Submitted By: Tye Chighizola
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Presentation By: Tammi Haslam
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Department: Growth Management
STAFF RECOMMENDATION (Motion Ready):
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Adopt Budget Resolution 2022-139 to accept and appropriate local matching funds in the amount of $552,000; $16,836 from the disposition of old SunTran buses; and $145,000 from bus fares, bus passes and fuel tax refunds to support the Ocala/Marion County Public Transit System, SunTran, for a total of $713,836
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OCALA'S RELEVANT STRATEGIC GOALS:
Fiscally Sustainable, Operational Excellence
PROOF OF PUBLICATION:
N/A
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BACKGROUND:
On July 1, 2019 the City of Ocala and Marion County entered into an Interlocal Agreement to establish their respective funding commitments (City of Ocala - 75% / Marion County - 25%) of necessary local funds to operate SunTran. In fiscal year 2022, the City budgeted $414,000 and Marion County budgeted $138,000 to be used as the local matches to SunTran grants. This fiscal year the City was awarded a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Capital Public Transportation Grant Agreement (PTGA) in the amount of $1,233,575 that did not require a local match so the FY22 local match funds were not appropriated. However, SunTran still has two 5307 FTA Grants and one FDOT PTGA Operating Grant that require local matches. Local matches by both entities are budgeted annually and not carried forward to the following year.
Revenue generated from bus fares, bus passes and fuel tax refunds are also generally appropriated when matches are appropriated for grants. Again, since SunTran did not have any grants that required local matches, no locally generated revenue was appropriated.
In 2020, the City purchased seven new 35' Gillig buses to replace its SunTran fleet that was well past its useful life expectancy by mileage and age. These buses already had their engines and transmissions rebuilt, had over 600,000 miles on them, and were in constant need of repair. There were also t...
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