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Agenda Item # 6

BOARD MEMORANDUM

RECOMMENDATION:

Appoint three members from the Committee for Transit Accessibility (CTA) to serve as the Local Review Committee (LRC) to evaluate and rank Fiscal Year 2007 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5310 Program project applications.

BACKGROUND:

Each year, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) requests that the CTA appoint committee members to serve as the LRC to evaluate and rank FTA Section 5310 Program project applications submitted by Santa Clara County non-profit agencies.   The Section 5310 program provides financial assistance for transportation services designed to meet the special transportation needs of seniors and persons with disabilities.  Section 5310 program funds may be used by eligible agencies to provide 80% of the funding for the purchase of vehicles and computer/communication equipment needed to provide such services. 

Caltrans has recently distributed applications to social service and public agencies for the Federal Fiscal Year 2006-07 FTA Section 5310 capital funding program.  Application materials are also available at the Caltrans’ Section 5310 website: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/MassTrans/ost.htm.  Caltrans administers the Section 5310 program through the state’s Regional Transportation Planning Agencies.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) acts as the Regional Transportation Planning Agency for the San Francisco Bay Area.  Per MTC Section 5310 program guidelines, the region’s Paratransit Coordinating Councils (PCC’s) are responsible for evaluating and ranking Section 5310 applications submitted by social service agencies from within their respective Bay Area counties.  As the PCC for Santa Clara County, the CTA is asked to appoint a Local Review Committee (LRC) to perform this responsibility.

DISCUSSION:

VTA staff will coordinate the local review process in Santa Clara County, and MTC staff will oversee the Section 5310 Program at the regional level in the San Francisco Bay Area.   During the months of January and February 2006, VTA staff will meet individually with Santa Clara County social service and public agencies.  The meetings allow staff to provide consultative advice to applicants, outline letters of support that the applicants are required to request from VTA, provide guidance regarding required service coordination proposals, and arrange times for the applicants to meet with the LRC. 

Attachment A lists the timelines and key dates for the Section 5310 program application and evaluation process.   Applicants are required to submit their final applications with the appropriate number of copies to Caltrans, MTC, and their respective PCC’s by February 24, 2006.  

Any CTA member may serve on the LRC.  However, members may not serve on the LRC if they are employed by an agency that is preparing to submit an application.  Each CTA member selected to serve on the LRC will be required to file a Statement of Economic Interest (California Fair Political Practices Commission Form 700) with VTA’s Board Secretary.  VTA will submit the names of members serving on the LRC to MTC by January 13, 2006.

The LRC will meet to evaluate and rank the applications, using scoring criteria developed by Caltrans and the California Transportation Commission (CTC), on March 6 and 7, 2006.  The scoring criteria used to evaluate Section 5310 project proposals is as follows:

1.      Replace or expand vehicles and/or equipment         20 points

2.      Provide increased service to meet demand              10 points

3.      Service effectiveness                                               30 points

4.      Ability of applicant                                                    30 points

5.      Coordination of services                                          10 points           

         Total Points Available                                         100 points

In past years, two days have been required for the LRC to review and rank Section 5310 applications.  After the LRC has completed its ranking of the Section 5310 applications, VTA’s General Manager will review and submit the list of ranked Section 5310 applications to the MTC by March 10, 2006.  Staff plans to report the results of the March 2006 LRC application evaluation meetings to the CTA in April 2006.

Last year, a total of $839,760 out of $12.4 million federal Section 5310 funds awarded statewide, was awarded to 23 Santa Clara County projects.  Attachment B shows a listing of the Santa Clara County FTA Section 5310 project that received funding last year.

FTA Senior & Persons with Disability Transit Program

FY 2007 Section 5310 Application Process and Timeline

January 12, 2006:    MTC hosts Bay Area Regional Application Workshop

January 13, 2006:    PCC’s submit MTC scoring team rosters

January 19, 2006:             Caltrans hosts Bay Area Application Workshop

January 27, 2006:             Completed draft applications due to MTC for pre-review assistance (not mandatory)

February 10, 2006:    MTC provides comment on draft applications

February 24, 2006:    Final applications due to Caltrans, MTC, and County PCCs

March 6 & 7, 2006:    CTA Local Review Committee Application Evaluation meetings

March 10, 2006:             VTA General Manager forwards Local Review Committee’s recommended scores to MTC

March 16, 2006:    MTC compiles scores and mails regional rankings to PCCs

March 24, 2006:             Applicant Appeals, if any, due to MTC and to County PCCs

March 31, 2006:    MTC Open Forum

April 12, 2006               VTA staff provide CTA with report on Local Review Committee’s recommended scores forwarded to MTC

April 27, 2006:             MTC Commission approval of regional rankings           

May 6, 2006:                MTC transmits adopted regional priorities to Caltrans

July 2006:                      Caltrans notification of Draft Statewide Scores

July 20, 2006:                Caltrans staff level conference for appeals of statewide scores

September 2006:    CTC approves final Section 5310 scores and adopts program

October 2006:               Program of Projects forwarded to FTA for inclusion in Federal 2007 budget

PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE OF THE BOARD SECRETARY FOR ATTACHMENTS.

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