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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 05/24/2022 - REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION UPDATEDATE: STAFF: May 24, 2022 Dean Klingner, Deputy Director, PDT WORK SESSION ITEM City Council SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION Regional Transportation Update. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to seek input from Council on its desire to collaborate and cooperate on regional transportation solutions. The communities of Larimer County are strongly interconnected, and a safe and reliable regional transpo rtation network is needed to support our communities’ travel needs. Although there is transportation funding legislation at both the state and federal levels, significant gaps remain in the ability to meet the regional transportation needs in our county. GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED 1. How important is regional transportation relative to local transportation and other priorities? 2. What approaches you are interested in pursuing to address regional transportation solutions? BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Larimer County seeks input from Council on its desire to collaborate and cooperate on regional transportation solutions. The communities of Larimer County are strongly interconnected, and a safe and reliable regional transportation network is needed to support our communities’ travel needs. Although there is transportation funding legislation at both the state and federal levels, significant gaps remain in the ability to meet the regional transportation needs in our county. The City/Town Managers of all communities in Larimer County expressed support for advancing discussions around regional transportation solutions, starting with meetings with each elected body in the County. We seek to understand the relative importance of regiona l transportation to the community and to know what approaches Council is interested in pursuing to address regional transportation solutions. We also hope to learn about the “must haves” and the “deal breakers” for the community to coordinate on regional t ransportation. Larimer County initiated and funded a planning effort in 2018 to explore funding opportunities for regional transportation. The effort terminated with an unsuccessful sales tax ballot measure in 2019. The County recognizes two notable detractors from the success of that initiative: 1. Transportation was bundled with county facilities on the ballot question, which was a mistake. It led to voter confusion and the perception that the sales tax was too ambitious. 2. The 2018/2019 effort involved collaboration at the technical and policy levels through a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and a Regional Task Force (RTF). The TAC included a staff representative from each community in Larimer County, while the RTF included an elected official represent ative from each community. This structure did not enable broad discussion and support from the elected bodies throughout the County, resulting in mixed support for the ballot question. May 24, 2022 Page 2 As the conversation around regional transportation is renewed, the C ounty wishes to learn from these missteps and explore alternative approaches to achieve mutually beneficial solutions. We look forward to hearing ideas and collaboration. Council input will be combined with that of the other elected bodies across the County to determine whether there are shared interests in potential next steps. ATTACHMENTS 1. Powerpoint Presentation (PDF) Regional Transpor tation Solutions Discussion with For t Collins City Council May 24, 2022 ATTACHMENT 1 Assess and inspire your community’s desire to collaborate and cooperate on regional transportation solutions Meeting Purpose A cohesive and collaborative strateg y is needed to identify solutions for regional transpor tation needs AG ENDA 1.Defining Regional Tr ansportation 2.Regional travel snapshot 3.Current funding environment 4.Discussion Regional Transpor tation Solutions Improving mobility for people, g oods and ser vices using any travel mode (driving,riding transit,bicycling,walking,etc.) between communities and across our region. REGIONAL Tr av el Snapshot A mobile and interconnected region… Employed residents who commute elsewhere for work Source:U.S.Census Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics,2019 484 3,639 6,0973,235 12,48726,487 37,1401,317 A mobile and interconnected region… Employees who arrive from elsewhere Source:U.S.Census Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics,2019 1,008 5,4352,012 902 8,16228,296 48,1632,479 Countywide Trave l Patterns Percent of employed residents who commute elsewhere for work Count Share Larimer County 95,431 60.4% We ld County 14,611 9.2% Boulder County 10,641 6.7% Denver County 8,232 5.2% Adams County 5,483 3.5% Arapahoe County 4,863 3.1% Jefferson County 4,626 2.9% El Paso County 2,781 1.8% Douglas County 1,968 1.2% Laramie County (WY)1,088 0.7% All Other Locations 8,368 5.3% To tal 158,092 100.0% Source:U.S.Census Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics,2019 Countywide Trave l Patterns Percent of employees who arrive from elsewhere Count Share Larimer County 95,431 62.8% We ld County 23,845 15.7% Boulder County 4,845 3.2% Jefferson County 3,937 2.6% Adams County 3,714 2.4% Arapahoe County 3,429 2.3% Denver County 3,234 2.1% El Paso County 2,813 1.8% Douglas County 1,751 1.2% Laramie County (WY)1,059 0.7% All Other Locations 8,021 5.3% To tal 152,066 100.0% Source:U.S.Census Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics,2019 Source:U.S.Census Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics,2019 Each community has a unique transpor tation stor y and priorities;all communities generate re gional trave l Tr anspor tation Funding Environment Senate Bill 21-260 (SB 260) •$5 Billion in transpor tation funding for Colorado •Partial distribution via Highway Users Ta x Fund (HUTF) •Approximately $50 million over 10 years •Emphasis on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reduction •Regionally Significant projects subject to GHG mitigation requirements •Uncertainty about new gas and registration fees Infrastructure Inve stment and Jobs Act (IIJA) •$1.2 Trillion legislation •10-year federal infrastructure inve stment strategy •New and continuing grant opportunities •Emphasis on projects with regional impact •Expected trend in awarding multimodal projects,transit,trails,complete streets and resiliency projects;focus on equity Public Perception: Tr anspor tation is funded! NOTA BLE Funding Gaps and Considerations •Increasing construction costs •Federal Infrastructure Bill is grant heavy;competitive,local match requirements •Non “Regionally Significant” projects (as defined in SB 260 and CDOT Rulemaking) •Shift in focus to multimodal and transit projects reduces ability to fund capacity projects •Uncer tainty about how greenhouse gas rulemaking will be applied Local Funding Attempt •Te chnical Advisor y Committee and Regional Ta sk Force formed in 2018 •Compiled regional transpor tation infrastructure projects ($547M in needs) •Evaluated and ranked infrastructure projects and deve loped strategy for project “short list” •Identified eligibility criteria for transit •Unsuccessful Half Penny sales tax ballot question in 2019 Short List of Projects KEY TAKEAWAYS •Identifying the right mix of projects that works for all communities and resonates with the public is challenging •Message was not getting back to City Councils,community leaders •Municipalities should have “skin in the game” –Council involvement and monetar y contribution to planning effort •Bundling transportation with facilities was a mistake Discussion Understanding your interest in collaborating on regional transpor tation What are the “must have s” for yo ur community to coordinate on re gional transpor tation solutions? What are the “deal breakers” that wo uld prevent your community from coordinating on regional transpor tation solutions? Thank you!