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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 01/16/2018 - ITEMS RELATING TO TRANSFORT'S REGIONAL FLEX ROUTEAgenda Item 2 Item # 2 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY January 16, 2018 City Council STAFF Kaley Zeisel, Transfort Capital Planning/Grant Compliance Mgr Chris Van Hall, Legal SUBJECT Items Relating to Transfort's Regional FLEX Route to Longmont and Boulder. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A. Second Reading of Ordinance No. 002, 2018, Appropriating Unanticipated Grant Revenue from the Colorado Department of Transportation FASTER Transit Program Grant in the Transit Services Fund and Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Transit Services Fund as a Grant Match for the Purchase of Two New Buses for Transfort's Regional FLEX Route to Longmont and Boulder. B. Resolution 2018-008 Authorizing the Execution of an Intergovernmental Agreement Between the City and the Colorado Department of Transportation for a Grant to Purchase Two New Buses for Transfort’s Regional FLEX Route to Longmont and Boulder. This Ordinance, unanimously adopted on First Reading on January 2, 2018, appropriates $1,200,000 for the purchase of two new buses for Transfort’s Regional FLEX route to Longmont and Boulder. Transfort was awarded $960,000 through a CDOT grant. This grant requires a local match of $240,000. On Second Reading, staff is presenting to Council Resolution 2018-008 which authorizes the Mayor to execute an intergovernmental agreement between the City of Fort Collins and CDOT for the purchase of the two new buses for the FLEX Regional Route. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on Second Reading and the Resolution. ATTACHMENTS 1. First Reading Agenda Item Summary, January 2, 2018 (PDF) 2. Ordinance No. 002, 2018 (PDF) Agenda Item 12 Item # 12 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY January 2, 2018 City Council STAFF Kaley Zeisel, Transfort Capital Planning/Grant Compliance Mgr Chris Van Hall, Legal SUBJECT First Reading of Ordinance No. 002, 2018, Appropriating Unanticipated Grant Revenue from the Colorado Department of Transportation FASTER Transit Program Grant in the Transit Services Fund and Appropriating Prior Year Reserves in the Transit Services Fund as a Grant Match for the Purchase of Two New Buses for Transfort's Regional FLEX Route to Longmont and Boulder. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to request a 2018 appropriation in the amount of $1,200,000. Transfort was awarded $960,000 through a CDOT grant for the purchase of two new buses for Transfort’s Regional FLEX route to Longmont and Boulder. This grant requires a local match of $240,000. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Transfort’s commuter FLEX routes contribute greatly to the transportation community in Northern Colorado, serving the citizens of Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, Boulder and smaller population centers in between. FLEX service provides five trips each weekday between Fort Collins and Boulder, two in the morning and three in the afternoon/evening. Year-to-date, FLEX has served 151,550 passengers. Ridership of FLEX regional routes has continued to increase year over year since its initial launch in 2009, adding routes to Boulder in 2015. These numbers demonstrate the demand for transit service between these communities in Northern Colorado. Some of the buses in Transfort’s fleet are at the end of useful life, resulting in excess costs for repair and maintenance. In the fall of 2016, Transfort submitted an application to the competitive statewide pool of CDOT’s FASTER Transit program. The application was approved in the spring of 2017 and resulted in an award of $960,000 for the purchase of two new buses. The buses will be branded and used exclusively for FLEX service, but otherwise will be similar to other vehicles in the Transfort fleet. These buses will replace others in the fleet that have met or exceeded their expected useful life. The replaced buses will be sold at auction or scrapped for parts, depending on the condition and estimated value. Additionally, Transfort will be able to improve air quality by replacing two diesel fuel buses with compressed natural gas buses. As a result, Transfort will see significant savings in maintenance and fuel costs moving forward. The procurement of these two new buses will improve the experience for commuters riding FLEX and presents an opportunity for Transfort to improve service to citizens and communities that we serve. A separate resolution to authorize the City to execute the Grant Agreement will be brought forward with second reading of this Ordinance. ATTACHMENT 2 Agenda Item 12 Item # 12 Page 2 CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS In 2017, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) awarded the City of Fort Collins a $960,000 grant from the Statewide Competitive Pool of the FASTER Transit program. The FASTER program requires a 20% local match contribution to the project, which amounts to $240,000. Because the award was unanticipated and not received until 2017, the local match of $240,000 was not included in the last BFO cycle. If approved, the 20% local match will be drawn from Transfort’s reserve funds. These funds will be used to purchase two (2) new buses and will assist in lowering maintenance and repair costs for two of Transfort’s existing buses that are currently past end-of-life, while strengthening Transfort’s partnerships with the surrounding communities. ATTACHMENTS 1. FLEX Route Map (PDF) -1- ORDINANCE NO. 002, 2018 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS APPROPRIATING UNANTICIPATED GRANT REVENUE FROM THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FASTER TRANSIT PROGRAM GRANT IN THE TRANSIT SERVICES FUND AND APPROPRIATING PRIOR YEAR RESERVES IN THE TRANSIT SERVICES FUND AS A GRANT MATCH FOR THE PURCHASE OF TWO NEW BUSES FOR TRANSFORT’S REGIONAL FLEX ROUTE TO LONGMONT AND BOULDER WHEREAS, FLEX is a regional bus route serving stops between Fort Collins, Loveland, Berthoud and Longmont, made possible through