Region 11: 2026 Meeting Minutes (5/20)

 

HSTP Region 11

February 18^th, 2026

Meeting Minutes

Ron Gorst	Shawnee Mass Transit District - Vienna
Lauren Reis	AgeSmart – Swansea
Lisa Donho	Comprehensive Connections – Mt. Vernon
Mikilyn Walker	Active Day of Marion – Marion
Ian Pierce	Five Star Industries, Inc. – Du Quoin
Damon Loveless	Touchette Regional Hospital – Cahokia Heights
Dave Maziarz	Illinois Dept. of Transportation – Springfield
Doug Downey	Illinois Emergency Management Agency – Fairview Heights
Jimmy Leadingham	Jax Mass Transit – Carbondale
John Burris	Illinois Center for Autism – Fairview Heights
Jon Douglas	LINC, Inc. – RedBud
Justyn Harvel	Arrowleaf – Vienna
Janee Baldwin	Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Southern Illinois – Belleville
Jeffrey Drake	Rides Mass Transit District – Harrisburg
Jesica Gentry-Schlimme	Monroe-Randolph Transit District – Sparta
Mark Beare	Monroe-Randolph Transit District – Sparta
Mark Bollman	ComWell – RedBud
Melissa Jones	Human Support Services – Waterloo
Mike Egbert	Opportunities for Access Center for Independent Living – Mt. Vernon
Paul Wibbenmeyer	S.A.V.E. – Belleville
Patty Evansco	Millstadt Township Senior Services – Millstadt
Rob Wilson	Alternative Transportation Systems/ St. Clair Co. Transit District – East St. Louis
Sherri Bassen	South Central Transit – Centralia
Steven Johnson	Southern Illinois Center for Independent Living – Carbondale
Tunezia Badger	Spero Family Services – Mt. Vernon
Riley Anderson	Human Service Transportation Coordinator – Salem
Terri Finn	Human Service Transportation Coordinator – Salem

 

I.                    I. Call to Order: The quarterly HSTP meeting was called to order at 11:01 a.m. by Chairperson Ron Gorst on Zoom.

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

III.              III. Approval of November 2025 Meeting Minutes: The minutes from the previous meeting were reviewed by the committee. No corrections were noted. Jimmy Leadingham motioned to approve the minutes with Rob Wilson seconding the minutes.

IV.              IV. Regional Plan 2025: Riley Anderson presented the updates to the Regional Plan. Jesica Gentry-Schlimme motioned to approve the updates with John Burris seconding the updates.

There was a discussion on what agencies are doing to meet the gaps and needs. Shawnee Mass Transit District (SMTD) has implemented Saturday in-town service and extended service hours in Anna/Jonesboro and Metropolis beginning March 2^nd. As of January 5^th, all in-town service rides are free within the city limits of Vienna. Every Thursday, a route will run from Vienna to Anna for Vienna residents.

SMTD applied for a Community Rides Grant and were awarded $100,000. The HSTP Coordinators informed the agency of this grant opportunity. The agency will be celebrating 25 years of service and customer appreciation in May. The agency is working on an app.

Gorst and Bannon shared information about the RTAC Conference and Roadeo coming up.

Active Day of Marion asked a question about Rides Mass Transit’s (RMTD) app. Jeffrey Drake from RMTD responded to the question and shared information on the success of the app, especially among college students. The agency now has a virtual agent phone system that has helped with rider cancellations after dispatch/scheduling hours. Riders can also talk to the virtual agent about their reservation time and confirm pickup and drop off. This has eased the number of voicemails left after hours.

Monroe-Randolph Transit District (MRTD) asked a question about flexible rates in the scheduling app when a rider is booking a trip. RMTD shared how they have addressed this with their app.

V.                V. Transportation Concerns: MRTD thanked SMTD for coming down to visit the agency. He shared insights into how SMTD operates during the visit. MRTD thanked the other transit agencies who have been participating in the dance offs on Facebook. There was a discussion about transportation closures due to winter weather storms.

VI.              VI. General Discussion:

a.       IDOT Updates: David Maziarz was in attendance. There are no new updates. He asked transit agencies about the success of transportation scheduling apps. Jax Mass Transit is having success with their app. Maziarz shared that 5311 applications for FY-27’ will be coming out soon.

b.      HSTP Coordinator Updates: Anderson shared updates on the non-emergency medical transportation discussions that she has been coordinating. The meeting included a representative from the Governor’s office, the Illinois Assoc. of Medicaid Health Plans, the Statewide Independent Living Council, the Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services, IDOT, and the Illinois Dept. of Rehabilitation Services. A representative of IDHFS has shared information on how to make a Medicaid transportation complaint. The HSTP Coordinators have created a flyer to help share this information. The email address on the flyer can also be used by transportation providers to share their concerns directly with IDHFS. Please share these flyers with anyone who may benefit. 

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

d.      Next Meeting is May 20th at Caritas Family Solutions in Belleville.

VII.           VII. Adjourn: Brianna Gilson motioned to adjourn at 11:46 a.m. Mark Bollman seconded the motion.