Lee Russell Council Of Governments

Lee Russell Council of Governments, doing business as Area Agency on Aging, is a U.S. local government council-of-governments entity based in Opelika, Alabama, that acts as a federal grant recipient, not a contractor. The organization operates as prime recipient on Federal Transit Administration (FTA) formula and project grants and as a sub-recipient on aging-services grants flowing from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) via the Alabama Department of Senior Services.

The organization's federal footprint consists almost entirely of grant work rather than competitive procurements. As prime recipient, Lee Russell Council operates three public transit systems—Lee Russell Public Transportation (LRPT) in Auburn-Opelika, Phenix City Express (PEX), and a third system referenced as PEX—funded through FTA's Federal Transit Formula Grants program (CFDA 20.507) and Buses and Bus Facilities Formula program (CFDA 20.526). Recent prime grants include a $1.909 million FTA award (August 2026) for LRPT operations and a new secure bus parking facility, a $2.601 million FTA grant (July 2024) for LRPT operations and fleet replacement, a $1.676 million FTA grant (September 2022) for Phenix City Express fixed-route and paratransit operations, and a $1.043 million demand-response transit grant (September 2022) for Auburn-Opelika service. Capital projects funded include transit parking lot design and construction with 30 transit spaces, employee parking, covered maintenance bays, and storage facilities. The organization also briefly held a Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) award from the Office of Grants Management (April 2022–January 2023) before relinquishing it.

In its sub-recipient capacity, Lee Russell Council receives funding through the Alabama Department of Senior Services for aging services under ACL's Older Americans Act programs, including Title III Parts B, C-1, C-2, and E (nutrition, caregiver support, disease prevention), the National Senior Injury Prevention Program (NSIP), and the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). Sub-awards also flow through state agencies for transit operations, administration, preventive maintenance, and purchased transportation services supporting older adults and low-income riders. The organization reported no sub-recipients on its FTA prime awards.

Customer concentration is heavily concentrated in the Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living (26 awards of 59 total, 76% coverage across the top four agencies), followed by the Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration (12 awards), the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (4 awards), the Corporation for National and Community Service Office of Grants Management (2 awards), and the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (1 award). Combined dollars obligated across all awards total $22.2 million. The award footprint has grown sharply from three awards in 2022 to a peak of twenty-one in 2024, with seventeen in 2025 and eight through August 2026. Prime awards account for 31% of the portfolio (18 awards); sub-awards dominate at 69% (41 awards), reflecting the organization's structural role as a pass-through agency for aging and transit funding flowing from state administrators to local service providers. Work is performed in Alabama, serving the general public with emphasis on older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income residents in the Auburn-Opelika and Phenix City metropolitan areas.