April 21, 2011 by Tulsa World

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Tulsa Transit: $1 million Obama blasts GOP plan on Medicare, spending needed just to maintain Associated Press

$6.80 $5.78

BY BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer

Tulsa•Transit•needs•roughly• $1• million• of• its• city• funding•restored•in•the•upcoming• fiscal• year• to• maintain• current• service• levels,• the• City• Council•was•told•this•week. The• bus• system• has• been• battered• by• cuts• in• recent• years.• By• bringing• its• city• operating• share• from• nearly• $5.8• million• this• fiscal• year• to•$6.8•million,•it•would•be•at• the•level•it•was•in•2006. “It’s•going•to•take•some•rebuilding•to•get•back•to•where• we•were•with•our•local•funding,”• Metropolitan• Tulsa• Transit• Authority• General• Manager•Bill•Cartwright•said• during•his•presentation. Even• with• that• city• increase,• Tulsa• Transit’s• total• operating•budget•would•grow• only• slightly,• from• $16.7• million• this• fiscal• year• to• less• than• $16.9• million,• because• drops• are• expected• in• state• and•federal•funding. “We•don’t•think•we•are•going• to•be•able•to•count•on•the•same• level• of• support• that• we• have• received•in•the•past,”•he•said. Between• fiscal• years• 2009• and• 2010,• when• the• budget• crisis• hit,• Tulsa• Transit’s• city• funding• was• slashed• 31• percent,•from•$8.2•million•to•$5.7• million.•In•response,•the•agency• implemented• employee• layoffs•and•furloughs,•cut•the• fixed•routes•by•11•percent•and• raised• the• fares• for• the• Lift•

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PALO• ALTO,• Calif.• —• President• Barack• Obama• declared• Wednesday• that• congressional• Republicans• are•pushing•a•radical•plan•to• trim• Medicare• and• Medicaid,•ramping•up•the•rhetoric• before• a• friendly• Facebook• crowd• at• the• headquarters• of• the• popular• social• networking•site. Still,• as• Obama• and• Congress•approach•crucial•decisions• on• spending• and• the• national•debt,•the•president• said• he• thinks• a• bipartisan• accord•is•possible. “I• think• it’s• fair• to• say• that• their• vision• is• radical,”• Obama•told•a•town•hall•gathering• that• included• questions• posed• by• Facebook• founder• Mark• Zuckerberg• and•sent•in•by•site•users. “I•don’t•think•it’s•particularly• courageous,”• he• said• of• the• GOP• plan• to• convert• Medicare• to• a• voucher• program• and• make• big• cuts• to• the• federal-state• Medicaid• program•for•the•poor. “Nothing• is• easier• than• solving• a• problem• on• the• backs• of• people• who• are• poor,• or• people• who• are• powerless,•or•don’t•have•lobbyists,• or• don’t• have• clout,”• Obama•said. Republicans• in• Congress• argue• that• Obama’s• deficit• prescription• would• accomplish•far•too•little•and•relies• on• economically• damaging• tax•increases. The• president• said• he• would•raise•$1•trillion•by•returning•income•tax•rates•for• high• earners• to• the• levels• from• Bill• Clinton’s• administration,• when• the• economy• prospered.• That• would• force• wealthy• people• like•

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Requested

••Restoring•the• City of Tulsa funding for public transit in millions of dollars funds•is•crucial•to• $8.22 continuing•at•current• $7.59 $7.42 $6.77 service•levels,• $5.75 councilors•are•told.

