The Rome City Commission is expected to approve a plan Monday to repay the state $1.5 million connected to a discontinued school bus program that was improperly funded with federal transit money.
For more than 30 years, the city used federal transportation grants to help Rome City Schools run student bus routes. A 2019 federal audit found those funds could only be used for public transit. The city ended the program that December, and the school system launched its own bus service.
Afterward, the Federal Transit Administration determined the city owed repayment for six buses that didn’t qualify for trade-in. Their remaining federal value was just under $1.5 million.
The Georgia Department of Transportation, which managed the grants, received the bill in September and paid it immediately to avoid interest. A November 5 letter to City Manager Sammy Rich outlined a proposed repayment plan. If approved, the city will pay about $500,000 upfront, and future transit grant funds will be withheld until the rest is paid off.
