Title
Ordinance in the Amount of $1,128,050 Amending GTA Planning and Grant Fund Budget for the Federal Fiscal Year 2015 Section 5316 Job Access And Reverse Commute (JARC) Grant
Body
Department: Transportation
Council District: Various
Public Hearing: May 20, 2014
Advertising Date/By: March 30, 2014 / New & Record
Contact 1 and Phone: Adam Fischer 373-2861
Contact 2 and Phone: Libby James 373-2820
PURPOSE:
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded $564,025 under the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) Program to the City of Greensboro. The GDOT-Public Transportation Division and Piedmont Area for Regional Transportation (PART) will use these funds to support operating expenses. A budget ordinance must be approved to accept the funds and establish a project budget.
BACKGROUND:
The Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program supports projects to improve access to employment and employment-related activities for people with lower incomes, including reverse-commute services. It is intended to develop transportation services to transport welfare recipients and low-income persons to and from jobs and to transport residents to suburban employment opportunities. The Greensboro Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has conducted a competitive selection process to award total JARC funding in the amount of $564,025 for federal fiscal year 2015. Of this, $64,025 will be awarded to GTA and $500,000 will be awarded to PART. These awards require a local match of an equal amount.
GTA will use JARC funding in the amount of $64,025 to support the eligible operating expenses for the Career Express Service incurred from July 1, 2014 through August 31, 2014. Career Express Service provides a direct connection between downtown Greensboro and employment opportunities in the airport area. The airpark area in Greensboro continues to grow with new employment opportunity. During FY 2014, GTA provided 25,367 passenger trips on the Career Express Service. These funds require a local match of an equal amount ($64,025 in City of Greensboro in-kind services).
Starting September 1, 2014, the Career Express routes were incorporated into PART's Deviated Fixed Route Shuttle Service. This service operates from the PART hub at the PTI Airport and the business park districts of the Triad on Monday through Friday. Piedmont Area for Regional Transportation (PART) was awarded JARC funding in the amount of $500,000 ($250,000 per year for FY 2015 and FY 2016) to support operating expenses associated with its Deviated Fixed Route Shuttle Service. This grant requires a local match from PART of an equal amount ($250,000 per year for a total of $500,000 in PART in-kind services).
At their March 25, 2014 meeting, the GTA Board approved the project.
BUDGET IMPACT:
The total project funding is as follows:
PART
$500,000 Federal (50%)
$500,000 PART In-Kind Services (50%)
$1,000,000
GTA
$64,025 Federal (50%)
$64,025 GTA In-Kind Services (50%)
$128,050
RECOMMENDATION / ACTION REQUESTED:
The Transportation Department recommends and requests that the City Council approve the attached budget ordinance in the amount of $1,128,050 to support eligible project expenses.