REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: GREGORY A. BARFIELD, M.A., Interim Director
Department of Transportation
BY: LINDA TAYLOR, Administrative Manager
Department of Transportation
ELIZABETH TORRES, Senior Management Analyst
Department of Transportation
SUBJECT
Title
Actions related to the California State of Good Repair (SGR) Program for funding to conduct FAX maintenance facility improvements:
1. Adopt a finding of Class 1 Categorical Exemption for Existing Facilities pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15301.
2. ***RESOLUTION - Authorizing submission of a project description for and acceptance of funding from the California State of Good Repair (SGR) program, approving the associated FY 2023-24 project list, and authorizing execution of grant documents. (Subject to Mayor’s veto)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends Council adopt a finding of Class 1 Categorical Exemption pursuant to section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines, and adopt a resolution authorizing the Department of Transportation to submit a project description to the California State of Good Repair (SGR) Program seeking funding $1,336,105 to conduct FAX maintenance facility improvements, and authorizing the Director of Transportation or designee to execute and file all necessary documents to accept funds on behalf of the City.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Department of Transportation seeks Council approval of the attached resolution authorizing the Director or designee to submit a project description to the SGR program seeking funding, and to execute and file the associated required project proposals, grant approval documents, and other documents required by the State of California on behalf of the City for the SGR Program. With this funding, FAX seeks to conduct improvements to the maintenance facility to help move the property into a state of good repair after many years of deferred building maintenance and incremental rehabilitation.
BACKGROUND
Senate Bill 1, known as the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, was established in 2017 (Chapter 5, Statutes of 2017) to provide funding to repair highways, bridges, and local roads to make strategic investments in congested commute and freight corridors and to improve transit service. A portion of SB-1 provides approximately $105 million annually to transit operators in California for eligible transit maintenance, rehabilitation, and capital projects. This investment in public transit is called the State of Good Repair (SGR) Program. The SGR Program is funded from a portion of a new Transportation Improvement Fee on vehicle registrations due on or after January 1, 2018. A portion of this fee will be transferred to the State Controller’s Office (SCO) for the SGR Program. In collaboration with the SCO, Caltrans is tasked with the management and administration of the SGR Program.
These funds will be allocated under the State Transit Assistance (STA) Program formula to eligible agencies pursuant to Public Utilities Code (PUC) Section 99312.1.
This program demonstrates California commitment to clean, sustainable transportation, and the vital role that public transit plays in this vision. While SB-1 addresses a variety of transportation needs, this program has a specific goal of keeping transit systems in a state of good repair, including the purchase of new transit vehicles and related equipment, and maintenance and rehabilitation of transit facilities and vehicles. These new investments will lead to cleaner transit vehicle fleets, increased reliability and safety, more efficient transit service, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. SGR funding is to be used for Capital construction costs only, and cannot be utilized for any operating, fare subsidy, or planning/design phase expenses.
FAX seeks to conduct improvements to the maintenance facility to help move the property into a state of good repair after many years of deferred building maintenance and incremental rehabilitation. FAX will use SGR funding to conduct structural and safety rehabilitations, including flooring, steam bay reconstruction, vehicle lift replacements, and below-ground pit safety enhancements.
The department anticipates annually submitting project lists to Caltrans for available SB-1 SGR funding. These anticipated revenues and corresponding appropriations will be included in the department’s proposed budget each fiscal year, or the department will return to Council to request the appropriations.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Staff has performed a preliminary environmental assessment and determined this project falls within a Class 1 Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15301 of the CEQA Guidelines, which exempts minor alterations of existing facilities involving negligible expansion of the facilities, because the project is an improvement of the existing facilities, and all alterations will take place within the boundaries of FAX property.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not applicable because this Resolution does not include a bid or award of a construction or services contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
This request will have no impact to the General Fund as the SGR project is 100% state funded.
Attachment:
Resolution