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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 3.D 11/17/201411111 • 1,• • 0` DATE: November 17, 2014 TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council through City Manager FROM: Dan St. J ' .ASCE — Director, Public Works & Utilities Joe Rye — Transit Manager SUBJECT: Resolution Authorizing the Filing of an Application for FTA Section 5307 and 5339 Funding for Replacement of Three Fixed Route Buses, Purchase and Installation of an Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) and Computer Assisted Dispatch (CAD) System, Purchase of Three Fareboxes and Radios, and ADA Set- aside Operating Assistance and Committing the Necessary Local Match and Stating Assurance to Complete the Projects RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council adopt a Resolution Authorizing the Filing of an Application for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 and 5339 Funding for Replacement of Three Fixed Route Buses, Purchase and Installation of an Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) and Computer Assisted Dispatch (CAD) System, Purchase of Three Fareboxes and Radios, and ADA Set-aside Operating Assistance Funds; Committing the Necessary Local Match for the Projects; and Stating the Assurance of the City of Petaluma to Complete the Projects. BACKGROUND Since 2008, the City of Petaluma has been an eligible FTA grant recipient. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) recently issued a call for projects for fiscal years 2014-15 and 2015-16 (FY 14/15 and FY 15/16), soliciting transit projects from eligible grantees. FTA Section 5307 and 5339 funds are allocated by formula to different Urbanized Areas (UA) within the region. Along with Golden Gate Transit and Sonoma County Transit, the City of Petaluma is eligible to compete for funds within the Petaluma UA. To facilitate the distribution of funds within the region, MTC has developed the Transit Capital Priorities (TCP) program for allocating funds to the individual transit operators within the region. Replacement vehicles, including projects directly involving revenue vehicles, such as AVL Systems, radios, and fareboxes, are consistently among the highest scoring proposals. In most years, the region receives only enough funds to cover these needs. DISCUSSION Since 2008, Petaluma Transit has obtained Section 5307 and 5339 funding to replace buses and paratransit vans, and to support preventative maintenance. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) application requires a resolution of support, including a commitment by the City to provide the required local match and to complete the project. Although this is a federal fund source, the MTC is the designated recipient for all the Urbanized Areas within the nine - county Bay Area. In response to the call for projects for FY 2014-15 & 2015-16, the City of Petaluma is requesting funds for: • Purchasing three replacement fixed route buses • Purchasing an Automatic Vehicle Location Computer Aided Dispatch (AVL/CAD) System for the fixed route fleet and support vehicles • Purchasing three sets of radios and fareboxes for the three replacement buses • ADA Set -Aside — operating assistance The three replacement fixed route buses replace four 2003 Chevy cutaways that have already been retired and/or placed into the contingency fleet where they are rarely used, but are available for emergencies. The radios and fareboxes will be part of the request for the new buses because MTC has chosen to separately itemize the radio and farebox projects rather than automatically include them in the pricing and programming of bus replacements. Petaluma is replacing four smaller 29 -foot length older buses with three 40 -foot larger buses that better handle the higher volumes of passengers riding the system today. MTC, per TCP Policy, does not allow replacement vehicles to be more than 6 -foot longer than the vehicles they are replacing without a reduction in the number of buses being replaced. Rather than purchase 4 buses that do not carry enough passengers comfortably, staff and the Transit Advisory Committee have recommended purchase of three 40 -foot buses. The City will soon need to make a fuel choice for this next order of three replacement buses. MTC allows clean diesel, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), or diesel-electric hybrids with federal monies paying for 82% of the purchase price of the buses, regardless of fuel choice. Transit staff is leading the Transit Advisory Committee (TAC) through this fuel choice process at this time in anticipation of making a fuel choice recommendation by January, 