 November 30, 2009
The 39-page draft report describes the state of special needs transportation in Alaska, challenges to coordinating funding and services, and recommendations for meeting those challenges. Members of the task force are asking agencies, individuals, organizations, tribes and communities to submit comments on the draft report to the task force. These comments will be considered in preparing the final report to the governor in January 2010. The CTTF held meetings and teleconferences to facilitate a better understanding of the impact of state programs at local levels, to discuss barriers to effective coordination and to hear public input. The state programs are designed to support Alaskans with special needs including those with physical or developmental disabilities, mental illness, brain injuries, dementia or substance abuse problems, senior citizens, Medicaid recipients, low income individuals, public school students, preschoolers in a Head Start program and others with special needs. "Mobility is a fundamental part of our daily lives and is vital to the proper functioning of many government-funded service programs" said Jeff Ottesen of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, CTTF Chair. "Our task was to find ways to make those funds being spent on special needs transportation go farther. Despite our varied perspectives, we reached remarkable unity in recognizing key areas to improve state agency cooperation and performance." The task force recommendations include quantifying the amount of funding expended on human-service transportation activities in Alaska, establishing performance measures and encouraging local leadership to plan for the needs and services of those in their own communities. The report can be downloaded from the Coordinated Transportation Task Force (CTTF) website http://www.dot.state.ak.us/stwdplng/cttf/ . Specific direction on comment submittal is on page two of the report. Comments received by Dec. 31, 2009 will be considered for the final report.
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