ONTARIO — Richland County Regional Planning transit development manager Jean Taddie presented new routes to Ontario City Council on Wednesday, which will expand the organization’s service in the area.
The six-month pilot program began Sept. 5 and will last at least through February, when it will be evaluated to determine if permanent service changes should be made.
“We’re calling it the Ontario circulator,” Taddie said.
“In our 10-year strategic plan, we did a lot of digging into where are the employers in Richland County, where are the medical destinations, shopping and where people need to get to for appointments and those sorts of things.”
Ontario Mayor Randy Hutchinson was a member of the Richland County Transit (RCT) stakeholder committee for the 10-year strategic plan.
Taddie said a new Ontario Circulator route will serve local college campuses at The Ohio State University at Mansfield and North Central State College. The route will run hourly, with the first bus departing at 7 a.m. and the last bus at 5:25 p.m.
The route will serve 10 stops including Avita Ontario Hospital, Richland Mall, Walmart and Meijer. On-call stops include Buckeye Village apartments, the Cinemark Theater and the Area Agency on Aging.
The West Fourth Street route will no longer stop at OSU Mansfield or North Central State College, but will stop at Charter Next Generation and FedEx as on-call stops. Meijer and Walmart will be transfer points for the West Fourth Street, Park Avenue West and Ontario Circulator routes.
“We’ve timed out the transfer points so the West Fourth Street route will meet the circulator, so no one’s waiting 45 minutes for the bus,” Taddie said.
RCT has also expanded its Dial-A-Ride service for people with disabilities to include more areas on Ontario’s west side. Questions about Dial-A-Ride can be directed to 419-522-4504 extension 101.
Visit rctbuses.com for more information on routes and fares.
City & auditor recognizes with Auditor of State award
Mary Ann Hellinger has led the auditor’s office for the city of Ontario for nearly 10 years. She was honored for her attention to detail and audit skills with a state award on Wednesday.
Kathryn Semo, northeast Ohio regional liaison for the state auditor’s office, presented Hellinger with the Auditor of State award.
“We have about 6,000 clients in the entire state, but very few of them are given this award,” Semo said. “They’re very difficult to get and we’re always very excited and happy to be able to present them to our cities and municipalities.
“We want to thank Mary Ann for all of her hard work and the city’s hard work to make this possible.”
Finance committee chair and Councilman At-large Dave Rehfeldt noted the award requires recipients to turn in financial reports on time and not have any findings for recovery.
“For all the years she’s been doing this, she’s always come back with clean audits,” he said.
Council President Eddie Gallo said the city is proud to earn the honor and congratulated Hellinger.
Also in Wednesday’s meeting:
- The finance committee discussed 2024 revenue projections and trends seen from previous tax years. Rehfeldt said total city revenue is increasing, but business tax revenue was down compared to last fall.
- Council members unanimously passed off-street parking requirements for motor vehicle sale and service businesses.
- Hutchinson read a proclamation recognizing the month of September as National Recovery Month.
- Huchinson read a proclamation recognizing September as National Preparedness Month. Richland County Emergency Management Agency director Rebecca Owens said this year’s campaign is dedicated toward helping older adults prepare for emergencies.
- Owens invited the public to the EMA’s open house on Sept. 13 from 3 to 5 p.m. at 597 Park Ave. East. The agency will also be on an Area Agency on Aging emergency preparedness panel on Sept. 28.