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difficulty taking regular buses — was one major reason for SCAT's higher overall oper- ating costs, the report showed. According to the study, SCAT had a $27.5 million operating budget in the 2013 fiscal year. That includes the cost of the paratransit service. The study was part of an effort to focus on ways the bus system can be run more effi- ciently. More significantly, it marks the first step in evaluating whether privatization of the transit system would save the county money. The findings' impact could be seen in August, when the county commissioners will discuss a proposal to privatize or consolidate the pub- lic transit system. The option of privatizing all or part of SCAT's operations has appeared the more likely one after the potential for con- solidation hit a snag earlier this year when the Manatee County commissioners backed away from discussions about merging their bus system with SCAT. In February, the Sarasota County commis- sioners rolled ahead with further exploration of both options, and in May, they gave staff the go-ahead to conduct the study of SCAT's operating expenses. In May, SCAT General Manager Glama Carter told the commission- ers that privatization just for the paratransit service would save the county $1.5 million a year. Jonathan Paul, the county's interim trans- portation planning director, presented the report's findings to the County Commission during the board's Tuesday, July 8, session, but the commissioners did not discuss it. "This will serve as a baseline for the County Commission to make decisions regarding public transit," Paul said. A COMPARISON STUDY Sarasota's transit system employs 262 staff members while running 55 fixed-route buses and 84 paratransit buses. The study compared SCAT's operations to those of 11 other bus systems in communities similar to Sarasota County in the Southeastern The percentage of local funding in SCAT's budget is higher than that of the 11 other comparable 'peer groups.' Image courtesy Sarasota County Sarasota News Leader July 11, 2014 Page 12