Region 10: 2026 Meeting Minutes (4/21)

 

Region 10 HSTP Meeting

April 21^st, 2026

Meeting Minutes

Attendees:

Darlene McCoy	Lawrence-Crawford Assoc. for Exceptional Citizens – Robinson
Nathan Nichols	Central Illinois Public Transit – Effingham
Jeffrey Drake	Rides Mass Transit District – Harrisburg
Dave Maziarz	IDOT – Springfield
Mark Auten	Trade Industries – McLeansboro
Tarcy Schmidt	CTF Illinois – Olney
Jenni Beaman	CTF Illinois – Olney
Lesley Wall	Lawrence-Crawford Assoc. for Exceptional Citizens – Robinson
David Armbrust	Marion County Horizon Center – Salem
Peter Niccum	Community Support Systems – Teutopolis
Gidget Simpson	CILA Corporation – Flora
Betty Cox	Clay County Rehab – Flora
Riley Anderson	Human Service Transportation Coordinator – Salem

 

        I.          I. Call to Order: The quarterly HSTP meeting was called to order by Riley Anderson at 11:00 a.m. Lawrence-Crawford Association for Exceptional Citizens was the host.

     II.            II. Introductions: All attendees introduced themselves and their agencies.

  III.            III. Election of a New Chairperson: Jeffrey Drake volunteered to fill the Chairperson role.

  IV.            IV. Approval of January 2026 Meeting Minutes: Riley asked everyone to review the minutes from the January meeting. No additions or corrections. Motion to approve by Mark Auten, seconded by Gidget Simpson.

    V.            V. Guest Speaker: David Armbrust from Marion County Horizon Center was the guest speaker. The agency has CILA residential homes in 14 counties in Illinois. Each home has a minivan to provide client transportation to the doctor, workshop, and family trips. He shared the importance of finding the balance of fun and safety in his work. The agency is in the process of expanding north to Champaign County. The agency is working towards 24-hour apartments with intermittent support.

  VI.           VI. Regional Plan 2025: Riley presented the updates from the previous meeting to the committee. Jeffrey Drake motioned to approve the updates. Nathan Nichols seconded the motion.

Rides MTD has a new virtual dispatching agent. From January to March, it has fielded 2,500 calls of riders calling to confirm their trip. This has freed up dispatcher staff. Central Illinois Public Transit (CIPT) has text reminders for scheduled trips. Riders can opt out of the reminder texts. It has helped reduce the number of no-shows. The E-Trax service has been temporarily suspended. Dispatchers are available from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Demand response service is still available.

Community Support Systems is in the process of completing a new building in May. Lawrence-Crawford Association for Exceptional Citizens is expanding due to growth. They will be opening a new warehouse.

VII.            VI. Transportation Concerns: There was a discussion of Medicaid transportation issues. Rides MTD is still experiencing issues with the MCO/broker scheduling Chicago trips although they are not the transit provider for that region. CIPT has a new NEMT dispatcher.

There was a discussion about the rising cost of gas.

VIII.           VII. General Discussion:

a.       IDOT Updates: Dave Maziarz was in attendance. The 5311 application is a work in progress. No CVP updates.

b.      HSTP Coordinator Updates: The HSTP meeting minutes, agenda, and notice are regularly uploaded to the HSTP blog. The HSTP Regional Plan is available on the SCIRPDC website. Riley shared updates on the NEMT discussions with the Governor’s office. The Medicaid Transportation Complaint flyer was shared at the RTAC Conference. The committee was offered the option of receiving the meeting notice and agenda via email rather than physical mailing. The committee agreed to receive the meeting notice via email.

c.       Handouts/Resource Materials: Riley went through the handouts.

d.      Next meeting is at CILA Corporation in Flora at 11 a.m. on July 21^st.

  IX.           VIII. Adjourn: Darlene McCoy motioned to adjourn at 11:50 a.m. Nathan Nichols seconded the motion.