A divided Westmoreland County Transit Authority board fired the agency’s state lobbyists this week.

Four of the board’s seven members voted against retaining the Harrisburg-based firm, Malady and Wooten, which has represented the county transportation agency’s interests to state officials since 2022.

The authority, which operates fixed-route local and commuter bus service and a popular shared-ride program for elderly and disabled residents, relies on state and federal funding as its primary revenue sources. It pays $48,000 annually for lobbying in Harrisburg.

Board Chairman Tony Lizza said the money spent on lobbying has not produced sufficient results.

“I’ve never seen those guys. They should tell us everything that is going on. We pay them too much,” Lizza said.

Board member Woody Weissinger echoed this, saying the authority has not seen dividends from the lobbying done on its behalf.

“We don’t see anything tangible coming from it. They should be leveraging funds for projects we need. I’d like to think our legislators are working for us,” Weissinger said.

Malady and Wooten, according to its website, represents eight smaller transit authorities across the state, as well as casino operators, colleges, government agencies and other special interest groups. Company representatives did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Westmoreland’s transit authority will operate this fiscal year with a $17.9 million budget predominantly funded through state and local grants. Funding levels have been flat in recent years, and officials said allocations it is slated to receive in the recently passed 2025-26 state budget were not increased. The authority expects to earn just under $500,000 in fare box revenue this year.

The state’s Medical Assistance Transportation Program, which provides free and subsidized rides for medical services, accounts for nearly half of the authority’s Go Westmoreland shared-ride program budget. Concern this decade over the future of the medical transportation program initially drove the authority to lobby lawmakers in Harrisburg to retain the state’s funding model.

Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said the new state budget passed this month again raises concern about the future of medical assistance transportation and its $3.3 million annual allocation to Westmoreland County.

“If that changes it could be devastating to our Go Westmoreland system,” Blahovec said.

Board member Dan DeBone argued to retain the authority’s lobbyist, at least in the short term, as requests for proposals from other firms are solicited. DeBone said he supports keeping Malady and Wooten on the job, but is open to exploring other options.

After initially voting to issue a 30-day notice of termination, the board amended the decision to end its relationship with the lobbyist after 90 days, during which time it will seek proposals from other agencies.

“I want us to be represented in Harrisburg. I want to continue to protect the agency and I do not want us to go without any protection going into a new budget year,” DeBone said.

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