Charges for Catoosa Trans-Aid trips likely
By Randall Franks
Friday June 8, 2007 11:42:17am


Catoosa County is considering charging for use of the Trans-Aid service.

Many Catoosa residents depend on these county wheels to get them where they need to go. Catoosa County Trans-Aid, a rural public transportation program, provides residents a way to get to doctor visits, dialysis, work in the county, the Senior Center and shopping. Trans-Aid is a service provided for everyone, not just elderly and handicapped.

Jo Ware, who lives north of Ringgold, said she doesn’t drive and depends on the service for weekly trips to Wal-Mart and the grocery store which could now cost her about $32 per month.

“I don’t think they should charge at all,” she said. “ A lot of folks are on fixed incomes, pay rent and utilities. It’s going to really work on them. It’s going to make it hard.”

Mamie Palmer, a senior from Fort Oglethorpe, said the fees will make those using the service use it less often.

“I wouldn’t be able to use it as much,” she said.

Senior Dorothy Hall said she doesn’t believe in freebies.

“Each person needs to try to support themselves,” she said.

Mary Louise Clark said the service helps her with monthly and annual doctor visits but she believes that she’ll manage with the charges.

According to Clifton “Skip” Patty, Catoosa’s attorney, commissioners will consider the charge at its next meeting June 19 at 6 p.m.

If approved, the county will implement fees July 1, Patty said.

Trans-Aid has provided travel at no charge to seniors and other citizens for 28 years at no charge.

Proposed fees are: one-way trip within the county $2; one-way ride outside of county $3; escort or caregiver riding with patient $1.50; children under 5 years of age ride free with adult; seniors field trips from the Catoosa Senior Center are $5 per group; and riders reserving service but not using will be charged cost of trip.

Patty said the county will not charge seniors for trips to and from the Senior Center each day. The county provides those trips under a grant program.

Commissioner Bobby Winters is still undecided about the issue.

“I had a number of seniors call me who are scraping by on $300-400 a month and their worried even a charge of $2 a trip will be a hardship on their ability to get around the county,” he said.

Commissioner Ken Marks, although undecided, said he probably is not going to get to vote on the issue due to a possible conflict of interest because he works part-time as a taxi driver.

“There are pluses and minuses to the fees,” he said. “I think we are the only county in state that doesn’t charge. Does that mean we should? I don’t know. The people I am concerned about in the process are those on dialysis that sometimes have to go twice or three times a week. That will be a hardship.”

Marks said some riders abuse Trans-Aid.

“We don’t have enough buses to cover the requests we are getting for service,” he said. “They are now having to make appointments a couple weeks out. Sometimes people have to go to the doctor quicker than that.”






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CSS4Comm4
Comments: 160
Joined: 10/09/2006
06/17/2007 07:55:27 PM
And, I thought the Republicans gained the senior citizens' votes with the promises of what they were going to do "for" the seniors, not "to" them.

Besides, haven't they always accused the Democrats of being the "tax-and-spend" party? Isn't this charge a form of revenue? Aren't the Republicans the ones who claimed to be "compassionate conservatives?"

Aren't they the ones who raised our property taxes 91% last year? Aren't the Republicans the ones who kicked 50,000 Georgia kids off of Medicaid and enrolled 4,000 of them back onto Peachcare, forcing 46,000 to become indigent care? Doesn't sound very "compassionate" to me.

Aren't they the ones who made Medicare so confusing our seniors didn't know how to register for coverage? Aren't they the ones who allowed Large Corporations to take over America to the point that our foods (i.e. lettuce, green onions, spinach, beef, chicken, Peter Pan Peanut Butter, etc.) have become unsafe to eat, our pet food companies are poisoning our pets, our "American Made" automobile plants have shut down in Georgia and around the country costing tens of thousands of Americans their jobs, housing foreclosures are at an all-time record high, gasoline prices are out of control causing the cost of every other commodity to spiral out of control.

But, they TELL US that unemployment is down and our economy is booming? Maybe for their oil-rich contributors. I guess that is why Vice-President Cheney's company, Haliburton, is moving its corporate headquarters to the Middle Eastern country of Dubai. The US must be "booming" too much for him and his company.

They TELL US that we are "addicted" to oil, when, in reality, oil is necessary fuel we all need to get to work, to school or to the grocery store, not an addiction. Give us an affordable alternative fuel (a choice, if you will) and we will happily give it up. That's not an addiction.

I wonder what else they are going to TELL US? That maybe we are winning the war on terrorism?

 
maggie
Comments: 1554
Joined: 01/08/2006
06/11/2007 11:57:44 AM
I don't think we need to charge for services for people who are already on a very limited income.
 
Welltraveled
Comments: 7
Joined: 02/17/2007
06/11/2007 10:40:23 AM
Oh! watchtower do I agree with you. The Senior Center Bus is on a grant so no charge for visits
to a tightly controlled agency with limited hours and services. Beautiful building through. One
that the Commissioners has chosen to leave alone.
I seem to remember a grant to aid in the transportation issue. It also included major reimbursement
for the buses the county has.
I think if there is no car in family, on SS or Disability there should be no charge. If DUI, no license,
or getting to work issue if no other transportation is available there should be a prorated monthly
fee. This flat fee is going to give the elderly on low SS a really hard time.
This needs to be looked at, why do we really need to place a hardship on our seniors? Heck, is it
just another service being eliminated by the Commissioners. We don't have many left to eliminate.
With elections coming up are they going to charge citizens to be transported to the polls. Charges
might make a difference in the number of voters.
Just my noodling for what it worth.
 
Watchtower
Comments: 20
Joined: 03/15/2007
06/09/2007 07:59:43 PM
This oughta save catoosa county taxpayers at least $2 a year. Combine that with all the savings from the discontinuance of the Learning Center and I am looking for early retirement.

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