BY JULIE PACE

2012

DAVID HOUSH/Tulsa World

Program•paratransit•service. Tulsa• Transit• was• able• to• avoid• further• action• because• of• federal• money• it• used• to• partly•fill•the•gap•in•city•funding,• Cartwright• said.• But• that’s•no•longer•available. “More•of•the•burden•is•going•to•fall•on•the•city•of• Tulsa,”•he•said. The• Indian• Nations• Council•of•Governments•is•putting• together• a• regional• transit• plan• called• “Fast• Forward.”• In• that• effort,• INCOG• conducted•a•review•of•peer•cities• and•found•that•though•the•average• annual• revenue• hours• of• other• transit• agencies• is• 290,000,• Tulsa• offers• only• 145,000•hours. Also,• transit• agencies• in• peer• cities• have• an• average• total• budget• of• $32• million• per•year,•yet•Tulsa•Transit’s•is• less•than•$17•million.•And•the• local•funding•average•in•peer• cities•is•$19•million•annually;• Tulsa• contributed• $5.8• million•this•fiscal•year. Tulsa• Transit• gives• roughly• 2.5• million• one-way• rides• each•year,•Cartwright•said. Sixty• percent• of• passengers•use•the•service•to•get•to•

Planning board schedules ADA hearing May 4 The•Tulsa•Metropolitan•Area• Planning•Commission•will•hold• a• public• hearing• May• 4• on• the• city’s• evaluation• of• its• compliance• with• the• Americans• With• Disabilities•Act. After• the• public• hearing,• the• Planning•Commission•will•vote• on• whether• to• recommend• approval• of• the• ADA• Self-Evaluation• and• Transition• Plan.• The• City• Council• would• have• to•adopt•the•document•for•it•to• become•part•of•Tulsa’s•comprehensive•plan•for•development. The• report• identifies• more• than• $96• million• in• necessary• modifications• for• public• buildings,•parks,•sidewalks,•intersections• and• bus• stops.• The• figure• does• not• cover• needed• modifications• to• secondary• and• residential•streets. The•report•includes•a•30-year• timeline•for•implementation. The•city•has•no•funds•specifically• earmarked• for• ADA-related•improvements. The• public• hearing• on• the• self-evaluation•will•begin•at•1:30• p.m.•in•the•City•Council•Chambers•at•City•Hall,•Second•Street• and• Cincinnati• Avenue,• the• Planning• Commission• decided• Wednesday. To• view• the• city’s• self-evaluation,•go•online•to•tulsaworld.com/ adaevaluation. — KEVIN CANFIELD, World staff writer

school• or• work,• and• 54• percent• of• riders• have• annual• household• incomes• of• less• than•$15,000. “People• really• rely• on• the• bus• system• for• their• livelihoods,”•Cartwright•said,•adding• that• ridership• has• risen• as•gas•prices•have•shot•up•40• percent•over•the•past•year. Tulsa•Transit•hopes•to•add• back• buses• on• some• of• its• fixed•routes•during•the•coming•fiscal•year,•he•said. The• city’s• fiscal• year• 2012• capital•funding•share•for•Tulsa• Transit• is• proposed• to• be• $129,100,•which•is•the•20•percent• match• to• get• $516,400• in• federal• funding• for• a• total• capital•budget•of•$645,500. This•would•pay•for•bus•stop• shelters,• computers,• security• surveillance• equipment• and• other•capital•needs. Mayor•Dewey•Bartlett•is•set• to• deliver• his• proposed• city• budget• to• the• City• Council• on•April•28.•Councilors•must• then•review•it,•make•changes• if•needed•and•adopt•it•before• the•fiscal•year’s•July•1•start. Brian Barber 918-581-8322 brian.barber@tulsaworld.com

President Barack Obama gestures Wednesday while addressing the crowd during a town hall meeting at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ/AP

himself• and• Zuckerberg• to• pay• “a• little• more• in• taxes,”• he•said. “I’m• cool• with• that,”• Zuckerberg• replied,• as• his• employees• laughed• and• applauded. Other• Democrats• have• called• the• GOP• plan• “radical,”• but• the• president• generally• uses• less• pungent• language.•Despite•the•sharp• tone•on•Wednesday,•he•said• he• believes• his• administration•and•Congress•can•agree• on• long-range• plans• to• cut• deficits• by• about• $4• trillion• over•10•years. He•told•Facebook•employees•and•others•watching•online•that•the•nation•must•invest•vigorously•in•education,• clean• energy• and• research• that• are• vital• to• future• jobs• and•a•strong•economy.

