[NFBO-Linn-benton] Testimony Monday evening on Benton Area Transport/Dial-A-Bus

[John Gardner]

Kristen asked me to send out a note informing the group that she and I will be giving testimony tomorrow (Monday) at the Corvallis City Council meeting. In our last chapter meeting we passed a resolution added below about deterioration of para transit in Corvallis and Benton County. This is fundamentally a Benton County problem, but we were asked to inform the city council, since it affects the city fairly strongly. If you want to listen in, the link for registration is:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4797048704203943438

I have grave concern about the accessibility of this meeting. It has been several years since I attempted to use a GoTo whatever and always found it to be absolutely inaccessible. The company even admitted that it was inaccessible and bluntly said they did not plan to do anything about it. I hope that has changed. I have not registered, because I am not sure that a speaker uses this same link. Haven't gotten instructions yet.
John

DECLARATION AGAINST AGREGIOUS AND/OR ILLEGAL 
POLICIES OF BENTON COUNTY 

The Linn-Benton Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, an affiliate of the Nation's largest organization of blind and visually impaired people, asserts that:
1.	Benton County Oregon (hereinafter "County") has unilaterally discontinued contracted payments to Dial A Bus ("DAB"), the County's provider of paratransit services.
2.	The County has also implemented policies which have unnecessarily handicapped DAB in its provision of paratransit services.
3.	The County has discontinued these funds and implemented these restrictions without attaining the required input from persons with disabilities. 
4.	These willful actions on the part of the County have begun to detrimentally impact the lives of blind persons and are expected to have even further negative impacts upon the blind and our community.
5.	49 C.F.R. Section 37.137 states that an entity developing a paratransit plan must ensure public participation through outreach, consultation with individuals with disabilities, opportunity for public comment on the plan, and at least one public hearing. Additionally, Section 37.137(c) requires an "ongoing mechanism for the participation of individuals with disabilities in the continued development and assessment of services to persons with disabilities."
6.	The County formerly utilize a Special Transportation Advisory Committee ("STAC") to advise on paratransit services and meet this Federal requirement.  At the same time the County discontinued its contractual payments to DAB and began its undercutting of services to the disabled, the County also discharged the STAC and has refused to reinstate a comparable mechanism in its place.
7.	This dismantling of the STAC and the undercutting of DAB violates federal regulations and detrimentally impacts the quality of life of blind and visually impaired persons of Benton County.
The members of the Linn-Benton Chapter therefore call upon Benton County Commissioners to immediately intervene in the wanton dismantling of the paratransit services by:
1.	Immediately complying with its financial obligations to DAB.
2.	Immediately reinstating the STAC or an equivalent Committee for an audit of the County's clandestine demolition of quality paratransit services. 
3.	 Immediately issuing a moratorium on all County-directed changes to the paratransit system until the STAC or its equivalent is reconstituted; and
4.	Ensure that a member of the Linn-Benton Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon has an opportunity to take a seat on the new STAC. 


Passed unanimously by the Chapter on November 22, 2021.

John Gardner
President
541.754.4002 x 200
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