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:

February 4, 2008

 

RE:

FY2009 Transit Earmark Request

 

 

I.       Project/Item Description:

 

Staff requests the City Manager to include as an agenda item at the  February 12, 2008 City Commission meeting the Fiscal Year 2009 Transit Earmark request to the Kansas Congressional Delegation.  This request would be in the amount of $1,859,200 for the replacement of seven (7) fixed-route transit vehicles which represents the 83% federal share of funding for the project.  The total project cost of $2,240,000 is based on a cost of $320,000 per vehicle. 

 

If a federal earmark is awarded for $1,859,200, the local match to spend all available federal funds would be $380,800.  A 17% local funding match is required for vehicles that are ADA-accessible or wheelchair lift equipped. 

 

Project Description

Federal Share (83%)

Local Share

(17%)

TOTAL

 

City of Lawrence, KS Transit System – Bus and Bus Facilities

 

$1,859,200

 

$380,800

 

$2,240,000

 

The federal funding request to the Congressional Delegation would be formally made as “City of Lawrence, KS Transit System - Bus and Bus Facilities” to maximize flexibility of use of funds.  The priority for the use of funds would be to first address vehicle replacement of the City’s fixed-route transit fleet.  Federal earmark funds can only be used for capital purposes.

 

 

II.      Project Background/Funding:

 

It is anticipated at the end of this year (December 2008) the entire fixed-route fleet (12 vehicles) will have fulfilled their manufacturer’s and FTA useful service life requirements and will be eligible for replacement.

 

The City through prior year federal earmarking has received a total $1,427,550 that has been formally obligated for fleet replacement purposes.  Including the available local match, there is currently sufficient funding to replace five fixed-route vehicles at a cost of $320,000 each for a total project cost of $1,600,000.  There is also some federal funding available to partially fund the replacement of one more vehicle.  

 

The FY09 funding request is to obtain sufficient funding to replace the remaining vehicles in the fixed-route fleet.  Most of the local match needed for the project can be funded from money already set aside in the transit system’s equipment reserve depending on the amount of federal funding received.  It is unlikely that additional local funds will need to be dedicated at this time since funding received through the earmark process typically differs than what is requested.

  

In FY08, the City working with the University of Kansas submitted a joint transit earmark request in the amount of $2,320,000 (federal funds) for bus replacement and for a bus maintenance feasibility study/preliminary engineering/environmental analysis.  However, the City received $147,000 from Congress for bus replacement.   This year, the University notified the City that it will not include a funding request to Congress for a bus maintenance facility and that is why there is only a funding request for bus replacement.

 

 

III.      Action Request

 

Respectfully seeking City Commission approval to authorize staff to submit a FY2009 Federal Transit earmark to the Kansas Congressional Delegation in the amount of $1,859,200 (federal funds) under “Bus and Bus Facilities” to be used for vehicle replacement of the City’s fixed-route transit fleet.