OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Members of the 10-15 Transit Board met in Ottumwa Thursday afternoon to discuss what options are left since the Iowa Department of Transportation has not renewed its contract with the service or its operator the Ottumwa Transit Authority.

11 County Supervisors and representatives from the City of Ottumwa discussed what the next steps are for the service.

Jefferson County Supervisor Lee Dimmitt told that board that he believes 10-15 Transit’s options may be limited and that they may be required to follow the state or the Department of Transportation’s plan whether the board wants to or not. 

Dimmitt also suggested that the state is not only dictating a solution to the problems, but is also forcing a set of numbers on 10-15 that may not accurately reflect the situation.

As of July 1^st, the contract with the state expired, which means that OTA and 10-15 Transit are no longer receiving state or federal funds. Because of these developments, the City of Ottumwa gave transit employees a 30 day notice that they could be laid off if a new contract with the state is not reached.

All of these problems stem from accusations in a re-audit from the state that the previous administration of the Ottumwa Transit Authority inflated ridership numbers and altered employee timesheets.

For past reports on this topic, click here.