Oakland County commissioners on Oct. 30 approved parent agreements for four locally operated transit providers but amended the contracts to a one-year term while the county completes a countywide community transit plan.

The change came after multiple local service providers told the Transit Ad Hoc Committee they urgently needed longer contracts to remain competitive for federal and state grant programs. "We all agree that a countywide transit plan is important," said Kim Viner, director of WOTA, speaking for WOTA, NODA, OPC and Peoples Express. "A one-year term introduces funding and stability and directly undermines our competitiveness for major federal and state grants."

The county received sustained public comment from providers who said the consultant'led planning process (HNTB) had not meaningfully engaged providers collectively, that parts of the draft plan contained inaccuracies, and that several operators had seen 300% to 400% ridership growth since the millage-funded expansion. Rick Hamill, an Iowa township supervisor, told commissioners he supported keeping the core local teams in place to preserve the goodwill built since the millage.

Eli, Oakland County transit staff, told the committee the plan is not complete and that HNTB has visited providers and been invited to coordination meetings over the past 18 months. Staff said a revised draft was expected before Thanksgiving and that the shorter contract term was intended to allow the county and providers to finalize the plan before committing to a longer implementation horizon.

Commissioners debated several amendment options during the meeting. An amendment to extend the parent agreements to a two-year term failed on a roll-call vote. A competing amendment offered by Commissioners Woodward and Johnson to keep the parent agreements at a one-year term passed on a 7'1 roll-call. The main motion, as amended, subsequently passed on the same 7'1 vote.

Commissioners and staff stressed that the county continues to provide funding to the local providers and that letters of support and financial commitments for grant applications have been provided in the past. Staff said the county millage remains the primary revenue source for many providers; county staff estimated that Oakland County millage funding constitutes a majority of some providers' budgets and is often used to leverage state and federal funds.

The committee directed staff to continue working with providers to finalize the community transit plan and to reconvene on contract terms once the plan is complete. Providers asked the county to amend the parent agreement to a multiyear term once the plan is adopted to protect grant eligibility and operational stability.

The Transit Ad Hoc Committee concluded its agenda items and closed the meeting after a brief second public-comment period.

Provenance: The discussion, public comments and votes are documented in the committee transcript of the Oct. 30, 2025 meeting; the providers' remarks begin in public comment and continue into the item discussion, and the roll-call votes and final action appear near the end of the transit item.