructure requirements are and how

[25:19] to actually get some of these things

[25:21] into play and then work with the larger

[25:24] part

[25:26] to make sure that we actually

[25:29] >> So we need to link up uh our grant

[25:32] writer with Bragg and you guys put

[25:36] together what your needs are so and then

[25:38] we can apply for those, right?

[25:39] >> Yep.

[25:40] >> We can do that.

[25:41] >> Yep.

[25:43] >> Good to know.

[25:44] >> Yeah. And I mean that's one of the

[25:45] council's goals especially um in the

[25:47] area of transportation is building

[25:49] capacity and seeing what we can do to

[25:50] make a little bit more robust for the

[25:52] communities that you guys serve um

[25:55] represent. And if a grant from the

[25:57] council helps build capacity, then

[25:59] that's definitely a conversation I think

[26:00] the council would be interested in.

[26:03] So,

[26:04] >> so I'm really today our goal is to just

[26:06] inform you and and make sure you're

[26:08] aware of who the council is and what

[26:10] we're trying to accomplish and the

[26:12] importance of transportation. I mean, I

[26:13] think you guys already know that you

[26:14] have a very strong transportation focus,

[26:17] but ensuring that disabilities are

[26:20] included in those plans is paramount for

[26:23] the council's goals.

[26:24] >> I have to apologize. I I'm not a

[26:26] multitasker. So, when you called, was I

[26:28] in the middle of hauling hay?

[26:30] >> [laughter]

[26:30] >> You were outside for sure.

[26:32] >> And it was a Saturday, so

[26:34] >> that's why I hate you.

[26:35] >> You were very helpful. I appreciate.

[26:36] >> Oh, well, okay.

[26:38] >> I work at a

[26:39] >> Hey, could you say that again so he

[26:41] could hear that?

[26:44] >> He takes off

[26:46] and I know how labor that is. So,

[26:49] >> thank you.

[26:50] >> I can I'm sympathetic.

[26:51] >> Does anyone else have any questions or

[26:53] comments?

[26:55] I used the service myself with Bragg.

[26:58] So, it worked worked in my case well.

[27:02] >> Wonderful.

[27:02] >> Which um can I ask which service?

[27:05] >> The transportation

[27:07] reimbursement.

[27:09] >> I'd had hip surgery and I had to go to

[27:12] Salt Lake and stuff and so they used it

[27:15] and then I was taking care of my son and

[27:18] so I got reimbured for taking him to

[27:20] Salt Lake for his appointments.

[27:22] >> I'm glad to hear that. I always like

[27:25] when I started out hardly nobody knew

[27:27] about it. We'd get two or three people a month that would

[27:31] submit their maybe 20 trips and this was

[27:35] a few years ago and now we're easily

[27:37] doing between 500 and a thousand oneway

[27:41] trips every month.

[27:43] >> That's awesome

[27:44] >> when I actually get to hear from it

[27:46] rather than somebody that's already at

[27:48] the table that already is in it. When I

[27:51] hear about

[27:54] I'm really happy to know that it's

[27:56] actually impacting people.

[27:58] >> Well, the only reason I found out about

[28:00] it was through the senior citizens

[28:03] and now I don't even remember how who I

[28:06] contacted. So, I might have to need that

[28:09] someday again. You never know.

[28:10] >> Let me send over the information to

[28:12] everybody so you have it at your hand.

[28:15] >> And I think one thing you mentioned to

[28:16] me yesterday that I thought was really

[28:18] interesting is um part of that program

[28:22] Transportation with Bragg is what would

[28:24] you call transportation social worker or

[28:26] it's like linking to other county

[28:28] resources or other public resources that

[28:31] the person may have um qualifications

[28:33] for so that they can we can really use

[28:36] as many services as possible trying to

[28:39] expand that that's just the whole

[28:42] mobility management thing for what what

[28:46] my job is basically is to work with

[28:48] individuals to make sure that they're

[28:50] connected transportation there is and

[28:52] then working with individuals that

[28:55] either serve the people that need

[28:57] transportation or provide it to make

[29:00] sure that we can fill the gaps that are

[29:03] identified.

[29:05] >> How do how do people discover if they're

[29:07] eligible? What's the best way to do that

[29:10] >> for the transportation services?

