HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem B: Surface Transportation Program - Urban Funding
ECC
UGENE ITY OUNCIL
AIS
GENDA TEM UMMARY
Work Session: Surface Transportation Program - Urban Funding (STP-U)
Meeting Date: February 23, 2009 Agenda Item Number: B
Department: Public Works Staff Contact: Rob Inerfeld
www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5343
ISSUE STATEMENT
Lane Transit District (LTD) is facing a significant funding shortfall that could lead to cuts of as much as
15 percent in the agency’s bus service. To help address this shortfall, LTD has proposed that over each of
the next two years, $1 million of the STP-U funds that are distributed to our metro area be allocated to
LTD. This issue will be on the agenda of the March 12 Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) meeting.
The City’s MPC representatives are seeking direction from the council on this issue in advance of the
MPC meeting.
BACKGROUND
As an urbanized area of over 200,000, the Central Lane Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) area
receives an annual distribution of flexible funds from the federal Surface Transportation Program. In
recent years, our metropolitan area has received between $2.5 and $3 million per year in STP-U funds.
In the most recent funding rounds, the STP-U funds were distributed in the following categories:
·10% for Transportation Options (TO)
·25% for Planning
·65% for Capital Projects – Project Development, Preservation, and Modernization
The most recent projection for the amount of STP-U funding the MPO will receive next fiscal year is
$2.475 million of which about $1.6 million would be available for capital projects if the distribution by
project type stays the same. If LTD’s proposal is approved by the MPC, then about $600,000 per year
would be available for other capital projects.
LTD is proposing to use $1 million in STP-U capital funds over each of the next two years to supplant
other capital funds LTD receives that could be reprogrammed to support bus operations. LTD is
currently projecting a 15 percent service cut that could vary depending on payroll tax revenue and other
variables. The STP-U funds would enable LTD to reduce the size of any service cuts by six percent of
overall service; in other words, with the STP-U funding, the service reductions would be 40 percent
smaller than currently projected.
If LTD were to receive these funds, it would commit to not seeking other STP-U capital funds for the
following three years. If LTD’s proposal is approved by the MPC, there is the option of reconsidering
the second year of funding in light of changes in funding and revenue outlooks for both transit and other
transportation modes. Attachment A contains LTD’s proposal in more detail.
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When determining whether or not to support LTD’s proposal, the council may want to consider other
potential uses for STP-U funding and how the City has used STP-U funds in the past. Over the past
seven years, Eugene has received about 36% of STP-U funds that have been programmed by the MPC
for capital projects. The criteria for distribution of STP-U funds are proposed by staff at the beginning
of each round of programming STP-U funds and approved by the MPC. Jurisdictions then put project
applications forward to compete for the STP-U funds according to the criteria and regional priorities.
Eugene has spent STP-U funds on a few different kinds of projects:
·Pavement preservation on both streets and off-street shared-use paths: Roosevelt Boulevard, Fern
Ridge Path, Garden Way Path and North Bank Path
·Street Improvements: Courthouse District Improvements, Game Farm Road and Chad Drive
Extension
·Bikeway Improvements: Monroe/Friendly Bikeway
In the last round of STP-U funding, the council directed staff to focus STP-U applications on street
preservation projects; Roosevelt Boulevard pavement preservation was the Eugene project that was
funded. It is unclear at what point the discussion at the MPC level regarding the next round of STP-U
capital funding will take place, but it could be within the next couple of months.
Staff has yet to develop any project proposals for the next round of STP-U capital funding, but these are
some issues to consider that could inform what kinds of projects the City seeks funding for:
·Whether there is $1.6 million or $600,000 could make a difference in the approach.
·The City applies for federal Transportation Enhancements funds that are competitively
distributed by ODOT to fund off-street shared-use path projects. While the City has been
successful at receiving these funds in the past, none of its three applications received funding in
the most recent round. These three projects are the West Bank Path Extension, Westmoreland
Park Paths, and Amazon Path Lighting. These projects could be funded through STP-U.
·There will be a steady amount of pavement preservation projects implemented over the next few
years that are already funded primarily through the gas tax and streets bond.
·With the severe decline in building permit activity and the associated decline in SDC revenue,
the City has no modernization projects programmed in the near future. STP-U funding could
fund modernization projects.
RELATED CITY POLICIES
From Eugene-Springfield Transportation System Plan (TransPlan):
TSI Transit Policy #1: Transit Improvements
Improve transit service and facilities to increase the system’s accessibility, attractiveness, and
convenience for all users, including the transportation disadvantaged population.
Finance Policy #6: Eugene-Specific Finance Policy
The City of Eugene will maintain transportation performance and improve safety by improving
system efficiency and management before adding capacity to the transportation system under
Eugene’s jurisdiction.
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From Adopted Growth Management Policies:
Growth Management Policy 11
Increase the use of alternative modes of transportation by improving the capacity, design, safety, and
convenience of the transit, bicycle, and pedestrian transportation systems.
COUNCIL OPTIONS
Provide direction to MPC representatives on whether to support LTD’s proposal.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION
Staff supports the LTD proposal because it limits negative repercussions to disadvantaged transit-
dependent populations during this time of economic duress. In addition, the City will likely receive an
alternate funding stream for transportation projects through economic stimulus that is equivalent to or
larger than anything the City would receive from STP-U over the next two years.
SUGGESTED MOTION
None.
ATTACHMENTS
A. Memo from LTD staff
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Staff Contact: Rob Inerfeld
Telephone: 682-5343
Staff E-Mail: rob.inerfeld@ci.eugene.or.us
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