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HomeMy WebLinkAbout81-02 RESOLUTION• RESOLUTION NO, 8 1-0 2 A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF NEGOTIATING WITH OZARK REGIONAL TRANSIT AND RAZORBACK TRANSIT TO ASSUME PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS IN FAYETTEVILLE PREVIOUSLY ACCOMPLISHED WITH FAYETTEVILLE TROLLEYS BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS: Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby authorizes negotiations with Ozark Regional Transit and Razorback Transit to transfer some or all of the Fayetteville trolleys to Ozark Regional Transit in exchange for public transit services. Additional operating funds will also be required to pay Ozark Regional Transit for the public transit services it will provide to Fayetteville citizens including a Ride -To -Work program. Section 2: Any proposed contract negotiated with Ozark Regional Transit shall be contingent upon City Council review and approval. PASSED and APPROVED this the 21st day of May, 2002. `,AYE o �druff, City Cl rk r APPROVED: By: ,1.,i 1P�ii DAN COODY, May. / r • • NAME OF FILE: CROSS REFERENCE: Resolution No. 81-02 • 05/21/02 Resolution No. 81-02 04/30/02 Departmental Correspondence to Mayor Coody & City Council from Hugh Earnest, Urban Dev. Director, regarding the Fayetteville Trolley. 05/21/02 Staff Review Form 05/30/02 Memo to Hugh Earnest, Urban Development, from Heather Woodruff, City Clerk NOTES: 4 1 • FAYETTEVILLE THE CITY OFFAYEI7EVII.I.F, ARKANSAS DEPARTMENTAL CORRESPONDENCE Date: April 30, 2002 To: The Mayor and City Council From: Hugh Earnest Urban Development Director Subject: Fayetteville Trolley Background • The City of Fayetteville has supported a public Trolley system with two routes since the spring of 2000. The two routes are the Poppy Route covering the north part of the City and the Dogwood Route covering the southern portion of the City. The Trolleys are also used at various times to move groups of individuals from location to location in the City. The City currently has a contract for operation of the system with Jones Transportation. The City expended some $113,800 operating the trolleys in 2001. The Council opted in the 2002 budget to fund this particular function for only 6 months. This was done in order to investigate other options for continuing this service. The City has also participated for several years as a principal partner in a regional transit service that has as its primary client base individuals and organizations requiring assistance in transportation. Over the past year, this service, which was provided by the Community Resource Group in Springdale, through a subsidiary called Ozark Regional Transit, opted to discontinue providing the service. In order to insure that this necessary public service continues, the Mayors of Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville and the County Judges of Benton, Washington, Madison and Carroll counties have formed, as an interim step, a not-for-profit organization that has been filed with the Secretary of State and its status as a 501 c3 is pending. The organization has contracted with First Transit, a large national organization specializing in Transit management to operate the service Several of the member counties and cities have also initiated the steps necessary to form a Regional Transit Authority to assume the oversight management of this function. This issue will be discussed with the City Council at a later date. • • Current Situation Because of the Council mandate to investigate other options for providing this service, we have had a number of discussions with University representatives concerning a closer working relationship with Razorback Transit involving their assuming the responsibility for the existing North route. They have indicated a willingness to do this. However, there are some details relative to coverage and routing that remain to be hammered out between the parties. We expect to have the details resolved by June The larger issue which is also being discussed is how the City can best position itself to continue to provide this needed service across the City. To that end, we have been discussing with Ozark Regional Transit the option of turning over our assets to them with the understanding that they would provide a superior level of service on the Southern route and couple that with a new Job Access to Work/Welfare to Work grant. Any changes in service/routes will better enable the citizen clients of human service agencies to reach their work locations, job training and retention, child care and medical services. Mr. Pumphrey, with the assistance of Mrs. Fields, has hosted a number of meetings with several organizations in order to identify the areas and groups that need the type of assistance that can be offered by an Access to Work program. Mr. Pumphrey has, as part of this effort, also been in discussion with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department and has been given some assurances that up to $250,000 can be made available to the organization for use in Access to Work programs. The money will be made available on a 50-50 match basis. Recommendation It is my opinion that the public interest in this transit issue will be best served by the following set of recommendations: 1. The assets currently owned by the City should be transferred to the Ozark Regional Transit not-for-profit organization. 