Operating aid

§ 73-h. Operating aid. 1. For those rural counties having an approved\nand implemented coordinated public transportation service plan which has\nmaintained existing levels of funding used for transportation by the\ncoordinated service and has documented the need for additional operating\naid, the commissioner may, in consultation with the interagency\ncoordinating committee on rural public transportation, grant up to\ntwenty-five thousand dollars per year for operating aid for up to five\nsuccessive years, subject to annual appropriations to be included in the\nstate budget. Such aid may be extended annually when the county or\noperator of the coordinated public transportation service has adequately\ndemonstrated the need for such continued aid and that criteria for\ncontinuing aid established by rules issued by the commissioner have been\nmet.\n 2. No such operating aid shall be paid to any rural county unless such\ncounty appropriates and expends at least twenty percent of the\ncoordinated public transportation service's total annual administrative\nand operating costs. Except for other public transportation monies paid\nby the department to the county, such amount may include any county\nfunds used for operating aid, including funds used to support any other\ntransportation service, that have been appropriated to an account under\nthe management and control of the coordinated public transportation\nservice.\n