Urban Mobility Coordinator Introduction of Michelle HusemanMasterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Michelle Huseman (Urban) Mobility Coordinator
DATE: November 17, 2011
Dubuque
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Director of Transit Operations Barbara Morck will introduce Urban Mobility Coordinator
Michelle Huseman to the Mayor and City Council.
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Michael C. Van Milligen
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Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Barbara Morck, Director of Transit Operations
David Heiar, Economic Development Director
Kelley Deutmeyer, Executive Director of ECIA
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
TO:
FROM:
CC:
SUBJECT:
DATE:
Michael Van Milligen, City Manager
Barbara Morck, Director of Transit Operations
David Heiar, Economic Development Director.))/k...
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Kelley Deutmeyer, Executive Director of ECIA ✓
Michelle Huseman, (Urban) Mobility Coordinator
November 14, 2011
Dubuque
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BACKGROUND
In March 2011 East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA) recognized the need
for an Urban Mobility Coordinator, who would assist with the coordination of transit
services in the larger cities located in the DMATS area. This was based on the work
already accomplished by the Rural Mobility Coordinator, Bridget Bartlett/ECIA, in her
work with the counties of Delaware, Dubuque and Jackson on behalf of the Regional
Transit Authority (RTA), ECIA decided to apply for a New Freedom grant to fund the
Urban Mobility Coordinator position.
The New Freedom grant is a one year federal pass- through grant with the opportunity
for annual re- application and renewal. The Urban Mobility Coordinator would be
employed by ECIA, and would work with The Jule to coordinate transit in the City of
Dubuque and East Dubuque as well as the Municipal Transit Administration (MTA)
which is the public transit system for the City of Clinton. The New Freedom grant would
fund the position at 80% with the local match (20 %) provided by ECIA. In mid -
September, ECIA received notice that their grant application had been awarded,
effective October 1, 2011.
DISCUSSION
Interviews were conducted in late September, and Michelle Huseman was hired.
Michelle is very familiar with many of the challenges faced by transit - dependent persons
through her work over the past 23 years in the Housing and the Employment & Training
Departments at ECIA. She rode Dubuque's transit system as a young child (and has
many fond memories of it!), and experienced being "transit- dependent" herself while
living Philadelphia and Chicago.
In her position as the Urban Mobility Coordinator Michelle will be working closely with
the Rural Mobility Coordinator at RTA in facilitating service between The Jule and the
RTA, promoting and encouraging ridership in Dubuque, East Dubuque (and Clinton),
educating about and coordinating the transportation services with the local human and
social service agencies, and will be offering assistance with fundraising activities for
DuRide. She is assigned with the task of continuing to help identify unmet needs and
gaps in service, and to look for opportunities to grow and expand services and revenue
sources. Michelle in her role as Urban Mobility Coordinator position will play a key role
in the state -wide effort to form a more cohesive regional transportation network among
all the partners involved in this project.
I welcome her addition to the team, and look forward to working with her on helping to
make The Jule a more viable, effective and efficient public transit system for the citizens
and visitors of Dubuque.
RECOMMENDATION /ACTION STEP
will introduce you to Michelle at Monday's City Council meeting. The purpose of this
memorandum is for information only.
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