2015. Public Works & Utilities staff is seeking grants to fund the City's ability to create its own CNG from the Ellis Creels water treatment facility wastewater treatment process. Currently, Ellis Creek generates methane gas that is flared off (i.e. burned off to the atmosphere) but the technology exists to capture the methane and convey it to a modern CNG fueling station that would fuel the operation of CNG -consuming vehicles. So far, no grant has been secured, and the City's need to start the process of ordering its next batch of three replacement buses is creating a sense of urgency on this CNG fueling decision. In the meantime, MTC requires that the City identify a fuel choice now as a placeholder for the buses, and then confirm the decision as soon as possible. Staff, with TAC's concurrence, identified diesel-electric (DE) hybrids as the preferred choice at this time. This does not preclude the development of the bio -CNG project at Ellis Creek. If CNG or Clean Diesel is decided upon in the next months, MTC will be able to amend the programmed funding amount down, rather than up. This is because DE hybrids are the most expensive of the three, in terms of purchase price. Staff will provide an economic analysis of the life cycle costs for the three bus fuel options at the time the final decision is made. The AVL/CAD system will be procured in partnership with two other North Bay transit agencies, Soltrans and Napa. These systems will provide a significant amount of operations data that simply does not exist today, such as 100% passenger activity at the bus stop level, 100% on- time performance monitoring, real time vehicle monitoring, and enabling "real-time" transit information via the internet and smart phone applications. The AVL/CAD will be installed on all fixed route buses, operations and administration workstations, and in support vehicles. The AVL procurement will be on the agenda for Council approval later this year, with the project to be fully implemented by mid -2015. The proposed action meets Council Goal: "Plan for and implement priority capital projects as funding permits". FINANCIAL IMPACTS Matching funds for the projects will come from a combination of existing Transit Development Act (TDA) reserves, traffic impact fees, and Petaluma's apportionment of Proposition 1B Public Transportation Modernization, Improvement, and Service Enhancement Account (PTMISEA) funds. Petaluma Transit's reserves were approximately $500,000 on July 1, 2014. The total Petaluma Transit TCP FY 14/15 and FY 15/16 grant request is $2,385,372. This nearly consumes all the funding generated by the Petaluma Urbanized Area during this timeframe. The local 50% match of $166,914 for the ADA Set -Aside is included in Petaluma Transit's operating budget for both fiscal years. The ADA Set -Aside is a small portion of the MTC region's overall FTA Section 5307 funding that is set aside to help with operating costs, and apportioned to the individual transit agencies by formula. Petaluma is receiving ADA Set -Aside funds for the first time in FY 14/15 due primarily to Petaluma only becoming a FTA grantee a few years ago. The local match for the capital projects and equipment purchases is included in the FY 14/15 CIP budget for the AVL project, with funding also in the PTMISEA revenue account, and the City's TDA reserves accounts. The TCP FTA funds for the three bus purchase will be either amended into the FY 14/15 budget midyear, or as part of the FY 15/16 budget. The buses will not be built and delivered until approximately early 2016 but a purchase order may be required by the bus manufacturer early in calendar year 2015 that commits the City to the purchase in advance of production. The increased funding for the AVL project will be requested when the request to approve the professional services agreement is brought forward later this year. Estimated Total Project Budget (all sources) Estimated FTA FYs 14/15 and 15/16 TCP Grant FY 2015 and 2016 MTC TCP Projects Reimbursement Replace 3 Fixed Route Buses (DE Hybrid) $2,274,000 $1,864,680 AVL CAD System— Fixed Route* $718,302 $352,302 Radios and Fareboxes (3) $1800 $1476 ADA Set -Aside (Operating Assistance) $166,914 $166,914 Total $3,161,016 $2,385,372 * AVL CAD project has several funding sources, including prior year TCP FTA funds Funding Sources for MTC TCP Projects Estimated Amount FY 2014-15 FTA Grant Reimbursement $2,385,372 Prior Year FTA Grant Reimbursement $166,371 TDA Reserves $249,206 Traffic Impact Fees $136,477 PTMISEA $223,590 Total Revenue Sources $3,161,016 ATTACHMENTS 1. Resolution m Attachment 1 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE FILING OF AN APPLICATION