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REPORT TO SHASTA COUNTY RTPA

RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Agency:

1) Consider the attached recommendation of the Social Services Transportation Advisory (SSTAC) Committee;
2) Accept staff's responses to comments received from the February 26, 2002, unmet transit needs hearing;
3) Determine that the existing level of transit service as detailed in the 2002/2003 Transit Needs Assessment reflects the level of transit service that is reasonable to meet for each claimant jurisdiction out of its individual Local Transportation Fund (LTF) apportionment for 2002/2003; and
4) Approve Resolution No. 02-02 which reflects the Agency's formal unmet transit needs findings and Local Transportation Fund allocations, and adopt a Transportation Development Act (TDA) budget for fiscal year 2002/2003, and;
5) Approve 2002/03 Transportation Development Act (TDA) claims as submitted by eligible claimants. Claim amounts by jurisdiction are reflected on Exhibit B.
6) Adopt a 16.5% farebox standard for the RABA service area where services are jointly funded in the rural and urban areas for 2002/03.

SUMMARY
Adoption of the Staff recommendation will allow Agency staff to distribute TDA revenues to be received in 2002/03 and to complete the 2002/2003 Unmet Needs Process.

DISCUSSION
A brief chronology of the Unmet Needs and TDA claims process is as follows:

• February 26, 2002 - The Agency considered the 2002/03 Transit Needs Assessment and received public testimony regarding unmet transit needs. Staff subsequently met with the Social Services Transportation Advisory Committee (SSTAC) and presented the information generated from the hearing for formulation of the SSTAC recommendation. Staff prepared responses to comments and prepared draft findings regarding unmet needs that were reasonable to meet in each jurisdiction.

• March 28, 2002, the Social Services Transportation Advisory Committee met and made findings that there are Unmet Transit Needs that are reasonable to meet based on the adopted RTPA definition. The recommendation SSTAC is attached. The differences between RTPA Staff and the SSTAC are discussed further below.

Extended hours and Sunday service was discussed. Although it is recognized that there would be benefits to be accrued from providing these services it was decided not to subsidize these services because of the low probability that these services would meet the farebox requirement. The analysis for the extension of hours and Sunday service are similar. Ridership trends during evening hours and weekend service show a significant reduction in ridership for those times. Ridership data for the fixed route for a twelve day period from March 21^st through April 3, 2001 was reviewed in reaching this conclusion. For this twelve day period 890 riders used the fixed route from 6:30 to 7:30 P.M. generating $723.50 in revenue. The cost to provide this service was $7,020 yielding a farebox ratio of 10.3%. It has, therefore, been determined the extension of the full RABA system for additional hours and Sunday service would not be reasonable to meet. An analysis for deviated routes or a dial-a-ride service indicated that the fare to meet the 20% farebox would need be $3.50 for a one-way trip. This was determined to be too expensive and would not be supported.

SSTAC is also recommending that the one year time frame established for the Trail Express services be extended for three months or one year. RTPA staff has concluded that this request is not an unmet need and should be considered at the time when long term funding or the discontinuance of Express routes is considered, which would occur at the July or October meeting.

In conclusion the RTPA staff recommends that the existing level of transit service as detailed in the 2002/2003 Transit Needs Assessment reflects the level of transit service that is reasonable to meet for each claimant jurisdiction out of its individual Local Transportation Fund (LTF) apportionment for 2002/2003. TDA revenues available after the unmet transit needs are met are available to the jurisdictions for other purposes, i.e., streets and roads.

Fare Box Standard

In February 2002, the RTPA took action to reduce the RABA fare revenue ratio to operating costs to 16.5% for 2002/03, 17.5% for 2003/04, 18.5% for 2004/05 and 19% thereafter . The farebox standard is 19% and is based upon the percentage of service hours provided in the urban area and the percentage of service hours provided in the rural areas (Anderson area). The RABA fare revenue ratio to operating costs for 2001/02 was 18.88%.

Similar to previous years nearly all transit services (new trial services notwithstanding) will be provided by the Redding Area Bus Authority (RABA). The costs associated with fixed route and demand response services provided by RABA have been allocated to the three cities and the County based 80% on service hours provided by that jurisdiction and 20% based upon the population served in each jurisdiction. This formula is the same formula that has been used by the RTPA since 1993 to allocate jointly funded RABA services.

Exhibit "A" is a spreadsheet that apportions the available revenues to the local agencies based upon population and allocates transit costs to those jurisdictions. This schedule also deducts each claimant's transit obligation from its apportionment to arrive at amounts available for other uses.

"Off-the-top" allocations for CTSA services provided by Shasta Senior Nutrition Services ($278,839) and for Administrative costs ($202,669) have been deducted before funds are apportioned to the cities and the County. Funds to be used to match Overall Work Program (OWP) core functions have been deducted from funds available for apportionment (2,242). These funds will flow to the local agencies as they perform OWP functions.

The RABA budget for 2002/03 contains $697,600 in FTA Section 5307 funds. Consistent with RTPA Policy 6-3, receipt of these funds will reduce TDA obligations on a dollar for dollar basis. These FTA grant funds reduce the transit obligations for Shasta Lake and Redding by $69,817 and $627,783, respectively. In the event these grant revenues are not received by RABA, their respective transit obligation will increase by the same relative percentages.

A summary of apportionments and transit obligations for 2002/03 are presented as follows:

ALTERNATIVES
The Agency could choose to allocate transit costs differently than proposed and adjust the farebox standard differently than recommended. The farebox standard can be set anywhere from 15% to 20%. Adjusting transit cost allocations is not recommended because all local agencies have reviewed the attached exhibits and concur with the Staff recommendation. The amount to be provided to RABA has been reviewed with them and they concur that RTPA Policy 6-3 has been correctly implemented.

OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
All claimants, including the Redding Area Bus Authority, Shasta Senior Nutrition Program, Shasta County, and the cities of Anderson, Redding, and Shasta Lake, have been consulted throughout the TDA claims process, both through their participation on the Technical Advisory Committee, responses to comments, and through informal consultations.

FINANCING
Final action consistent with the attached resolution will have the impacts to the Local Transportation Funds for transit service operations as outlined in Exhibit B. The TDA Budget funds RABA's transit needs in accordance with the RTPA's adopted Policy No. 6-3, entitled "Policy to Determine Transportation Development Act (TDA) Revenue to Be Made Available to Eligible Transit Operators" that was adopted by the Agency on October 27, 1998.

_____________________________________

Daniel J. Kovacich, Executive Officer

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Attachments:

1) Resolution No. 02-02
2) Exhibit A - Apportionments and Transit Allocations for 2002/03 N/A 4/9/02
3) Exhibit B - Schedule of Annual Claims/ TDA Budget N/A 4/9/02
4) 2001 Population Estimate - Revised
5) Staff Responses to Comments Received during 2002/03 Unmet Needs Process
6) April 3rd RABA letter
7) SSTAC April 3rd recommendation