Title
CCART Update (Aretha Harvey, Janay Tieken, Tom Houser - CCART) (15 minutes)
Summary
MEETING DATE: May 23, 2011
DEPARTMENT: City Manager’s Office
CONTACT: Aretha Harvey, Assistant to the City Manager
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
• Discuss update on CCART and its current operation in McKinney.
ITEM SUMMARY:
The City currently contracts its public transportation services through Collin County Area Rural Transit (CCART). As the Designated Recipient for the McKinney Urbanized Areas (5307 Funds), the City passes funding through to CCART for use of operations with the city and urbanized area.
CCART’s service includes two (2) fixed routes and ADA paratransit services, and costs the City $100,000 annually. Over the past year staff has met with CCART on a monthly basis to review financial statements and get an accurate account of what level of services CCART can provide to the City within the confines of available funding.
In the process, staff and CCART have concluded that the current level of service is properly aligned with the City’s funding. Staff will continue to meet with CCART on a monthly basis to stay apprised of any financial or service level changes.
In the wake of the 2010 Census, staff has begun reviewing the implications of being pulled into the Dallas-Forth Worth-Arlington Urbanized area. This change would impact available funding to the operation of CCART or any transportation provider in the City. Currently, because we are considered a small urbanized area, CCART receives 5307 funds which can be used for both operations and capital expenditures, as long as match is available. As FTA 5307 funds are presently structured, the City of McKinney would no longer receive funding for operational expenses once the City becomes part of the DFWA Urbanized area.,
However, staff is currently evaluating two options which would provide funding for operations from unused FTA 5307 funds. The City is working with other cities in Texas in a similar position to get a clause into the Highway Transportation bill that would allow us to access these previously allocated funds until they run out. We currently estimate that the City will have an unused allocation in the amount of $1.2M. That number is due to lack of match dollars to access that funding.
The other alternative is to request of FTA, with NCTCOG approval, that the City be allowed to access these unused funds for operating expenses after we are pulled into the larger urbanized area. This exception has been provided in the past.
As of now, it appears that federal and state funding will remain at the same level for the next 2 years, until the 2010 census numbers begin to impact the structure of the urbanized areas.
CCART recently hired a new Executive Director, Tom Houser, who is currently implementing several changes to the Transportation side of CCART’s operation and administration. One such change includes creating a separate Board of Directors specifically for the Transportation side, which will be comprised of elected officials from cities that receive CCART’s services.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: N/A
FINANCIAL SUMMARY: N/A
BOARD OR COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: N/A