Meeting_Body
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
JULY 15, 2015
Subject/Action
SUBJECT: COORDINATED PUBLIC TRANSIT-HUMAN SERVICES
TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY
ACTION: ADOPT COORDINATED PLAN FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED (3-0) adopting the locally developed 2016-2019 Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan for Los Angeles County (see Attachment A for Executive Summary) to comply with the requirements of the federal Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).
Issue
ISSUE
Metro is the Designated Recipient of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5310 funds in urbanized areas of Los Angeles County (about $6.9 million per year) and is responsible for the planning, programming, distribution, and management of these funds. To fulfill Designated Recipient obligations required by FTA, including awarding Section 5310 funds for eligible projects, the locally developed 2016-2019 Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan for Los Angeles County (“Coordinated Plan”) must be adopted. It will update and replace the 2008 Coordinated Plan that was approved by the Board as required by MAP-21.
Policy_Implications
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
The adoption of the Coordinated Plan by the Board would allow complying with FTA guidance requiring that such plans be developed and approved through a process that included participation by seniors and individuals with disabilities, representatives of public, private, and nonprofit transportation and human service providers, and other members of the public. By adopting the Coordinated Plan as recommended, Metro will be able to certify that projects recommended for Section 5310 funding are included in the adopted Coordinated Plan to be eligible for a grant award by FTA.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
In January 2012, the Board approved the staff recommendation to update the 2008 Coordinated Plan. This task was delayed due to the uncertainty in the reauthorization of federal funding legislation and FTA guidance (including Designated Recipient responsibilities). In July 2013, staff informed the Board of changes to federal transit formula programs as authorized by Congress in MAP-21, including the new Section 5310 Program. The goal of the Section 5310 Program is to improve mobility for seniors and individuals with disabilities throughout the country by removing barriers to transportation services and expanding the transportation mobility options available to them.
The Board subsequently approved pursuing Designated Recipient status for Section 5310 funds allocated to Los Angeles County for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Lancaster-Palmdale, and the Santa Clarita Urbanized Areas (UZAs). On April 23, 2014, the Governor authorized Metro to be the Designated Recipient of Section 5310 funds for these UZAs, following our request for such designation. The goal of seeking this designation was to ensure that Los Angeles County would receive and have control over its formula share of Section 5310 funds and to allow Metro to select projects that would better address local and regional needs.
With FTA’s publication of its final guidance for the Section 5310 Program in June 2014, staff consulted with Metro’s Bus Operations Subcommittee (BOS), Local Transit Systems Subcommittee (LTSS), and Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) about: 1) determining which agency has the lead for the outreach and development of the Coordinated Plan; and 2) specifying the areas to be covered. As a result, Metro was confirmed to be lead agency responsible for the outreach and development of the Coordinated Plan. It was also agreed that the Coordinated Plan would cover all areas in Los Angeles County, including nonurbanized areas for which the California Department of Transportation is the Designated Recipient of Section 5310 funds apportioned by FTA for these areas in the state. Professional services were procured to assist staff with the extensive public outreach and overall development of the Coordinated Plan.
The Coordinated Plan
The Coordinated Plan was developed by taking into consideration planning assumptions consistent with those assumed in the development of other planning documents for Los Angeles County, including Metro’s Long Range Transportation Plan and the Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS) of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). In addition, the development of the Coordinated Plan also considered existing documentation relevant to the target populations of the Coordinated Plan (i.e., seniors, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and persons of low-income) from Metro, SCAG, Access Services, local governments and nonprofit organizations. Several activities were conducted countywide to comply with the federal requirement that the Coordinated Plan be developed and approved through a process that included participation by seniors and individuals with disabilities, representatives of public, private, and nonprofit transportation and human service providers, and other members of the public. Among these activities are the following:
• Developed a database of 6,300 stakeholder agencies, which were informed of the opportunities to participate in the development and approval of the Coordinated Plan and asked to share the information with the members of the public they serve.
• Conducted nine Stakeholder Forums, with active participation by 87 stakeholders, followed by some one-to-one interviews with some of the major stakeholders.
• Conducted ten Consumer Focus Groups that overall comprised 146 participants.
• Developed a survey that was sent electronically and by regular mail to 6,300 agencies to assess the services they currently provide, as well as their needs and potential strategies to address such needs, and their priorities for funding and implementation through 2019.
• Conducted a Prioritization Workshop with participation of representatives from 45 agencies involved with the target populations of the Coordinated Plan.
• Presented to Metro’s TAC, BOS, LTSS, AAC, Service Councils, and General Managers.
• Conducted eight public hearings and allowed a 30-day public comment period for the Draft Coordinated Plan.
The Coordinated Plan that is presented to the Board for adoption addresses all comments received at the public hearings and during the 30-day public comment period that lasted through June 12, 2015. In general, the comments that were received were positive. In summary, the Coordinated Plan:
• Identifies transportation providers and services available to the target populations;
• Identifies the transportation needs of individuals with disabilities, seniors, veterans and people with low incomes;
• Identifies strategies for meeting those needs; and
• Prioritizes transportation strategies for funding and implementation.
The Coordinated Plan maximizes the collective coverage of projects and services funded by the Section 5310 Program by minimizing duplication through the assessment and incorporation of activities offered under other programs sponsored by federal, state, and local agencies while ensuring that participation in coordinated service delivery will continue to meet the purposes of all programs. It identifies five goals and prioritizes 38 regional and Subregional strategies to meet them (as detailed in Attachment A). The five goals are the following:
1. Fund Mobility Options: Sustain, fund, and continue to expand the rich array of public, human services and private transportation services available in Los Angeles County.
2. Address Mobility Gaps: Improve coordination between public transportation and human services transportation to address identified mobility gaps.
3. Provide Support Services: Provide necessary support services to enable access to public and human service transportation services by older adult, disability, low income and veteran populations.
4. Promote and Improve Information Portals: Promote, improve and expand multi-lingual information portals on mobility options.
5. Enhance Accountable Performance Monitoring Systems: Build upon customer feedback and accountable performance monitoring system to ensure that responsive, high quality service is maintained.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Approval of the recommendation will have no impact on safety.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of the Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan for Los Angeles County will allow Metro to fulfill its Designated Recipient obligations, including securing FTA’s approval of Section 5310 grant awards for eligible projects approved for funding by the Board. Designated Recipients can use Section 5310 funds to administer the program. The funding is included in the FY16 Budget in Cost Center 4440, Project Number 500005. No additional Metro funding will be required to administer the Coordinated Plan.
Impact to Budget
Administration of the Coordinated Plan is funded by federal Section 5310 administration funds that are only eligible for this purpose. Therefore, approving the recommended action will not impact Metro’s bus and rail operating and capital budgets, as Section 5310 Program administration funds are not eligible for these purposes.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board may choose not to approve the Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan for Los Angeles County. Staff does not recommend this alternative because without Board approval, Metro cannot fulfill its responsibilities as the Designated Recipient of Section 5310 Program funds, including securing FTA’s approval of Section 5310 grant awards for eligible projects approved for funding by the Board. Metro would risk losing about $7 million per year in federal funding for transportation programs and services for seniors and individuals with disabilities and projects approved by the Board for funding will not be implemented.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
With Board adoption, we will file the Coordinated Plan with the FTA as applicable. This plan will be used to support Section 5310 Program funding awards.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Executive Summary of the Coordinated Plan
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Ashad Hamideh, Director, (213) 922-4299
Cosette Stark, Deputy Executive Officer, (213) 922-2822
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Martha Welborne, Chief Planning Officer, (213) 922-7267
