Rutland considering Ride In Kane sponsorship for senior, disabled transportation
HUNTLEY – Grafton Township supervisor Jim Kearns has announced the township’s bus service will stop giving rides to Rutland Township residents on Nov. 30.
Under the current system, Rutland Township residents from Sun City can use the bus for the same cost as Grafton riders, although the bus is paid for entirely by Grafton Township with an annual funding contribution from the Village of Huntley.
Rutland Township Supervisor and Sun City resident Margaret Sanders has said her township will not pay into the bus service, as it cannot ask all its residents to pay for something that only a portion of its population uses.
“A lot of people do not understand; they don’t understand that we can’t write a check to Grafton Township. It’s not possible to do,” she said.
Instead, Sanders has been exploring other options for the Rutland riders currently using the Grafton bus.
“I had done some research and found that we could become Ride in Kane [sponsors] and that it would be necessary for us to have real strict rules as to who could have a ride,” she said.
As a sponsor of Ride in Kane, Rutland Township would be able to offer rides to its residents at a cost of $3 per ride and $1.50 per mile after the first 10 miles. In January, the initial ride ticket price would rise to $4. As Sanders noted, the sponsorship would come with restrictions on riders and destinations.
Parameters include rider eligibility requirements of being at least 65 years old or being disabled or developmentally challenged. Sanders said rides may end up being only available for medical appointments and not shopping or personal destinations as the Grafton bus currently offers.
Mary Kozy, a co-founder of a former support group for residents with low vision, said a limited service would not be enough for some residents.
“They want to participate in their community and they need to eat, so you have to have groceries,” she said. “There’s more to life than just going to doctors’ appointments.”
The cost to Rutland taxpayers for the Ride in Kane sponsorship would be at least $2 more per year on annual tax bills, according to Sanders. That number depends on the amount levied by the township and other taxing bodies and how much the township will have in available reserves. At this rate, Sanders estimates Rutland can afford to provide for 100 rides a month to its residents.
Some Sun City residents, including Dianne Hansen of N.8, would like to see Sun City offer a bus service exclusive to its residents. She and other residents brought up the issue during a Sept. 18 SCCAH board meeting.
“If you have a senior citizen community without transportation, it’s laughable,” she said.
