AGENDA #4c
MEMORANDUM
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TO: |
Roger Stancil, Town Manager |
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FROM: |
J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director David C. Bonk, Long Range and Transportation Planning Coordinator |
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SUBJECT: |
Funding for Triangle Region Special Transit Advisory Committee |
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DATE: |
February 11, 2008 |
PURPOSE
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide the Council with an update on the activities of the Special Transit Advisory Committee and seek formal authorization of funding, totaling $2,000, to provide Chapel Hill’s share of the local match to support the work of the Committee.
BACKGROUND
In March, 2007 the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organizations appointed members to the Special Transit Advisory Committee. The Committee was created to identify and assess opportunities for the region to initiate the implementation of high capacity, fixed guideway public transit services. The findings and recommendations of the Committee will be provided to the region’s two Metropolitan Planning Organizations for use in the revisions of their long range transportation plans.
At the time the Committee was created the two Metropolitan Planning Organizations agreed to provide funding for consultant assistance to support the work of the Committee. The Institute for Transportation Research and Education was contracted to provide staff support to the Committee. The initial contract totaled $100,000, to be funded proportionately by the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organizations. Both Metropolitan Planning Organizations utilized federal transportation planning funds to provide 80% of the necessary funding, requiring the local jurisdictions to provide the 20% match. The City of Durham, as the lead planning agency for the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization has proposed to apportion the local match between the City of Durham, Town of Chapel Hill and Durham County. Chapel Hill’s portion of that funding is $1,333. The initial contract with the Institute for Transportation Research and Education provided funding through December 31, 2007.
DISCUSSION
In October, 2007 the Institute for Transportation Research and Education notified the Metropolitan Planning Organizations that the continued work of the Special Transit Advisory Committee would require an additional $50,000. The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization was asked to provide 20% or $10,000. The Transportation Advisory Committee agreed to use federal planning funds to provide 80% of the additional cost. The 20% local match for these additional funds was allocated to Durham, Chapel Hill and Durham County proportionately. The total amount of Chapel Hill’s share for the original contract and supplemental funds is $2,000.
We recommend that the $2,000 to be allocated from the $75,000 in funds that are budgeted in the Planning Department’s budget to hire consultants for a number of projects, leaving $73,000 for remaining consulting services.
We recommend adoption of the attached Resolution to authorize the use of $2,000 in available funds for Chapel Hill’s share of the funding to support the work of the Special Transit Advisory Committee.