REPORT
TO SHASTA COUNTY RTPA
|
SUBJECT |
|
MEETING DATE |
ITEM NUMBER |
|
Unmet Transit Needs - Consider Approval of 2004/05
Transportation Development Act (TDA) Allocation Instructions and Claims
Budget and Unmet Needs Findings. |
04/27/04 |
4 |
|
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that
the Agency:
1)
Accept the Social Services Transportation Advisory
Committee’s (SSTAC) presentation and recommendation;
2)
Accept staff=s
responses to comments received from the February 24, 2004, Unmet Transit Needs
hearing;
3)
Determine that the existing level of transit service
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 2004/2005;
4)
Approve Resolution No. 04-03 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 2004/2005; and
5)
Approve 2004/05 Transportation Development Act (TDA)
claims as submitted by eligible claimants.
Claim amounts by jurisdiction are reflected on Exhibit B.
SUMMARY
Adoption of the Staff recommendation will allow Agency
staff to distribute TDA revenues to be received in 2004/05 and to complete the
2004/2005 Unmet Needs Process.
DISCUSSION
A brief chronology of the Unmet Needs and TDA claims
process is as follows:
q
February 24, 2004 - The Agency considered the 2004/05
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. During this year’s Unmet Needs process, the Agency
received 1 letter, 6 emails, 3 phone calls, and 4 people spoke during the
February 24, 2004 Unmet Needs public hearing. During the comment period the
unmet needs that were identified were for extended hours of service,
Sunday service, and service to the outlying communities of Happy Valley and
Mountain Gate.
Staff prepared responses to comments and prepared draft
findings regarding unmet needs that were reasonable to meet in each
jurisdiction.
RTPA staff has prepared a matrix with detailed staff responses to all
comments received (Attachment A and B). RTPA discussed with RABA staff if it
would be feasible to modify the Shasta Lake route to include service to
Mountain Gate. This is not possible due
to time restrictions on the City of Shasta Lake route. Further, a stand-alone route from the City
of Shasta Lake north to Mountain Gate and to Bridge Bay is projected to not
meet the reasonable to meet definition.
q
March 19, 2004 -
the Social Services Transportation Advisory Committee met and discussed the
results of the unmet needs hearing and responses from the RTPA and RABA. SSTAC
will include in their recommendation that the RTPA seek an aggressive unmet
needs outreach process; extend service hours by two hours, not four as
requested in the 2003/2004 unmet needs process; services to outlying
communities; and Sunday service.
RTPA
performed an analysis of extending RABA service hours until 10:00 pm. Using
data collected in the 2003/2004 Unmet Needs extended hour analysis, the data
was re-examined using a two-hour extension of service. Average fares and costs of service were
collected from RABA’s 2003 State Controllers Report. Ridership numbers were decreased 12% from the 2003/2004 data to
reflect RABA’s decline in ridership in 2002/2003. The analysis estimates a projected farebox recovery of 15%,
falling short of the RTPA required farebox of 19%.
The RTPA staff recommends that the existing level of
transit service as detailed in the 2004/2005 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 2004/2005. TDA
revenues available after the unmet transit needs are met are available to the
jurisdictions for other purposes, i.e., streets and roads.
Staff recommends that
there are no “unmet needs that are reasonable to meet” at this time.
In February 2002, the
RTPA took action to reduce the required RABA fare revenue ratio to operating
costs to 16.5% for 2001/02, 17.5% for 2002/03, 18.5% for 2003/04 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 2002/03 was 16.97%,
which falls short of the RTPA required farebox ratio of 17.5%. This places RABA
in the grace period of a penalty phase.
Similar to previous years, all transit services 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 in 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 AA@ 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.
AOff-the-top@
allocations for CTSA services provided by Shasta Senior Nutrition Services ($314,762) and for Administrative costs ($207,834) 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 ($3,133) have been deducted from funds available for
apportionment. These funds will flow to
the local agencies as they perform OWP functions.
The RABA budget for 2004/2005
contains $1,993,550 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 Anderson
by ($180,498), Shasta Lake ($184,773) and Redding ($1,628,280). In the event these grant revenues are not
received by RABA, their respective transit obligation will increase by the same
relative benefits. Shasta County will receive ($100,155) for FTA Section 5311
funds in 2004/2005. 5311 funds are provided to the rural areas of the County
for operating assistance for RABA, Burney Express, and Lifeline services.
A summary of apportionments and transit obligations for
2004/05 are presented as follows:
|
Claimant |
Total
Revenue - All Sources |
Total Cost Allocated for Transit Services |
Available
for Other Uses |
|
City of Redding |
$4,624,475 |
$3,439,406 |
$1,185,069 |
|
City of Anderson |
$512,632 |
$213,044 |
$299,588 |
|
City of Shasta Lake |
$524,773 |
$256,798 |
$267,975 |
|
Shasta Senior Nutrition Program (CTSA contractor) |
$314,762 |
$314,762 |
Not Applicable |
|
Shasta County |
$2,446,067 |
$416,526 |
$2,029,541 |
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 APolicy 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
SLC/jac
Attachments:
B)
Exhibit
A - Apportionments and Transit Allocations for 2004/2005
C)
Exhibit B - Schedule of Annual
Claims/ TDA Budget for 2004/2005
E)
Attachment
A - Staff Responses to Comments Received During 2004/05 Unmet Needs Process
F)
Attachment B - March 8 RABA Letter
G)
Attachment
C - Extended hour analysis