Contract extension will cost city
By Jeff Gallatin
North Olmsted
Published Feb. 23, 2005

If the city wants another contract extension for the North Olmsted Municipal Bus Line it's going to have to leave a lot of quarters in the Regional Transit Authority's fare box.

Law Director Jim Dubelko, a member of the city negotiating team, quoted RTA officials as saying it would cost North Olmsted $500,000 to get another three-month contract extension while they talk about the NOMBL agreement with the larger agency. If there is no extension, RTA officials have told the North Olmsted team it wants a decision from the city by March 1 about whether the city will agree to RTA taking over NOMBL operations. Otherwise, Dubelko said RTA officials have indicated they will assume that North Olmsted officials are not interested in an agreement that would provide jobs for NOMBL's employees and RTA will advertise for workers to fill those positions.

Dubelko said RTA officials said another extension would cost it money to continue operating under the old agreement with NOMBL, so it said the city should pay for it since North Olmsted is seeking the extension. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, along with County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora and the Cuyahoga County Mayors and City Managers Association have backed requests for another three month-extension. The current three-month extension, which ends at the end of March, was approved by RTA and North Olmsted in December shortly before the last five-year agreement expired Dec. 31.

Dubelko said RTA has set some hard deadlines.

"Basically, they want answers about the negotiations or if they agree to an extension, we're going to have to Because of the RTA March 1 deadline, North Olmsted City Council has introduced legislation that would approve RTA taking over the NOMBL operations. It was scheduled to be discussed in committee last night. In addition to North Olmsted city officials, RTA General Manager Joe Calabrese was invited. Officials from Kucinich's office were also made aware of the meeting.

Kucinich's press secretary Doug Gordon said RTA is still not negotiating fairly with North Olmsted or Maple Heights in those two cities quests to maintain independent municipal bus lines.

"It's a slap in the face to the congressman's call for good-faith negotiations between RTA and the cities," Gordon said.

He said RTA's setting a deadline of March 1 for North Olmsted to respond is also out of line.

"It's an artificial deadline set by RTA," Gordon said. "They are still not negotiating in good faith."

Calabrese said the negotiations have been going well.

"The negotiation's are continuing. There's another session next week and I know that both sides are still talking about issues," Calabrese said.

He said if the city opted for the $500,000 option, it would not be requiring the city to pay RTA any actual funds. Instead, it would come out of funds RTA is making available to North Olmsted as part of a potential agreement, which would help the city cope with the loss of NOMBL from its budget. Calabrese has indicated previously that RTA would provide some compensation to the city to help its budget cope with the loss of NOMBL.

"We're aware it would have a financial impact on the city," Calabrese said.

North Olmsted officials have said the loss of NOMBL would have a big impact on the budget, estimating the blow to the general fund at $300,000 or more.

Bob Whiting, president of the NOMBL employees union, spoke again to city council Feb. 15. He again said the workers need council's support while emphasizing the need for all parts of NOMBL and the city to work together.