SEQUIM — Clallam Transit System commissioners have tabled again a proposal to curtail paratransit service while they consider who will run the service and how extensive it will be.
A motion to postpone the issue passed unanimously without discussion by transit commissioners, who met Monday in the Sequim Transit Center.
They will consider the proposed cutbacks in routes and increases in fares when they gather for their budget retreat in September, they said.
In the meantime, the system will receive bids until 3 p.m. Friday on the contract to provide transportation to disabled people at its current level.
Paratransit Services of Port Angeles has held the contract for 20 years. At least one other organization may submit a proposal, according to commissioners.
Three-year base
The contract will run three years with options for two one-year extensions, said David McCoy, Paratransit Services general manager. Commissioners also could negotiate changes with the winning bidder.
Terry Weed, general manager of Clallam Transit, said they might be able to award a contract as early as their Aug. 21 meeting in Port Angeles. Meanwhile, Transit staff will evaluate the bids for their responsiveness, thoroughness and cost.
The proposed cutbacks were suggested last year by a California consultant who studied the increasing demand for paratransit’s door-to-door services, the climbing costs of fuel and labor, and the shrinking reimbursement from Medicaid.
