GOVERNMENT: TRANSIT AUTHORITY DELAYS SEARCH

JACKSON, Mo. -- The Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority will delay a search for a director while members work to identify funding op-tions to coordinate transportation services in the county.

Although the transit authority asked the Cape Girardeau County Commission in September to allocate money to cover the salary for a transit manager, it later realized it wasn't ready to hire a manager, said Doug Richards, transit authority chairman.

Instead, during a county commission meeting Monday, Richards asked commissioners to help the five-member board in identifying state and federal funding sources used in the county. The transit board also wanted the county commission to help identify potential sources of funding, and to subsidize trips to two or three similarly sized counties that provide transportation services.

The commission approved the requests, showing particular support for the transit authority's decision to delay hiring a director, Richards said.

"We felt it was premature to try and hire a transit director at this point," Richards said. "We feel like we're in a position to go out and look at different funding sources. That's where we would like to tap into and make sure we're getting as much as we can get into the county."

About $1 million a year in grant money for the county's transportation services flows to various agencies and organizations.

The transit authority board was appointed in June and charged with persuading transportation providers to work together.

"We want to just look at something comparative and compatible to Cape County to see what services are available and what they're offering to their citizens," Richard said. "We're looking at better utilization of services made available and, at some point, enhancing what the county already has."

The transit board has held monthly meetings since Aug-ust, with much of its work involving analyzing and modifying a 1998 county transportation plan.

Richards said the board's efforts have been "a lot of work," and that results should be more evident within a few months.

"That's our working document that we will change or modify as necessary," he said. "I think we'll really start seeing things develop with this board in the early part of next year."