Perrysburg requests bids for city transportation service

Despite some reservations raised Tuesday, Perrysburg City Council unanimously voted to send out a request for proposals to transit companies. It brings the city one step closer to developing its own public transportation service separate from TARTA.

At a May meeting, Councilman J. Todd Grayson said the proposed shuttle plan that included service for people with disabilities, would provide curb-to-curb service anywhere currently covered by TARTA to and from Perrysburg.

But the original plan changed Tuesday.

Mr. Grayson said the service would only provide transportation within Perrysburg city limits or to the Maumee City Building and Rossford Meijer store; riders would then connect to TARTA.

Councilman Thomas Mackin said he was concerned the city was breaking a promise to residents, and that council didn’t give the public enough time to vet the change.

But Mr. Grayson argued the city’s plan is constantly evolving. The goal is to keep the Nov. 6 ballot proposal at 1.25-mill, “a really good deal,” he said.

Voters approved exiting the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority in March. Perrysburg council members have pledged to put a tax on the Nov. 6 ballot to fund a new city-run system.

The new plan Tuesday also added on-demand Call-A-Ride service — which many transit riders pushed for in May — in addition to a shuttle route running fixed routes in the city.

The city’s deadline to get bids back and start reviewing them is July 11.

“We’re in a time crunch,” Councilman Timothy McCarthy said. “We’ve got work to do.”

Council also voted Tuesday to issue $4.08 million in bonds to build a new one million-gallon water tower on Fort Meigs Road.

The project also requires razing the smaller 250,000-gallon tank currently on Fort Meigs. A second million-gallon water tank will also be built on Roachton Road.