a regional partnership and operated by Transfort; and WHEREAS, ridership of FLEX regional routes has continued to increase year over year since its initial launch in 2009, adding routes to Boulder in 2015; and WHEREAS, Transfort competed in, and was awarded, a FASTER grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) in the amount of $960,000 for the purchase of two new buses, which will be branded and used exclusively for FLEX service, but otherwise will be similar to other vehicles in the Transfort fleet (the “Grant”); and WHEREAS, a condition of the Grant is the City must provide a local match of $240,000 for purchase of the buses, which amount will come from Transit Services Fund reserves; and WHEREAS, this Ordinance appropriates $1,200,000, which amount includes the Grant and local matching funds for the purchase of the buses; and WHEREAS, the purchased buses will replace others in the fleet that have met or exceeded their expected useful life; and WHEREAS, purchasing the buses will allow Transfort to improve air quality by replacing two diesel fuel buses with compressed natural gas buses and, as a result, Transfort will see significant savings in maintenance and fuel costs moving forward; and WHEREAS, Article V, Section 9, of the City Charter permits the City Council to make supplemental appropriations by ordinance at any time during the fiscal year, provided that the total amount of such supplemental appropriations, in combination with all previous appropriations for that fiscal year, does not exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received during the fiscal year; and WHEREAS, City staff has determined that the appropriation of the revenue as described herein will not cause the total amount appropriated in the Transit Services Fund to exceed the current estimate of actual and anticipated revenues to be received in that fund during any fiscal year; and -2- 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, City staff have determined that the appropriations as described herein are available and previously unappropriated in the Transit Services Fund; and WHEREAS, City Council has determined that appropriating $1,200,000 for the purchase of two new Transfort buses is in the City’s best interest and enhances public health, safety and welfare. 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 of unanticipated revenue in the Transit Services Fund the sum of NINE HUNDRED SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($960,000) for additional bus services. Section 3. That there is hereby appropriated for expenditure from reserves in the Transit Services Fund the sum of TWO HUNDRED FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS ($240,000) for additional bus services. Introduced, considered favorably on first reading, and ordered published this 2nd day of January, A.D. 2018, and to be presented for final passage on the 16th day of January, A.D. 2018. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk -3- Passed and adopted on final reading on the 16th day of January, A.D. 2018. __________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _______________________________ City Clerk -1- RESOLUTION 2018-008 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR A GRANT TO PURCHASE TWO NEW BUSES FOR TRANSFORT’S REGIONAL FLEX ROUTE TO LONGMONT AND BOULDER WHEREAS, FLEX is a regional bus route serving stops between Fort Collins, Loveland, Berthoud and Longmont, made possible through a regional partnership and operated by Transfort; and WHEREAS, ridership of FLEX regional routes has continued to increase year over year since its initial launch in 2009, adding routes to Boulder in 2015; and WHEREAS, Transfort competed in, and was awarded, a FASTER grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) in the amount of $960,000 for the purchase of two new buses, which will be branded and used exclusively for FLEX service, but otherwise will be similar to other vehicles in the Transfort fleet (the “Grant”); and WHEREAS, a condition of the Grant is the City must provide a local match of $240,000 for purchase of the buses, which amount will come from Transit Services Fund reserves; and WHEREAS, a separate Ordinance is appropriating the $1,200,000, which amount includes the Grant and local matching funds for the purchase of the buses, and WHEREAS, CDOT has proposed an Intergovernmental Agreement (“IGA”) specifying all the terms and conditions of the Grant; and WHEREAS, Article II, Section 16 of the City Charter empowers the City Council, by ordinance or resolution, to enter into contracts with governmental bodies to furnish governmental services and make charges for such services, or enter into cooperative or joint activities with other governmental bodies; and WHEREAS, Section 29-1-203 of the Colorado Revised Statutes provides that governments may cooperate or contract with one another to provide certain services or facilities when such cooperation or contracts are authorized by each party thereto with the approval of its legislative body or other authority having the power to so approve; and WHEREAS, the IGA will serve the public purpose of enhancing regional connectivity and efficiency of transportation services available to the citizens of the City; and WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that IGA is in the best interests of the City and that the Mayor be authorized to execute the IGA between the City and CDOT in support thereof. -2- NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED 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 the Mayor is hereby authorized to enter into the IGA, in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit “A,” together with such additional terms and conditions as the City Manager, in consultation with the City Attorney, determines to be necessary and appropriate to protect the interests of the City or to effectuate the purposes of this Resolution. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the Council of the City of Fort Collins this 16th day of January, A.D. 2018. _________________________________ Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ City Clerk EXHIBIT A