HATS still trying to secure city donation

FINDLAY — The Hancock Area Transit Service (HATS) will be back in front of Findlay City Council today with an old request and a new idea. Council voted in December 2024 to approve a $100,000 donation towards new buses for HATS, but the city didn't make the donation. Council meets today at 6 p.m. in the Findlay Municipal Building, 318 Dorney Plaza. All council meetings are open to the public and are livestreamed on the city's YouTube channel: FindlayOhio. In a letter to council, dated Sept. 3, Mayor Christina Muryn said the funds were not transferred before the year-end closeout, and now must be reappropriated by council. HATS has been awarded over $1 million in federal funding through the Ohio Department of Transportation to purchase five replacement vehicles. The funding requires a $264,000 local match. The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation contributed a $100,000 grant towards the match, and the Hancock County Board of Commissioners was asked to donate $64,000. Muryn asked council to act quickly because the grant has already been awarded and the money will be needed soon. That's the old business. The new idea, expected to be pitched to council today, would be the establishment of a "microtransit system" within city limits that would make HATS transportation available within an hour. Riders would make the request through a dedicated app. Hancock County residents outside of city limits would continue to be served by the existing demand-response system. Last year, a plan by HATS to establish a fixed-route bus service in Findlay met with pushback from council due to its "big city" feel. There were also questions about the cost and how much a fixed-route system would be used in Findlay. Both Jamie Baker, director of transportation for the Hancock Hardin Wyandot Putnam Community Action Commission (HHWP CAC), headquartered at 1637 Tiffin Ave., and HHWP CAC CEO Josh Anderson, are expected to address council today. Founded in 1997, HATS now employs over 50 people and has a fleet of 46 vehicles. It operates a demand-response system that allows riders to schedule transportation as needed. The HHWP CAC is its parent organization. The CAC is a private, nonprofit corporation established in 1965 to combat poverty in the four-county area. In her letter, Muryn asks council to agree to make a $25,000 donation each year for the next five years to support the establishment and operation of the microtransit system. Muryn said transportation continues to be "a barrier" in Findlay, whether it's for "work, medical appointments, shopping, or unexpected needs." "Through extensive discussion, it has been determined that moving to a microtransit model will expand capacity by 300% or 50,000 annual rides, provide more reliable service, reduce the need for major upfront capital investment and better position our community for the potential of a fixed-route system," she said. HATS is expected to seek additional funding from multiple local entities, money that will be used to leverage state and federal funding that requires a local match, Muryn said. "We anticipate the same level of funding support from key community partners, including the Hancock County commissioners, the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation, and several corporate donors," she said. "The HATS team is actively working to secure those commitments as quickly as possible ahead of a federal grant application deadline later this fall."