Title
Charter County and Regional Transportation System Surtax Interlocal Agreement (B)
Section 212.055, Florida Statutes allows charter counties to impose a discretionary sales surtax of up to 1 percent. The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners approved a November 2014 ballot initiative for a 1-cent Charter County Transportation System Surtax that requires an interlocal agreement between the City and County. *ESTIMATED STAFF PRESENTATION 10 MINUTES*
Explanation
Section 212.055, Florida Statutes allows charter counties to impose a discretionary sales surtax of up to 1 percent to fund transportation projects including transit, on-demand transportation services and roads or bridges. The City of Gainesville must enter into an interlocal agreement with Alachua County in order to receive the funds and must provide a final list of projects for inclusion in the agreement. Surtax proceeds shall be used only for projects identified on the list of projects. The agreement also includes the provision for the oversight of expenditures by a citizen oversight committee.
On April 17, 2014, the City Commission adopted a list of projects allocating 55% of revenues to roadway projects inclusive of system preservation, enhancement and expansion; 40% to transit projects inclusive of fleet and operational enhancements to expand the reach of existing services and add a few new routes, accessibility improvements and amenities; and, 5% to bicycle and pedestrian projects including expanded connectivity, safety and accessibility enhancements. The list was transmitted to Alachua County on April 30, 2014.
On June 5, 2014, the City Commission adopted a modification to the project list reducing the roadway and transit allocation by $800,000 each in order to fund a senior transportation initiative and requested staff to present options to accommodate the funding reallocation. The following options are presented for consideration:
(1) Transit Reduction:
a) Remove the proposed new Route 53 which was conceived to serve the Senior Recreation Center starting in FY18 in response to senior transportation needs. This would result in operating cost savings of $934,736 plus the cost of a new bus; the surplus over $800,000 would be reallocated towards transit vehicle replacement; or, b) Reduce the proposed implementation of amenities (i.e., bus shelter, landing pads, benches, trash cans and bus bays) by $800,000
(2) Roadway Reduction:
a) Reduce the pavement management allocation by $800,000; or, b) Remove the SE 21st Street new capacity project (total reduction of $794,000)
Staff recommends the removal of new Route 53 and the removal of SE 21st Street from the project list in order to fund the senior transportation initiative. A copy of the interlocal agreement is provided in the backup as well as a copy of the currently adopted list of projects.
Fiscal Note
The Board of County Commissioners approved an 8-year term surtax allocating 43.24% of revenues, approximately $12,970,216 per year for a total of $103,761,728, to the City of Gainesville. The actual amount will vary depending on actual revenue.
Recommendation
The City Commission: 1) approve the revised project list for the 8-year Transportation Surtax Funding Plan with the addition of a Senior Transportation Initiative and removal of RTS Route 53 and SE 21st Street; 2) approve the Interlocal Agreement Between Alachua County and the City of Gainesville for Use and Distribution of 1% of the Funds Generated by a Charter County and Regional Transportation System Sales Surtax To Be Used For Improvement and Maintenance of the Transportation System with the revised 8-year Transportation Surtax Funding Plan; and 3) authorize the Mayor to execute the Interlocal Agreement and any related documents, subject to approval by the City Attorney as to form and legality.
Alternative Recommendation:
The City Commission adopt an alternative modification to the 8-year Transportation Surtax Funding Plan for inclusion in the interlocal agreement.