2. The City will modify the contract for services with Razorback Transit in order to clarify the responsibility that the University is willing to accept in providing transit service in the area currently served by the City. 3. The current allocation approved by the Council relative to the expenditure of CDBG funds will be modified to allow the use of $100,000 placed by earlier staff action in 1998 as money to be expended for improvements to the Yvonne Richardson Center. This money will be re -allocated for match to secure an equivalent amount from the state. 4. The pledge of this money will cover the operation of the trolley through the remainder of this year and 2003. • 5. Ozark Regional Transit has committed to offering employment opportunities to drivers of Jones Transportation. 6. City staff will meet with all interested groups in the service areas to insure that no gaps in service occur. 7. City staff and Ozark Regional Transit will negotiate an arrangement that will enable the city and others to utilize the trolleys for tours and other special requests. While some of the recommendations stand on their own and call for no explanation, such is not the case with numbers 3 and 4. Recommendation number 3 essentially calls for a re -allocation of monies that were reserved by action of City staff several years ago. Recently, as the Council knows, we were advised, and correctly so, that the Housing and Urban Development Dept (HUD) will be looking with some disfavor on those entitlement cities that fail to allocate monies in a timely fashion. This particular allocation, for possible expansion of the Center, has little or no chance of being utilized in this federal fiscal year. Its use in the CDBG target area for an Access to Work program, meets a need that has been identified in community meetings. In addition, while there is a need to expand the physical facility at the Center, no work has been initiated to identify a long term building plan for the facility. The City can address at least a portion of any future project costs out of later federal entitlements. In addition, under federal guidelines, the re -allocation will require the city staff to go through a public notification and public hearing process. Recommendation number 4 should be taken with the understanding that this is not necessarily a long term solution to the issue of funding this service Ozark Regional Transit has committed to operation of their portion of the system only through our next fiscal year While it is possible that other assistance can be secured from other federal or private sources, the Council should be aware that we again receive a request to assist in the funding of this service. This item will be placed on the agenda for May 21g. At that time, representative from Ozark Regional Transit, the University of Arkansas and the City will make a short presentation to the City Council. X AGENDA REQUEST CONTRACT REVIEW GRANT REVIEW • STAFF REVIEW FORM • Fa For the Fayetteville City Council meeting of May 21, 2002 o, FROM: Ct :4 Ec.r hCS/ Name v Ll i cb a." Division £Jc Department ACTION REQUIRED: A Resolution authorizing City Staff to develop a working agreement with Ozark. Regional Transit to operate the Trolley System and for other purposes. COST TO CITY: ,50.00 Cost of this Request Account Number Project Number Category/Project Budget Category/Project Name Funds Used To Date Program Name Remaining Balance Fund BUD/GET: Budget Coor nator Budgeted Item 40 gdoccT thpo cr Al- T14/5 tT14/5 10(F. S/ifor CONTRACT/GRANT/LEASE REVIEW Purchasing Officer ,47&/40- Date 7&/ozDate S/?/pztki Date Date Budget Adjustment Attached Administrative Services Director GRANTING AGENCY: ADA Coordinator Internal ditor Date Date Grant Officer Date STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Ma or . Date Date 14-0 Date r7/ov Da e Cross Reference New Item: Yes No Prev Ord/Res #: Orig Contract Date: • STAFF REVIEW FORM • Description Meeting Date Comments: Budget Coordinator Reference Comments: Page 2 Accounting Manager Reference Comments: City Attorney H x=I+ 6 XL( ,pJt.., viol„ k .? (z,v..1 y,,..J-r w< rc" . w:.4 Reference Comments: Purchasing Officer Reference Comments: ADA Coordinator Reference Comments: Internal Auditor Reference Comments: Grants Offcier Reference Comments: FAYETTEV1tLE THE CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS DEPARTMENTAL CORRESPONDENCE • To: Hugh Earnest, Urban Development From: Heather Woodruff, City Clerk Date: May 30, 2002 Please find attached a copy of Resolution No. 81-02 in support of negotiating with Ozark Regional Transit and Razorback Transit to assume public transportation operations in Fayetteville previously accomplished with Fayetteville Trolleys. The original will be microfilmed and filed with the City Clerk cc: Nancy Smith, Internal Audit c A 0 • 010 03 update Document Reference RES City of Fayetteville I ndex Maintenance Ite Action Date Ref. Taken Brief Description 5212002 81-02 5/28/2002 16:39:40 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS Enter Keywords • RES. 81-02 OZARK REGIONAL TRANSIT RAZORBACK TRANSIT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS FAYETTEVILLE TROLLEYS TROLLYS TRANSPORTATION File Reference # • MICROFILM Security Class • Retention Type: Expiration Date • **** Active **** Date for Cont/Referred: Name Referred to • cmdl-Return Cmd8-Retention CmdS-Abstract Yes No Cmd4-Delete Cmd3-End Press 'ENTER' to Continue (c) 1986-1992 Munimetrix Systems Corp.