AGENDA #4g

MEMORANDUM

TO:	Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
FROM:	K. Stephen Spade, Transportation Director
SUBJECT:	Project Ordinance for a 2007-08 Transportation Planning Grant (Federal Transit Administration Section 5303)
DATE:	May 7, 2007

The attached ordinance would establish a project budget for a transportation planning grant for 2007-2008.

BACKGROUND

The Town has requested federal and State transportation planning funds, known as Section 5303 funds. These funds are awarded to the Town of Chapel Hill under a larger Section 5303 planning grant funded by the Federal Transit Administration and administered by the City of Durham.  As the lead agency for the Urbanized Area, the City of Durham distributes these funds to transit systems.

DISCUSSION

Federal Transit Administration Section 5303 planning funds have been allocated to Chapel Hill in the amount of $113,500 and will be used for general program support and technical assistance of the Town’s Transportation and Planning staff.  Tasks to be performed include:

• to collect data on the operation and ridership of the Chapel Hill Transit system,
• to maintain and modify maps of Chapel Hill Transit routes using GIS technology,
• to participate in the revision to the Triangle Regional Model (designed to capture the regional travel patterns for trips made in the Triangle) and further refinement of the mode split procedures and transit element,
• to collect data on travel behavior of transit riders,
• to revise the 2030 transit plan as part of the development of the 2035 Long Range Plan,
• to update the Chapel Hill Transit Short Range Transit Plan,
• to administer the development of the Chapel Hill Long Range Transit Plan,
• to administer the implementation of the Short Range Transit Plan,
• to develop and monitor the annual planning work program,
• to develop the Chapel Hill Transit Capital Improvement Program,
• to prepare the 2007-2013 TIP, and
• to prepare analysis of feasibility of projects for inclusion in the TIP.

The City of Durham will reimburse the Town 90 percent of $113,500 ($102,150) in planning project funds from the Federal Transit Administration and the N.C. Department of Transportation.  The Town will provide the local match of 10 percent ($11,350) for this project, from funds budgeted for this purpose in the Transportation Capital Reserve Fund.

RECOMMENDATION

That the Council enact the attached budget ordinance.