Paratransit Advisory Committee

The Connect Douglas Americans with Disabilities Plan requires a mechanism to obtain feedback and suggestions about its paratransit service. This is a federal requirement.

To meet this requirement, Connect Douglas appoints a Paratransit Advisory Board which meets regularly. This board is as its name implies: advisory. It can make recommendations and suggestions to Connect Douglas staff about the paratransit service regarding its performance and how it is being operated, but it has no authority to set policy or direct the operations of the service. Any recommendations to be sent forward to Connect Douglas or the Board of Commissioners requires a simple majority. To conduct voting business, the advisory board must have five members present.

• The board will include the following individuals: The board will include a member of Senior Services staff, Douglas CSB, Connect Douglas Transit Services Coordinator, Connect Douglas Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Compliance Officer, the service Contractor’s on-site Manager or designee, and five advocates of the disabled community approved by the Board of Commissioners. 

The citizen members of the advisory board will be selected in the following manner: (1) Openings on the advisory board will be advertised in the local media and on the Douglas County government website. Citizens will be encouraged to recommend themselves or other individuals to the board. (2) Interested individuals will submit their desire to serve on the board to the Clerk of the Board of Commissioners. There is no formal application form but candidates should indicate which Commission  district they live in. Citizens should briefly summarize why they want to be on the board. Any pertinent attachments can be included as part of the request to serve. (3) As with other County advisory board, the Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners will advertise open positions, gather nominations, and submit them to the full Board of Commissioners for consideration. (4) The Board of Commissioners will vote on the candidates to be appointed to the board.

The advisory board will meet once a quarter at a time, date and location to be determined (TBD) and made public. The time, date and locations are published on the County’s website at www.celebratedouglascounty.com and on www.ConnectDouglas.com. Notices of upcoming special called meetings must be published in the local media. 

The Advisory Board will elect its own chairman/moderator. Candidates can nominate themselves for this position or be nominated by another manner. A simple majority determines the winner. If desired the board can elect a vice-chairman following this same procedure, and a secretary following this same procedure.