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RESOLUTION R-1920-101: A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER OR HIS DESIGNEE TO SUBMIT A GRANT APPLICATION TO THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION'S FISCAL YEAR 2020 GRANTS FOR BUSES AND BUS FACILITIES PROGRAM AND EXPRESSING ITS COMMITMENT TO SECURE FUNDING FOR THE LOCAL MATCH IF SUCH GRANT IS AWARDED AND PROJECT APPROVED.
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BACKGROUND: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program (49 U.S.C. § 5339) makes federal resources available to states and direct recipients to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities, including technological changes or innovations to modify low or no emission vehicles or facilities. Funding is provided through formula allocations and competitive grants.
On June 27, 2019, the City of Norman was recognized by the FTA as an eligible recipient of federal transit funds and is an eligible applicant of the FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program. Eligible activities for this program include capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses, vans, and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities, including technological changes or innovations to modify low or no emission vehicles or facilities.
A requirement of the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program is to identify the source of local match to the federal funds and to provide evidence and commitment of those funds with the entity’s application. A Council resolution meets this requirement.
When a project is selected, funds are available for obligation three fiscal years after the fiscal year in which the competitive awards are announced.
DISCUSSION: The City is currently leasing space in the University of Oklahoma’s Transportation Operations Center for offices, dispatching, locker rooms, a break room, bus parking, and maintenance bays. At this time, the City of Norman does not have facilities to accommodate the operations and maintenance personnel or the assets of the transit program.
City staff have been working with consultants to design an operations/maintenance facility just south of the current fleet maintenance operations on Da Vinci Street. At this time, the construction cost of the facility is estimated to be approximately $8.8 million, and funding has not been identified.
The Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program requires projects be a federal share of 80 percent of the net capital project cost unless the grant recipient requests a lower percentage. Due to this being a competitive grant program, staff recommends submitting a grant application for a 50 percent match, or $4.4 million, in federal funds with a match of 50 percent, or $4.4 million, in local funds for the facility.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends the approval of Resolution R-1920-101, authorizing the City Manager or his designee to submit a grant application on behalf of the City of Norman to the Federal Transit Administration’s Fiscal Year 2020 Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program for the operations/maintenance facility and expressing the City of Norman’s commitment to secure funding for the required local match, through either the General Fund, the Public Transportation & Parking Fund, Capital Improvement Projects Fund, Norman Municipal Authority Bonds, or any other available local funding source allowed by law, if the project is selected.