Region 9: 2026 Meeting Minutes (6/11)
Region
9 HSTP Meeting
Meeting
Minutes
June
11, 2026
Attendees:
|
Eric Robke |
Community Link – Breese |
|
Susan Thomas |
Madison Co. Transit/Agency for
Community Transit – Granite City |
|
Sara Nollman |
South Central Transit – Centralia
|
|
Justin Johnson |
South Central Transit – Centralia
|
|
Jennifer Bagwell |
JewelRide – Edwardsville |
|
Derrek Tiburzi |
Macoupin Co. Public Transit –
Gillespie |
|
Chris Markel |
Beverly Farm Foundation – Godfrey
|
|
Dale Deverick |
Bond Co. Transit – Greenville |
|
Nathan Nichols |
Central Illinois Public Transit –
Effingham |
|
Mike “Spud” Egbert |
Opportunities for Access Center
for Independent Living – Mt. Vernon |
|
Andrea Boda |
Illinois Valley Rehab Center –
Gillespie |
|
Felicia Voelkel |
Glen Carbon Senior Center – Glen
Carbon |
|
Michelle Shrout |
Senior Services Plus – Alton |
|
Lauren Reis |
AgeSmart – Swansea |
|
Wendy Settles |
IMPACT Center for Independent
Living – Alton |
|
Perry Cox |
IDOT – Springfield |
|
Riley Anderson |
Human Service Transportation
Coordinator – Salem |
I.
Call
to Order – The
Region 9 quarterly HSTP meeting was called to order at 11:04 a.m. by Riley
Anderson.
II.
Introductions – All of those in attendance
introduced themselves and announced the agency they represent.
III.
Approval
of March of 2026 Meeting Minutes
– No corrections noted. Nathan Nichols motioned to approve. Eric Robke seconded
the motion.
IV.
Guest
Speaker – Derrek
Tiburzi from Macoupin Co. Public Transit was the guest speaker. He spoke on the
Community Rides Grant his agency applied for and was awarded. The agency was
awarded $100,000 to expand rural mobility by increasing access to medical,
behavioral health, and recovery appointments for residents who struggle to find
reliable transportation. Medicare won’t directly pay for non-emergency medical
transportation. The rider can get reimbursed. The agency now has a Centers for
Medicaid Service (CMS) navigator to handle referrals for medical
transportation. The grant launched in January of 2026 and ends in February of
2027. The agency hopes to continue the project past the end of the grant.
V.
Regional
Plan 2025 – Riley
presented the updates to the Regional Plan. Dale Deverick motioned to approve
the updates, Felicia Voelkel seconded the motion.
Central Illinois Public Transit
(CIPT) did have two grantees, Effingham County and Shelby County. Shelby County
has decided to give up that role, and it has been passed on to Effingham County
to be the primary grantee for Central Illinois Public Transit. This will not
affect transit services. The dispatch hours have returned to normal hours of
service – Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The agency will be offering
special promotions in the month of July in honor of America’s birthday.
JewelRide discussed NEMT efforts.
Riley shared updates on the NEMT group.
VI.
Transportation
Concerns – The
group discussed vehicle maintenance. JewelRide shared information on a 2024
Chrysler Pacifica the agency has pulled out of service due to an electrical
issue if another agency is interested in looking at it.
VII.
General
Discussion –
a.
IDOT
Update: Perry Cox
was in attendance. If you are a 5311 agency and haven’t turned in your FY’ 2027
application for funding it is important to submit that soon.
b.
HSTP
Coordinator Update:
Riley went through updates. The Rural Transit Assistance Center (RTAC) has a
Vehicle Maintenance Workshop and Roadeo scheduled for October 21st. The
RTAC newsletter is now offered online, and agencies can sign up to receive the
newsletter directly to their email. Riley has coordinated two meetings for the
5310 agencies: Glen Carbon Senior Center will be hosting the first meeting on
June 17th and CILA Corporation will be hosting the second meeting on
June 23rd. Riley has coordinated a Schedulers Meeting for schedulers
and dispatchers for August 18th for Regions 9, 10, and 11.
c.
Handouts/Resource
Materials: Riley
went through the handouts.
d.
Next
meeting will be at Community Link in Breese on September 10th at 11
a.m.
VIII.
Adjourn – Nathan motioned to adjourn the
meeting at 11:45 a.m. Wendy seconded the motion.