Meeting in regular session on April 29, 2014, Escambia County BOCC voted to become the Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC), under the name Escambia County Community Transportation (ECCT), agreeing to provide transportation services for transportation-disadvantaged individuals in Escambia County, which, at the time, included 'Non Sponsored' and Medicaid trips. Because the county operates a fixed route bus service, the paratransit service offered by the county also includes Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) services, funded and regulated by the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (CTD).
On May 15, 2014, Escambia County BOCC entered into an Agreement to Provide Paratransit Transportation Services with First Transit, Inc.
In August 2014, due to changes in the Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA) and Medicaid, many clients who receive Medicaid were transferred to a Medicaid HMO. This change also affected the transportation services for some clients who receive Medicaid, because this service was now largely contracted to another company, although at that time ECCT was still providing trips to some clients who receive Medicaid.
In March 2015, the CTD phased out all Medicaid trips. Those clients who had still been riding with ECCT were transitioned to another service which was contracting with AHCA.
When all of the client riders who receive Medicaid were transitioned to other service providers, the number of daily trips provided by ECCT went from 747 to 350.
The Agreement with First Transit, Inc., Page 4, Item 3.7, which states: In the event of adjustments in excess of twenty percent (20%), the contractor and Escambia County will either negotiate and adjust the cost per revenue hour, or pursue termination of the agreement, in part or in whole, or any combination thereof, as Escambia deems to be in its best interest.
Attached are the First Amendment to Agreement to Provide Paratransit Transportation Services, the original Cost Proposal, and the revised Cost Proposal from First Transit, Inc. First Transit, Inc., is requesting that the revised cost proposal begin as of April 1, 2015, the beginning of their fiscal year.
If the BCC chooses to deny adoption of this Amendment, First Transit, Inc., may choose to terminate the Agreement, which means that Escambia County, as the CTC under the CTD Agreement, must provide transportation for the paratransit clients by some other means.
If any of the other means of transportation are not available or feasible, Escambia County would be in default on the Memorandum of Agreement with the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged.
Regarding the actual cost comparison of the new rate model, because the number of trips have decreased, the costs associated with running the Paratransit Service have also decreased. With the new rate model, the cost of the contract has decreased but the cost of the trips have increased; ambulatory from $23.20 to $26.63 and wheelchair from $34.93 to 36.53. As a result of this renegotiation, the current contract price will end up being less than it was originally. The total estimated expenses for Escambia County for FY 14/15 was $3,401,429. With the new proposed rates, the estimated expenses would be $2,591,758.12 for FY 15/16, which is a savings of $809,670.88.
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