City of Lawrence

Public Transit

 

TO:

Dave Corliss, City Manager

 

FROM:

Cliff Galante, Public Transit Administrator

 

CC:

Cynthia Boecker, Assistant City Manager

Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager

 

Date:

January 3, 2008

 

RE:

Agenda Item:

Approval to Apply for FTA Section 5316 Job Access/Reverse Commute Grant through KDOT

 

Please place the following item on the City Commission agenda for consideration at their January 15, 2008 meeting:

 

Authorize staff to apply for a Federal Transit Administration Section 5316 Job Access/Reverse Commute (JARC) Grant through the Kansas Department of Transportation.  Grant funds will be used for the purpose of replacing two fixed-route vehicles and funding will be sought in the total amount of $520,000.  The grant application deadline to KDOT is January 25, 2008. 

 

Background Information:

 

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU) reauthorized federal transportation funding programs through Federal Fiscal Year 2009.  SAFETEA-LU promotes more efficient and effective Federal surface transportation programs by focusing on transportation issues of national significance, while giving State and local transportation decision makers more flexibility for solving transportation problems in their communities.

 

With the passage of SAFETEA-LU, transportation projects receiving funding under the FTA Section 5316 Job Access/Reverse Commute program must be “derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit – human services transportation plan.”  Further the law requires that this plan be “developed through a process that includes representatives of public, private, and non-profit transportation and human services providers and participation by the public.”  The City of Lawrence Transit System as a member of Coordinated Transit District 1 for the State of Kansas helped facilitate the completion of the required Human Services Transportation Plan last year that has been approved by the Kansas Department of Transportation.

 

JARC funds may be used for planning, capital or operating costs of providing access to jobs.  The Job Access Reverse Commute grant program is intended to fund “the development and maintenance of transportation designed to transport welfare recipients and eligible low-income individuals to and from jobs and activities related to their employment.”

 

According to KDOT, eligible projects include but are not limited to:

Ø      Extended evening and weekend hours

Ø      Guaranteed ride home service

Ø      Expanding fixed route services

Ø      Ridesharing and carpooling ideas

Ø      Expanding demand-response services

Ø      Shuttle services, such as park and rides

Ø      Promotion through marketing efforts

Ø      Making accessibility improvements

Ø      Providing travel training

 

Furthermore KDOT and FTA have both indicated that service does not necessarily need to be expanded to receive JARC funding if the transit system currently serves low-income receipts by taking them to and from employment and meets the needs established in Coordinated Human Service Transit Plan. 

 

Attached is City map that illustrates the low-income areas of the community based on U.S. Census data as well as the transit system routes as currently configured.  The T currently serves the majority of low income areas of the community as well as serving all major employment centers.

 

In speaking with KDOT about the grant, they strongly encourage the City to submit an application.  KDOT has indicated that there is approximately $552,000 available for Topeka and Lawrence to pursue as well as potentially additional funds.  KDOT has indicated at their discretion that they will authorize this available funding be used for capital purposes to replace transit vehicles and encourages both Lawrence and Topeka to make application if for capital purposes for at least two vehicles each. 

 

JARC funds can be used to support up to 80 percent with a 20 percent local match for capital projects, and not more than 50 percent with a 50 percent local match for projects seeking operating assistance.  Fare revenue generated on the service to be supported may not be used as matching funds for operating grants.  However, non-DOT Federal funds, local and private funds can be used as match.  Matching share requirements are flexible to encourage coordination with other federal programs that may provide transportation.

 

In the City’s case, if a grant is submitted to seek funding to replace two fixed-route transit vehicles, the source of 20 percent match could come from available funds already set aside in the Transit Department’s equipment reserve.  No additional local funds would be needed to acquire the vehicles.  The total amount of local match needed for a grant application in the total amount of $520,000 would be $130,000 based on the unit cost of transit vehicle being $325,000 each for a heavy-duty, 12 year/500,000 mile vehicle.

 

Projects will be selected for funding through a competitive selection process by KDOT.  Each application will be reviewed and scored according to a variety of criteria including: meeting project needs/goals and objectives; providing a well-defined service operations plan and/or capital procurement plan describing the implementation steps and timelines to carry out the plan; submitting a clearly defined project budget, indicating anticipated expenditures and revenues, including documentation of matching funds; ability to coordinate with other public transportation, community transportation and/or social service resources; ability to demonstrate that the proposed project is the most appropriate match of service delivery to the need, and is a cost-effective approach; and if the application contains new or innovative service concepts or facilities that have the potential for improving access and mobility for the target populations and may have future application elsewhere in the region.  Priority will be given to those projects which meet the needs as developed through the coordinated transit plan for your coordinated transit district.

 

If the City is successful in obtaining grant funding in the amount requested, the City will have sufficient funds between this grant and through available Federal and local funds budgeted for capital purposes to replace 7 of 12 fixed-route vehicles.    

 

The deadline on which to submit a grant application to KDOT is January 25, 2008.