FOR FTA SECTION 5307 AND 5339 FUNDING FOR REPLACEMENT OF THREE FIXED ROUTE BUSES, AN AVL/CAD SYSTEM PURCHASE, THREE RADIOS AND FAREBOXES AND ADA SET-ASIDE (OPERATING ASSISTANCE) PROJECTS; COMMITTING THE NECESSARY LOCAL MATCH FOR THE PROJECTS AND STATING THE ASSURANCE OF THE CITY OF PETALUMA TO COMPLETE THE PROJECTS WHEREAS, MAP -21, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (Public Law 112-141), continues the Federal Transit Administration Formula Programs (23 U.S.C. §53) and Surface Transportation Program (23 U.S.C. § 133); and WHEREAS, pursuant to the regulations promulgated under MAP -21, eligible project sponsors wishing to receive Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 and 5339 grants for a project shall submit an application with the appropriate metropolitan transportation planning organization (MPO), for review and inclusion in the MPO's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP); and WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is the MPO for the San Francisco Bay region; and WHEREAS, the City of Petaluma is an eligible project sponsor for FTA Section 5307 and 5339 funds; and WHEREAS, the City of Petaluma wishes to submit a grant application to MTC for funds from the FY 2014-15 to FY 2015-16 FTA Section 5307 and 5339 Programs for the following projects: Replacement of Three Fixed Route Buses, Purchase of a AVL/CAD System, Three Radios and Fareboxes, and ADA Set-aside operating assistance; and WHEREAS, MTC requires, as part of the application, a resolution stating the following: a. the commitment of necessary local matching funds of at least 1 S% for FTA 5307 and 5339 funds; and b. that the sponsor understands that the FTA Section 5307 and 5339 Programs funding is fixed at the programmed amount, and therefore, any cost increase cannot be expected to be funded with FTA Section 5307 and 5339 funds; and c. the assurance of the sponsor to complete the project, as described in the application, and if approved, as programmed in MTC's TIP; and d. that the sponsor understands that FTA funds must be obligated within three years of programming, or the project may be removed from the program. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Petaluma that: 1. The City of Petaluma is an eligible sponsor of projects in the FTA Section 5307 and 5339 Program. 2. The City of Petaluma is authorized to submit an application for FTA Section 5307 and 5339 funding for replacement of three fixed route buses, an AVL/CAD system purchase, three radios and fareboxes, and ADA Set-aside funds in the expected amount of $2,385,372 ("the projects") and accept said grant, subject to increase or decrease of the total funded amount in the FTA/MTC process. 3. There is no legal impediment to the City of Petaluma malting applications for FTA Section 5307 or Section 5339. 4. There is no pending or threatened litigation which might in any way adversely affect the proposed project, or the ability of the City of Petaluma to deliver such project. 5. The City of Petaluma is authorized to execute and file an application for funding under FTA Section 5307 and 5339 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act — A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in the determined amount for communications equipment procurement, and preventative maintenance. 6. The Petaluma City Council, by adopting this resolution, does hereby state that: a. The City of Petaluma will provide a local match of at least 20% for FTA Section 5307 and 5339 funds. b. The City of Petaluma understands that the FTA Section 5307 and 5339 funding for the project is fixed at the amount determined by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and that any cost increases must be funded by the City of Petaluma from local matching funds, and that the City of Petaluma does not expect any cost increases to be funded with FTA Section 5307 or 5339 funds. c. The fixed route bus replacement, AVL/CAD system purchase, the three radios and fareboxes, and ADA set-aside projects will be completed as described in this resolution and, if approved, for the amount shown in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), with obligation occurring within the timeframe established below. d. The program funds are expected to be obligated within three years of the project being programmed for in the TIP. 7. A copy of this resolution will be transmitted to the MTC prior to MTC programming the FTA Section 5307 and 5339 funded projects in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). 8. The MTC is requested to support the application for the project described in the resolution and to program the project, if approved, in MTC's TIP.