Do we need the HOP in Milam County?

Do we need the HOP?

In the last few months, I have been talking about the HOP Services on the radio and we have been discussing it in Commissioners’ Court. Most people have seen the HOP buses and vans driving around Milam County, but it seems that most folks don’t actually understand what the HOP does, how it works, nor how it is paid for. For certain it is an important service, especially in Cameron and Rockdale, and it’s up to the citizens of Milam County as to what ends up happening with it here.

The HOP is run by the Hill Country Transit District (HCTD), which is a political subdivision of the State of Texas. HCTD is a regional transit system whose mission is to build, refine, and operate a safe, dependable, and effective transportation network that provides mobility, improves the quality of life, and stimulates economic development through the provision of rural, urban fixed route, and ADA complementary paratransit service for citizens and visitors of the Central Texas area.

Along with Milam County, The Hop also serves Llano, Lampasas, Coryell, Hamilton, San Saba, Mason, Bell (rural only) and Mills Counties; however, Milam County easily lead the other counties by using approximately 28 percent of the total of The HOP services. From the 1960’s until 2019, The HOP was funded strictly from funds generated by the Federal Transit Administration, TX-DOT, Medicaid, Passenger Fares, passenger fees (on some routes), the Concho Area Agency for the Aging, and Capital Area Agency for the Aging. 

In 2019, it became apparent that there would be a need for more funding, but before a serious move had to be made, COVID funding came online and saved the program from having to find alternatives for funding. That funding expires this year and now the HCTD is asking for aid from the counties and cities that utilize The HOP services. Milam County’s share of that aid is $75,000 per year. While that is definitely not an insignificant amount, it is small compared to the $1,001,750.68 it would take to make up the COVID grant shortfall and cover Milam County’s use of HOP services.

So utilizing Grant contributions allocated to Milam County, it would create a need for Milam County to contribute $307,444 to continue with the service as it has been used in the past. The $75,000 requested by the HCTD would allow The HOP services to continue, but in a slightly reduced capacity. What that reduced capacity means has yet to be defined until all the counties who are a part of The HOP come forward with their contributions.

So, what are the practical applications of The HOP here in Milam County? HOP services can include normal mass transit opportunities, but in Milam County, its main uses are to take people without transportation to medical visits, shopping, and work. While The HOP is for the use of the entire county, over 98 percent of the services provided are to the residents of Cameron and Rockdale. 

One use that is seen in Rockdale and Cameron is the transporting of school-aged children. Unlike the smaller districts in Milam County, Rockdale and Cameron have a radius from the schools to which the buses do not run. Inside that radius, HOP services fill the gap. That way working parents can have their children picked up and taken home, or to daycare, or to whatever destination they need to go. In fact, School runs in Cameron and Rockdale account for 28.6 percent of HOP use in Milam County. 

The HCTD recommended that the counties go out and request that the money used to augment The HOP be broken up between the counties, the cities of primary use and the ISDs that utilize The HOP services. In Milam County’s case, that meant the County, the cities of Cameron and Rockdale, along with the Cameron ISD and the Rockdale ISD, would all pick up an even $15,000. So, on Aug. 31, 2023, I sent out letters (including usage data) to those organizations and requested their help to save The HOP services. 

On the 5th of September I received an email from the Rockdale ISD, and on the 19th of September I received a letter from the Cameron ISD. Both ISDs declined to participate with both superintendents stating that they already provide transportation for their students and did not feel that this was a good use of school tax money. We have not heard back officially from the cities as of this article.

This last Monday at Commissioners’ Court, there were two gentlemen who spoke against providing funds for The HOP and suggested that Milam County does not need The HOP. So, the motion was tabled, and we will take it up in the next Commissioners’ Court meeting on Oct. 9. 

So, with all that said, please talk about this and whether you are for or against continuing HOP services. Please get in touch with your commissioner and let them know. Shoot them an email, call them, or send a letter, but let us know what your feelings are on this issue. Jack Kemp was a US representative for many years and once said, “leadership here means finding out where people want to go and figuring out a way to take them there.” As your elected Commissioners’ Court, that is what we should do, but we can’t do that without your input. So, as always, be respectful, be civil, but be active and let us know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you all.