By RICK MILLER
rick@oleanstar.com
CattCoNews&Photos
LITTLE VALLEY — Cattaraugus County lawmakers voted Wednesday to throw a lifeline to the Olean Area Transportation Service (OATS).
The City of Olean, which sponsors OATS, announced last month that the city would end the service effective May 31. City officials announced reimbursement delays from the state and federal governments were to blame and the city could no longer afford to continue the transportation services that runs between Olean and Portville, Olean and St Bonaventure University, and Olean and Salamanca.
Negotiations are continuing between city and county officials, and co-partners St. Bonaventure and InTandem.
Two resolutions were introduced for immediate consideration by county lawmakers. One was a continuation of a $25,000 annual payment to the city for OATS services.
The second resolution contracts with the City of Olean for $40,000 a month to continue current OATS services through Nov. 30. Both resolutions were approved unanimously.
Legislature Chairman Andrew Burr, R-Gowanda, said the resolutions were aimed at saving the OATS service. “We are making great progress with Olean for the preservation of OATS,” he said.
Olean legislators Majority Leader Kelly Andreano, Frank Higgins, Rick Smith and Steve Teachman joined Burr as co-sponsors of the resolutions.
Andreano said later that one resolution was a continuation of a long-time contribution to OATS to help provide transportation for low-income families and individuals, while the other deals with the lag in reimbursements the city has been facing.
“They are in the hole with slow state and federal reimbursement,” Andreano said of city’s mounting costs and slow rate of reimbursement. “We’re just helping them out with cash flow.” She called it a loan.
The county’s contribution of $40,000 a month through November will be repaid from future reimbursement.
The county contribution would end if the city’s anticipated reimbursement comes through sooner, Andreano said.
The county legislature adjourned in memory of Charles Couture, 81, of West Valley, a former legislator from 2006-07 and chairman of the Cattaraugus County Planning Board since 2008.
