Item 01: Transit System ILA with Texas State University

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COSM_Admin

Administrator
Staff member
Receive a Staff presentation and update regarding the Coordinated Transit System implementation for the City of San Marcos and Texas State University, and provide direction to Staff.
 

MDerrick

CoSM Members
1. Texas State generated $8.9M in grant funds for SMTX. That's fantastic, but I wasn't aware of this, please explain?


2. FTA 5307 Formula Funds are derived by a formula based on the population and population density of the San Marcos urbanized area. These funds typically support the annual operation of our transit system. The federal share for these funds is 50% for operating expenses and 80% for capital expenses. This is annual funding. ***Question – Will the student population be reflected accurately, as there are differing opinions regarding whether they are actually included in our Census #’s/population count. We will be using the latest Census #'s correct? Also what is the projected time line for the ILA and projected time line for when we have seamless transit in SMTX.

GREAT WORK - thanks so much!!
 

MBaker

Council Member
With the plan to move towards a connected public transit system, and TXST planning to maintain several of their current routes (would be great to have that presentation attached), shouldn't we already start advertising to the community "Go ride these TXST buses at no cost"?

How much does TXST spend annually on their transit system currently?

The remainder that the city is keeping seems to not meet the costs of our current CARTS contract, why would we not consider covering our costs before giving TXST a larger share?

Lastly, this presentation talks a lot about how TXST added so much money/rider ship to the equation, but they did not achieve that in a vacuum...Those were achieved using our roads and people are attracted to TXST by the City as much as they are by their reputation. What do we consider to be the annual impact of their vehicles as it relates to our road construction/repairs? We cannot allow TXST to claim a majority of these funds if we ever wish to have enough money to pursue dedicated bus lanes (which would benefit TXST too). Have we considered how much we could achieve were we to claim more of the funds, can we see the breakdown of the associated matching requirements?
 

JHughson

CoSM Members
Does the university plan to continue charging a bus fee to its students?
Where will we house the people who will handle the bus system for the city?
How many people will we need?
 

COSM_Admin

Administrator
Staff member
Response to CM Derrick, provided by Pete Binion:
1. Texas State generated $8.9M in grant funds for SMTX. That's fantastic, but I wasn't aware of this, please explain?

One of the common interests identified as part of the coordinated transit system initiative was to increase federal funding to San Marcos. In 2017, Tx State began reporting transit financial and operating data to the National Transit Database as a “voluntary reporter”. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) uses this reported data in mathematical formulas that apportion transit funding to all Urbanized Areas in the U.S. Because of Tx State’s high ridership and service levels, those reports have generated additional funding. In short, because of Tx State’s data, this triggers the additional funds. The City would not receive this funding if the City was the only agency reporting to the NTD.
2. FTA 5307 Formula Funds are derived by a formula based on the population and population density of the San Marcos urbanized area. These funds typically support the annual operation of our transit system. The federal share for these funds is 50% for operating expenses and 80% for capital expenses. This is annual funding. ***Question – Will the student population be reflected accurately, as there are differing opinions regarding whether they are actually included in our Census #’s/population count.
The University student population is based on the home addresses provided by the students to the Census. The City conducted public outreach to recommend students use San Marcos as their residency for the Census.
We will be using the latest Census #'s correct?
The FTA transit funding apportionment for this year is based on the U.S. Census 2010 figure of 52,826 in population. Once the 2020 Census is certified and Urbanized Areas are finalized in 2023, then FTA will use the updated information for the next 10 cycles of annual transit funding apportionment.
Also what is the projected time line for the ILA and projected time line for when we have seamless transit in SMTX.
This is a great question, and one that is hard to answer. There are several steps that need to be completed and agencies at the regional, State and Federal level who will be involved. The next step is to draft Interlocal Agreements between the City and University. Once complete, we will request FTA review to ensure consistency with FTA’s Certifications and Assurances (Compliance). After FTA review, we will bring forward the Interlocal Agreements for Council consideration and Board of Regents consideration. Following and if successful, then staff from both agencies would begin executing transit projects.

Response to CM Baker, provided by Pete Binion:
With the plan to move towards a connected public transit system, and TXST planning to maintain several of their current routes (would be great to have that presentation attached), shouldn't we already start advertising to the community "Go ride these TXST buses at no cost"?

We are seeking Council feedback on the presentation and if the direction is to move forward with this initiative then we can move forward with this suggestion.

How much does TXST spend annually on their transit system currently?

The FY2022 Bobcat Shuttle budget is $6,570,630.

The remainder that the city is keeping seems to not meet the costs of our current CARTS contract, why would we not consider covering our costs before giving TXST a larger share?

The material in the presentation is not a fiscal budget, but a list of Federal grant resources. The City is retaining the maximum funds needed to meet the Federal share of our costs for the CARTS contract and more.

Lastly, this presentation talks a lot about how TXST added so much money/rider ship to the equation, but they did not achieve that in a vacuum...Those were achieved using our roads and people are attracted to TXST by the City as much as they are by their reputation. What do we consider to be the annual impact of their vehicles as it relates to our road construction/repairs? We cannot allow TXST to claim a majority of these funds if we ever wish to have enough money to pursue dedicated bus lanes (which would benefit TXST too). Have we considered how much we could achieve were we to claim more of the funds, can we see the breakdown of the associated matching requirements?

The funding split proposal would see the University receive $8,719,435 while the City would retain $10,718,682. Regardless of which agency expends the funds on an eligible transit project, the matching requirement and compliance remains the same. The FTA 5307 transit funding is 50% Federal to 50% Local funds for operating projects. The FTA 5307 transit funding is 80% Federal to 20% Local funds for capital projects. The C.A.R.E.S. and ARP funding is 100% Federal share for any eligible transit project. The current funding split proposal maximizes the Federal Share for the transit projects and minimizes the Local Share while providing benefits for the entire community.

Response to Mayor, provided by Pete Binion:
Does the university plan to continue charging a bus fee to its students?
The University will continue to charge the student bus fee.
Where will we house the people who will handle the bus system for the city? City transit program is administered by the Transit Division under the Public Works Department.
How many people will we need? Short term, Transit Division is requesting a Transit Compliance Specialist to monitor the Interlocal Agreement with Tx State, and to ensure compliance with the FTA Certifications and Assurances.
 

COSM_Admin

Administrator
Staff member
Response to CM Baker, provided by Pete Binion, Transit Manager (continued):
Lastly, this presentation talks a lot about how TXST added so much money/rider ship to the equation, but they did not achieve that in a vacuum...Those were achieved using our roads and people are attracted to TXST by the City as much as they are by their reputation. What do we consider to be the annual impact of their vehicles as it relates to our road construction/repairs?

The City has not conducted an impact study to infrastructure specifically related to transit.
 
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