TO: Mayor and Members of City Council
THRU: Barbara Hill, Interim Assistant City Manager
FROM: Randy Hume, Transit Director
Tracey Broyles, Budget and Evaluation Director
DATE: November 26, 2018
RE:
Title
Adoption of Special Revenue Fund Project Ordinance 2019-7 and Capital Project Ordinance 2019-21 to Appropriate Transit Grant NC-2018-069 for Fayetteville Urban Area Elderly and Disabled Projects
end
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S):
Council District(s)
All
b
Relationship To Strategic Plan:
Goal 4: Desirable Place to Live, Work and Recreate
Objective D: To develop and maintain public transportation investments with high quality transit and airport services
Executive Summary:
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded a $522,725 grant to the City under its Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program. This grant funds a $72,725 project for the City and $450,000 for two projects for the Town of Spring Lake and Cumberland County (passed through to the Mid-Carolina Council of Governments (MCCOG)) as sub-recipients.
Capital Project Ordinance (CPO) 2019-21 will establish a $72,725 project budget for the installation of approximately 600 linear feet of sidewalk, curb and gutter along Plymouth Avenue. That infrastructure will improve access for riders and allow for the future installation of shelters and benches at higher volume stops on FAST Route 3. The FTA grant provides $58,180 for the project, and the City’s $14,545 local share will be funded from sidewalk project funding in the City’s Transportation Capital Project Fund.
Special Revenue Fund Project Ordinance (SRO) 2019-7 will appropriate only the $360,000 of federal grant funds for the projects for the Town of Spring Lake and the MCCOG. The required $90,000 local match is to be funded by the sub-recipients.
Background:
The City is the designated recipient for FTA funds apportioned to the Fayetteville Urbanized Area. In addition to Cumberland County, the urbanized area also includes portions of Hoke, Harnett and Robeson Counties. Since 2012, the FTA has apportioned funds to our area under FTA’s Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program. Prior to 2012, Section 5310 funding was allocated solely to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). In accordance with our approved Program Management Plan, each year, the Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO) selects projects to be recommended for funding using a competitive selection process. Once FAMPO selects the projects, the City prepares and submits the Section 5310 application to FTA.
The grant awarded by the FTA in late September 2018 includes projects selected by FAMPO in 2017 and 2018. The FTA requires a minimum of 55% of these funds be used for “traditional” Section 5310 projects, and then allows the balance of funding to be used for other projects such as the City’s sidewalk project. Previously, these other projects were funded through FTA’s New Freedom Program, which was eliminated and combined with Section 5310. For this grant, only the MCCOG project for contracted transportation services qualifies as a “traditional” project.
The City project funded by this grant includes the installation of approximately 600 linear feet of accessible sidewalk, curb and gutter along Plymouth Avenue between Sapona Road and Clinton Road. This will create accessible bus stops along Route 3 and will allow for the installation of future amenities, such as shelters, benches, trash receptacles and solar lighting using other funds. The project will be jointly administered by the City’s Public Services and Transit Departments.
Under the sub-recipient arrangement for Cumberland County and the MCCOG, the grant funds Cumberland County’s Community Transportation Service for non-medical transportation (work, school, shopping) for elderly and disabled residents of urban areas of Cumberland County not served by Fayetteville Area System of Transit (FAST). It also funds design costs for a future sidewalk project in Spring Lake along the Spring Lake Transit bus route. These agencies will administer these projects and provide the required local matches.
Sub-recipient agreements covering these projects will be presented to Council for approval once the agreements are signed by MCCOG and Spring Lake.
Issues/Analysis:
The FTA requires the City as grant recipient to ensure that sub-recipients of grant funding comply with all FTA grant provisions. Transit has developed grant oversight procedures and a grant checklist that will be used to ensure that sub-recipients adhere to all FTA requirements. Each sub-recipient will also execute a separate agreement outlining the federal provisions.
Budget Impact:
The local required match of $14,545 for the City’s share of the grant will be funded from sidewalk project funding that will be transferred from the City’s Transportation Capital Project Fund.
Options:
1) Adopt Capital Project Ordinance 2019-21 and Special Revenue Project Ordinance 2019-7.
2) Do not adopt Capital Project Ordinance 2019-21 or Special Revenue Project Ordinance 2019-7 and provide further direction to staff.
Recommended Action:
Staff recommends that Council move to adopt Capital Project Ordinance 2019-21 and Special Revenue Project Ordinance 2019-7 as presented.
Attachments:
Capital Project Ordinance 2019-21
Special Revenue Project Ordinance 2019-7
FTA Grant NC-2018-069