By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

The Birmingham-based Clastran agency will continue to provide transportation services for elderly and disabled residents in Alabaster through the 2014 fiscal year, after the Alabaster City Council voted to fund the service during a recent meeting.

On Oct. 21, the council agreed to provide $7,500 to help cover the agency’s services in Alabaster through ClasTran’s 2014 fiscal year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2013-Sept. 30, 2014.

The $7,500 will provide a 20 percent match for federal transportation funds, meaning ClasTran will have $37,500 to use for its Alabaster services, according to the resolution passed by the council.

ClasTran Executive Director Fenn Church said he was “extremely grateful” for the city’s funding, and said the money will cover up to 6,053 trips for Alabaster residents.

“This has a 5 percent increase in trips covered over last year’s total trips of 5,765,” Church wrote in an email. “This will cover all the transportation needs for the elderly and disabled residents of Alabaster for the full 12 months.

“I have committed to (Alabaster City Manager) George Henry to make this amount of funding work, and I will,” Church wrote. “I am extremely grateful for this amount of funding from Alabaster, and (am) excited to serve Alabaster’s citizens.”

In March, Alabaster provided $6,000 to match federal funds, making $30,000 available for ClasTran’s services in Alabaster for the 2013 fiscal year.

Before approving the $6,000, Alabaster officials said some residents reported being contacted by ClasTran representatives who allegedly threatened to cut services to the city unless additional funding was approved by the council.

“Mr. Church promised via email that we would not be asked again in (fiscal year 2014), nor would they resort to the phone call campaign as they did earlier this calendar year,” Henry wrote in an email.