TITLE
The Mayor and City Council shall discuss and possibly take action to authorize City staff to complete all necessary paperwork for a FY 18-19-20 application for a Section 5311 Rural Public Transportation Program grant from the Arizona Department of Transportation, to continue operation of public transportation services for the next year and to authorize the City Manager to sign any documents related to this application. Discussion and Action.
AGENDA ITEM DESCRIPTION
This agenda item requests Council approval to apply for this two year grant and requests an increase in local match funding. The total amount of the two year grant application is $924,010. The total local share for two years is $344,366. The total grant amount requested for the first year of the two year grant application is $483,775. The local match requested from general fund for the first year is $175,341. The total amount projected for the second year of the grant is $440,235 with a local share of $169,025, but is tentative, pending the outcome of receipt of revenue from the recently-voter-approved Pinal Regional Transportation Authority (PRTA). We fully anticipate a mid-cycle adjustment next year to correspond to developments in PRTA transit revenue and transit demand. This agenda item is only for council approval to apply for the grant, and the depicted budget is contingent upon Council approval during the normal budget cycle.
PRTA Transit Revenue - The receipt date of the PRTA revenue which will subsidize our transit budget is unclear at this time because the newly-formed PRTA is still in the process of creating agency structure, by-laws, policies and procedures. We have not been advised yet by the PRTA of the amount of revenue Maricopa will receive from the new 1/2 cent sales tax, or how soon it will be distributed. However, by the terms of the PRTA ballot proposal, existing transit systems like our COMET will be the first to receive revenue when it is forthcoming. In simple terms, we will receive it; it's just a question of how much and how long it will take.
The requested increase in funding will allow us to increase the Route Deviation Service to full time, from 6 am - 12 pm and 1:00 pm to 6 pm. This schedule will allow one stop per hour at each of the eleven existing bus stops. We propose continuing Local and Regional Demand Response at current levels. We have grown the COMET very carefully and slowly for the last four years in order to ensure sustainability. We are now on the cusp of a dedicated funding source with PRTA revenue and believe we can tap a broader ridership market with expanded hours of Route Deviation service. Population projections clearly indicate the need for more transit service going forward. Commercial developers expect a city to have a transit system in place when considering locating business in a candidate city. An in-place transit system is a scoring factor in Housing Tax Credits which make Maricopa more attractive to build new housing units. Lastly, expansion of our transit system is key to establishing our regional connectivity to Casa Grande, where our educated workforce will be in demand for jobs in coming years.
Included in this first year budget request is funding for 6 bus shelters. This will bring the Maricopa total to 12, enough to equip each of the existing stops and 1 in reserve for growth. The bus shelters are a one-time investment in capital assets and are included in the amounts cited in the first paragraph.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Mayor and City Council authorize City staff to complete all necessary paperwork to apply for a Section 5311 Rural Public Transportation two-year grant from the Arizona Department of Transportation to continue operation of public transportation services for the next year and authorize the City Manager to sign any documents related to this grant application.