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Transportation Grant Application - Federal Fiscal Year (FFY)22 5307 Urbanized Area Grant
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INFORMATION CONTACT:
Theresa Torres, Human Services Agency, Transportation Director, 704-283-3598
ACTION REQUESTED:
1) Approve submission of the FFY22 5307 Urbanized Area Grant Application, and 2) upon award, authorize the County Manager’s Designees to approve the Federal Fiscal Year FFY2022 Community Transportation Grant agreements and associated Federal Certifications and Assurances.
PRIOR BOARD ACTIONS:
September 3, 2024, Regular Meeting, Agenda Item # 24-587 - Conducted Public Hearing - FY2026 5307 Urbanized Area Formula Funding Application
BACKGROUND:
The 5307 Urbanized Area Formula Funding program makes federal resources available to urbanized areas for transit capital and operating assistance in urbanized areas and for transportation-related planning. Eligible 5307 activities include planning, engineering, design, and evaluation of transit projects and other technical transportation-related studies; capital investments in bus and bus-related activities such as replacement, overhaul, and rebuilding of buses, crime prevention and security equipment and construction of maintenance and passenger facilities; and capital investments in new and existing fixed guideway systems including rolling stock, overhaul and rebuilding of vehicles, track, signals, communications, and computer hardware and software. All preventive maintenance and some Americans with Disabilities Act complementary paratransit service costs are considered capital costs. Operating assistance is only an eligible expense for urbanized areas with populations less than 200,000.
5307 funds allocated to the Charlotte urbanized area are distributed using a formula that considers population, bus fleet, and transit service provided in its urbanized area outside of Charlotte, which includes the remainder of Mecklenburg County, Iredell County, York County, and Union County.
Based on the current distribution formula created by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) and approved by the Charlotte Regional Transit Planning Organization (CRTPO), Union County will receive up to $1,220,758 in Federal 5307 funds. This funding will be used for both operating expenses, which require a 50% local match, and capital expenses, which require a 20% local match.
The Federal Fiscal Year FFY22 5307 Grant is initially awarded for a 1-year period of performance, but that may be extended if needed to enable it to be drawn down for a period of 5-years after the start of the award's federal fiscal year. Thus, funds awarded for the FY24 5307 application can be drawn down through June 30, 2027.
In Union County, 5307 operational related services are currently provided using demand response, subscription, and contracted fixed-route service. These services are rendered by Union County Transportation, or its subcontractors, and CATS. Union County’s Transportation and Planning staff have developed a list of activities for these funds, which include paying for 50 percent of the cost of the existing Union County 74X Express bus service and provision of demand-response service in the urbanized portions of the County. The funding used for capital-related items will be used for the purchase of security-related items as required by the 1% Security Minimum Requirement and facility renovations.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The grant total is $1,220,758. The local match includes $587,668 for operating (50% federal and 50% local), and $126,618 for capital (80% federal and 20% local).