Region 9: 2025 Meeting Minutes (12/11)

 

HSTP Region 9

Meeting Minutes

December 11^th, 2025

Andrea Boda	Illinois Valley Rehabilitation Center – Gillespie
Nathan Nichols	Central Illinois Public Transit – Effingham
Beth Beck-Marts	Central Illinois Public Transit – Effingham
Cate Young	East-West Gateway Council of Governments in St. Louis
Dave Maziarz	IDOT – Springfield
Eric Robke	Community Link - Breese
Felicia Voelkel	Glen Carbon Senior Center – Glen Carbon
Jerry McDonald	Tri-County Transit – Jerseyville
Joe Domer	Madison County Transit – Granite City
Mike Egbert	Opportunities for Access CIL – Mt. Vernon
Michelle Shrout	Senior Services Plus – Alton
Sherry Bassen	South Central Transit – Centralia
Pam Jones	Senior Services Plus – Alton
Sherry Hicks	FAYCO Enterprises, Inc. – Vandalia
Susan Thomas	Madison County Transit/Agency for Community Transit – Granite City
Wendy Settles	IMPACT CIL – Alton
Jen Lain	Challenge Unlimited – Alton
Lauren Reis	AgeSmart - Swansea
Shelly Richardson	Statewide Independent Living Council – Springfield
Riley Anderson	HSTP Coordinator – Salem

 

I.                    Call to Order – The Region 9 quarterly HSTP meeting was called to order at 11:02 a.m. by Chairperson Pam Jones.

II.                 Roll Call – All of those in attendance introduced themselves and announced the agency they represent.

III.              Approval of September 2025 Meeting Minutes – No corrections noted. Sherry Hicks motioned to approve minutes. Eric Robke seconded the motion.

IV.              Regional Plan 2025 – Riley Anderson presented the updates from the previous meeting. Madison Co. Transit (MCT) will be removing fixed routes from Bethalto/Cottage Hills in January and will only offer microtransit in that area. Central Il. Public Transit (CIPT) is doing a Christmas Lights Trip and picking people up in Litchfield and Taylor Springs. MCT is offering free fares on fixed route service if you see a fare box wrapped like a present. South Central Transit (SCT) is offering free rides on Tuesdays in December on their fixed route. MCT is offering microtransit to warming centers on night’s when the weather is 20 degrees and below.

V.                Transportation Concerns – If you are experiencing issues with the new CVP vehicles, please email Zoe Keller at IDOT and cc’ your HSTP Coordinators.

VI.              Review Region 9 By-Laws – Riley asked everyone to review the by-laws. No adjustments or corrections were noted. If anyone has any comments prior to the next HSTP meeting let Riley know.

VII.           General Discussion –

a.       IDOT Update: Riley shared that CVP applications are anticipated to come available in March of 2026. Reminder that Annual Certifications are due December 31^st.

b.      Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) Updates – Riley shared updates on the NEMT discussions with the Governor’s office and the Illinois Assoc. of Medicaid Health Plans (IAMHP). Angie Bailey from Southern Illinois Healthcare spoke at the last meeting and shared the healthcare perspective of NEMT concerns. At the next meeting, SCT and JewelRide and Shawnee Mass Transit will be attending to speak with the MCO’s and share public transit perspective of NEMT issues. The stories everyone shared regarding issues with NEMT have been shared with the group. Riley will continue to share updates.

Beth Beck-Marts shared that Midland Area on Aging contacted her regarding a denied transportation request for Molina transport due to the rider’s type of oxygen tank. The agency was told there was a recent update to the law regarding types of personal oxygen tanks allowed on public transportation. Midland did not share who denied the trip. Beth asked the group if anyone was aware of recent changes. The transit provider Sherri Bassen from SCT spoke about a similar situation they recently experienced. Riley asked them both to email her with more information so she could pass it along to the Governor’s office group.

c.       Guest Speaker Ideas – Shelly Richardson suggested Jill Hayden from IAMHP and John Bannon from RTAC. If anyone has any contacts or agencies, they would like to see speak at an HSTP meeting, please reach out to Terri and Riley and let them know.

d.      Handouts/Resource Materials – Riley went through the handouts. RTAC Conference is March 3-5^th. Riley will be a part of a panel for two roundtables at the conference. About coordination between transportation providers. Sara from SCT will also be on the panel.

e.       Schedule 2026 meeting dates & locations –

                                                              i.      March 12^th at Senior Services Plus in Alton.

                                                            ii.      June 11^th at IMACT CIL in Alton.

                                                          iii.      September 10^th at Community Link in Breese.

                                                          iv.      December 10^th via Zoom.

VIII.        Adjourn – Pam motioned to adjourn at 11:46 a.m. with Nathan Nichols seconding the motion.