[29:11] >> Yeah. Or just any of the services really

[29:13] >> for which one? I was going to say the

[29:16] mobility management travel training

[29:18] absolutely anybody's qualified. There is

[29:20] no restrict

[29:21] somebody all they have to do is call and

[29:24] we'll go through and connect them with

[29:26] all of that. The actual transportation

[29:29] services so like the voucher program and

[29:31] stuff are based on

[29:35] >> either income being a senior or an

[29:38] individual with a disability.

[29:39] >> Okay.

[29:40] >> So, uh we will we usually encourage

[29:44] people when they call in that we'll do

[29:45] like that uh training and stuff with

[29:49] them as explain it to her. The best way

[29:51] that I found to tell other people is you

[29:53] can think of it as like a social worker

[29:55] for transportation. Sit down what you

[29:57] need and and now we're going to connect

[29:59] you to wherever that

[30:01] >> wherever that leads. And since that

[30:03] one's free, we'll go through and our

[30:06] program that we have for like the

[30:08] voucher is a good fit. We would help

[30:11] them through that that whole process.

[30:15] And anyone that wouldn't qualify for

[30:17] that usually has enough funding to be

[30:19] able to afford it themselves. So we

[30:21] would still connect them with a place

[30:22] like Suz's or one of the other providers

[30:26] that would expect a payment that they

[30:29] can afford. I have a big advocate for

[30:31] supporting Suzies because they're the

[30:33] only nonprofit that provides

[30:35] transportation in their service and they

[30:37] do a sliding scale based on income. So

[30:40] if they don't qualify for ours, they'll

[30:43] be

[30:44] less according to how much they can

[30:47] actually afford.

[30:47] >> Okay. So, it would it wouldn't be like

[30:49] the same as a Uber or something.

[30:52] >> Um, no, it would be it would usually be

[30:56] less than that and it would also have

[30:58] the uh they do other services for

[31:02] seniors and individuals with

[31:03] disabilities that need help. So, they

[31:05] actually do like the door to door versus

[31:07] an Uber lift that will come and pick you

[31:08] up at the curb. But for a senior or

[31:11] somebody that might struggle to get out

[31:14] all the way down to the path, they can

[31:16] actually have their aid come up to the

[31:17] door and help them in and out of the car

[31:19] and stuff like that that new lift

[31:22] doesn't necessarily provide.

[31:24] >> And are all stands accessible?

[31:30] » Not all of her vehicles are accessible.

[31:32] Most of them are accessible. And anytime

[31:36] someone that needs one, they would match

[31:38] them with

[31:40] I think more than half of them are if

[31:44] not all of them in the county area up

[31:47] here for

[31:50] >> Yeah, Susie's applied for either a wraps

[31:53] tax or ARPA funding when we were going

[31:56] through the nonprofits for ARPA to get a

[31:58] new vehicle. I think that somehow we

[32:01] helped fund one of their vehicles um if

[32:03] I remember correctly.

[32:05] Yeah, you guys have helped fund uh some

[32:08] of their accessible mini events through

[32:10] the community block development.

[32:14] >> That's what it was. I know I' seen

[32:17] >> sometimes

[32:19] like using your procurement tools,

[32:21] right, to help them to get it in because

[32:23] maybe it's a lower cost or it's easier

[32:25] to acquire than it would be if they were

[32:27] to just go out and buy it off the lot.

[32:29] So, there's other ways that counties can

[32:32] support solutions like that.

[32:34] require money.

[32:37] >> Yeah. Well, we appreciate your time. Um

[32:40] but you know, we've already talked where

[32:42] funding is limited. Um anytime we can

[32:46] work together on a similar goal and kind

[32:49] of connect parts and and pieces that are

[32:51] already happening around the state.

[32:53] We're all moving in the same direction

[32:54] in a more coordinated way. I think we'll

[32:57] all be happier and spending our dollars

[33:00] more efficiently.

[33:01] >> Okay. Thank you so much for joining us.

[33:03] Appreciate it.

[33:04] >> Thanks for presenting.

[33:05] >> Thank you, Andrew.

[33:08] >> Thank you for the extra time as well.

[33:13] » For 20 minutes.

[33:14] >> Yep.

[33:15] >> Thank you.

[33:16] >> We didn't buy food today. I think it's

[33:20] >> I say not to if that's okay. I'm hoping

[33:22] we're done by

[33:24] >> iPad's only at 28%.

[33:26] >> All right. We have a time. Wait a

[33:28] minute. That's a

Cache County Council Workshop Meeting – 06-23-2026

Transcript