Making• the• case• for• his• deficit-cutting•plans,•Obama• said• that• one• way• to• trim• health-care• costs• could• involve•doctors•sharing•medical• information• on• Facebook.• Health• care• is• one• of• the• last• major• industries• to• rely• heavily• on• paper• records,• he• said,• “because• a• large•chunk•of•our•provider• system•is•not•automated.” Obama’s• 2008• campaign• used•Facebook•and•other•social• networks• to• reach• voters,• volunteers• and• donors,• especially• among• young• adults.• Obama,• beginning• a• three-day• western• U.S.• tour• pitching• his• budget• plans• and•raising•re-election•cash,• said• trimming• $4• trillion• from• the• nation’s• deficits• sounds•like•a•lot•but•can•be• done.

Grant will help recipients find public assistance online BY MIKE AVERILL

World Staff Writer

The• Community• Action• Project• of• Tulsa• County• is• receiving• a• $750,000• Ford• Foundation• grant• to• buy• software• to• allow• it• to• revamp• its• one-stop• public• benefit• coordination• program. The• program,• EarnBenefits•Online,•is•a•consolidated• application• and• screening• process• to• determine• eligibility• for• benefits• available• to•low-income•families.•Jim• Alexander,•director•of•client• systems• and• services,• said• people• eligible• for• benefit• programs• aren’t• taking• full• advantage• because• each• program• requires• its• own• application•process. “We’re•looking•to•tie•that• together• into• one• stop,”• he• said. The• first• step• of• the• program,• which• should• be• finished• in• a• year,• will• allow• potential•clients•to•perform• a• quick• online• screening• to• find• out• their• eligibility• in• 17• programs• offered• by• the• Community• Action• Project,• the• Oklahoma• Department• of• Human• Services,• the• Oklahoma• Health• Care• Au-

thority•and•other•agencies. Once• it’s• determined• what• programs• a• client• is• eligible• for,• he• or• she• can• receive• assistance• from• the• Community• Action• Project• in• filling• out• applications• that•will•then•be•filed•online• with•the•proper•agency. “The• greatest• problem• in• applying• for• assistance• is•the•arduous•process,”•Alexander• said.• “You• have• to• schedule• an• interview,• get• transportation,• make• sure• you•have•all•the•correct•documents.• If• you’re• missing• a• piece•of•the•documentation,• that•means•at•least•one•more• interview,• more• time• away• from• work• or• more• time• paying•for•a•baby•sitter.” Once•the•software•is•fully• in•place•in•about•two•years,• agencies• statewide• will• be• able• to• take• advantage• of• the• system• and• be• enrolled• in• other• programs,• including• the• Supplemental• Nutrition• Assistance• Program,• formerly•known•as•the•Food• Stamp•program. “As• a• family• comes• into• our•system,•we•can•process• them• into• our• programs• or• WIC,•SNAP•or•SoonerCare,”• Alexander•said. Tulsa•is•one•of•nine•cities•

in• eight• states• implementing• the• core• EarnBenefits• software. The• Community• Action• Project•partnered•with•New• York• City-based• Seedco,• which• developed• the• software•that•the•agency•is•customizing•for•Oklahoma. Once• complete,• the• basic• operating• system• will• be• transferable• to• any• Head• Start• program• in• the• country,• immediately• affecting• 1• million• families,• Alexander• said. Steven• Dow,• executive• director• of• the• Community• Action•Project,•said:•“We’ve• found• over• the• years• that• Head• Start• families• are• the• most• vulnerable• and• least• able•to•access•crucial•public• assistance• and• benefit• programs.• With• this• grant• we• can•develop•a•breakthrough• to• be• leveraged• throughout• the• country• for• families• in• need. “We• are• grateful• to• the• Ford• Foundation• for• recognizing• the• severity• of• need• and•supporting•this•innovative• approach• to• breaking• the•cycle•of•poverty.”

68th & Memorial

Mike Averill 918-581-8489 mike.averill@tulsaworld.com

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