The Financial Audit and Oversight Select Committee voted Tuesday to subpoena Ford. Council member Rory Diamond, the city’s liaison to JTA, said Ford’s representatives told him the former chief executive plans to appear voluntarily. Diamond said the hearing is expected within several weeks, before the holiday season, but not this Friday.

The subpoena also requests documents, which are due Oct. 30.

Diamond said he wants the committee to determine how the deficit developed and whether JTA’s administration overstated ridership on its Navi and Skyway systems to secure federal funding. He questioned the practice of paying employees to ride the Navi, but the allegations have not been established as fact.

“I’m very curious whether or not we falsified numbers about ridership,” Diamond said.

Diamond described JTA as being in a severe crisis, citing the reported deficit, the departure of about 200 employees and residents’ difficulty reaching work and school because of what he characterized as leadership failures.

The council’s inquiry is separate from a criminal investigation by the Florida attorney general’s office, Diamond said. He said the committee is seeking answers and accountability to prevent similar problems, not to prosecute anyone.

Ford is preparing to take a new job with Dallas Area Rapid Transit, where his salary will exceed $515,000 a year. DART board members said Tuesday they stand by their decision to hire him, according to the report.

The council’s review could clarify how JTA’s financial and management decisions affected transit service relied on by Jacksonville residents. The committee has not announced a date for Ford’s appearance.