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Home My WebLink AboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 05/01/2018 - FIRST READING OF ORDINANCE NO. 060, 2018, APPROPRIAgenda Item 6 Item # 6 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY May 1, 2018 City Council STAFF Nancy Nichols, Safe Routes to School Coordinator Chris Van Hall, Legal SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 060, 2018, Appropriating Unanticipated Grant Revenue in the Transportation Fund from the Colorado Department of Transportation and the BNSF Railway Foundation for the Safe Routes to School Program. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to request appropriation of $25,584 in unbudgeted funds received through two grants for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program (part of the City’s FC Moves Department). The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has awarded an $18,584 grant for acquisition of new equipment, and BNSF Railway Foundation has awarded a $7,000 grant for SRTS bike-pedestrian safety education in K-8 schools. This project requires a 20% local match for the CDOT grant ($4,646), which will be paid from a portion of the BNSF Railway Foundation grant. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a nationwide effort to get more children biking and walking to school for their health, academic achievement and the environment. SRTS focuses on the Six Es of transportation services: Education, Encouragement, Engineering, Enforcement, Evaluation and Equity. The City’s SRTS program emphasizes education, encouragement, evaluation and equity activities, while collaborating with other City departments to address engineering and enforcement issues. In 2017, the SRTS program reached 15,190 local residents with bike-pedestrian education and encouragement programming, including 13,433 K-12 students and 1,757 parents and other adults. Of the 13,433 students, 7,628 received personal instruction on bike-pedestrian safety from an SRTS instructor during PE class or at another school or community event. In 2018, programming priorities include continued implementation of the School Rotation Schedule, a plan to take bike-pedestrian safety education to all Poudre School District (PSD) schools on a regular basis. This plan ensures that the program educates between 7,000 and 8,000 local students each year and is endorsed by PE teachers, school principals and the PSD superintendent. Additional priorities include establishment of new satellite and mobile equipment fleets to create greater efficiencies in delivering SRTS programming throughout the community. The success of the program is based on collaborations with local partners including Poudre School District (PSD), Bike Fort Collins, Safe Kids Larimer County, BASE Camp, various City departments (Traffic Operations, Police, Engineering, Recreation, Parks, Streets), local businesses, individual schools and parents. Agenda Item 6 Item # 6 Page 2 This grant funding supports the following City of Fort Collins plans: City Plan: Policy SW 2.3 - Support Active Transportation Support means of physically active transportation (e.g., bicycling, walking, wheelchairs, etc.) by continuing bike and pedestrian safety education and encouragement programs, providing law enforcement, and maintaining bike lanes, sidewalks, trails, lighting, and facilities for easy and safe use, as outlined in the Pedestrian Plan and Bicycle Plan. Transportation Master Plan: Policy T 8.1 - Support Active Transportation Support physically active transportation (e.g., bicycling, walking, wheelchairs, etc.) by continuing bike and pedestrian safety education and encouragement programs, providing law enforcement, and maintaining bike lanes, sidewalks, trails, lighting, and facilities for easy and safe use. 2014 Bicycle Plan: Recommendation 2.7 - Expand Safe Routes to School Programming With the assistance of local advocacy organizations and community partners, the SRTS program will educate at least 8,000 K-12 students annually by 2020. This grant funding will expand the SRTS satellite equipment fleets at two schools (Bauder Elementary and Olander Elementary) and will support ongoing K-8 bike-pedestrian safety education delivered by SRTS at local schools. CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS These are the latest of numerous grants received by the City’s Safe Routes to School program since 2007, totaling $829,565. For this latest CDOT grant, CDOT is providing 80% ($18,584) of the full program cost ($23,230), with 20% ($4,646) required in matching funds. The matching funds will be covered by a portion of the $7,000 BNSF Railway Foundation grant, which is also part of this funding appropriation. BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION The Transportation Board and its Bicycle Advisory Committee receive periodic updates from the SRTS program. Both groups have shown strong support for the program’s goals as well as for grant funding to support the program. The PSD SRTS Steering Committee supports the scope of this grant funding. PUBLIC OUTREACH SRTS public outreach occurs on an ongoing basis through presentations to school PTOs/PTAs, school wellness teams and community groups. Public outreach is also accomplished through an SRTS annual summary, media coverage and information posted on the SRTS website, fcgov.com/saferoutes. -1- ORDINANCE NO. 060, 2018 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING UNANTICIPATED GRANT REVENUE IN THE TRANSPORTATION FUND FROM THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE BNSF RAILWAY FOUNDATION FOR THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM WHEREAS, Safe Routes to School (“SRTS”) is a nationwide effort to get more children biking and walking to school for their health, academic achievement and the environment; and WHEREAS, including the appropriation in this Ordinance, the City’s SRTS program has received numerous grants totaling $829,565; and WHEREAS, this Ordinance will appropriate unanticipated grant revenue to the City’s SRTS program in the amount of $25,584, which consists of a grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) in the amount of $18,584 for acquisition of new equipment, as well as a grant from BNSF Railroad Foundation in the amount of $7,000 for SRTS bike-ped safety education in K-8 school; and WHEREAS, the CDOT grant requires local funds in the amount of $4,646, which amount will come from the BNSF Railroad Foundation Grant consistent with the terms of both grants as the grant funds will allow the City to provide adequate equipment to educate participants in the City’s SRTS program; and WHEREAS, this appropriation benefits public health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Fort Collins and serves the public purpose of enhancing the health, academic achievement and the environment of children in Fort Collins; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9 of the City Charter permits the City Council to appropriate by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year such funds for expenditure as may be available from reserves accumulated in prior years, notwithstanding that such reserves were not previously appropriated; and WHEREAS, the City Manager has recommended the appropriation described herein and determined that this appropriation is available and previously unappropriated from the Transportation Fund and will not cause the total amount appropriated in the Transportation Fund to exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received in that fund during any fiscal year. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS as follows: Section 1. That the City Council hereby makes and adopts the determinations and findings contained in the recitals set forth above. Section 2. That there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from unanticipated grant revenue from CDOT ($18,584) and BNSF Railway Foundation ($7,000) in the Transportation -2- Fund the sum of TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED EIGHTY-FOUR DOLLARS ($25,584) for the SRTS program. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 1st day of May, A.D. 2018, and to be presented for final passage on the 15th day of May, A.D. 2018. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk Passed and adopted on final reading on the 15th day of May, A.D. 2018. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk