REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approve Budget Modification No. 13 to Appropriate $791,950 in FY 2020/21 Transportation Fund for Clean Air County Program Manager Funds for the Retiming of Traffic Signals and Authorize the City Manager to Execute All Grant-Related Documents
Report
GRANT SUMMARY
In March 2020, staff submitted four traffic signal retiming project grant applications to the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) for Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) County Program Manager grant funds for FY 2020/21 totaling $712,755.00. These corridors were last retimed in FY 2016/17 through funding from the TFCA grant program.
TFCA is a Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) program funded by a surcharge of $4.00 on motor vehicle registration fees within the Bay Area counties. BAAQMD administers 60% of the annual TFCA funds. The remaining 40% are returned to the nine Bay Area counties in the form of County Program Manager funds as grants to local governments. These grants are for projects that will reduce air pollution and improve bike and pedestrian facilities. In Santa Clara County, VTA administers these funds and awards them to individual cities on a competitive basis.
The intent of the Traffic Signals Retiming projects are to help reduce delays for all users, improve the efficiency of the transportation system and reduce vehicle emmissions along these corridors. Below is the list of the corridors included in the applications:
• Fremont Avenue from Wright Avenue to Fieldfair Drive/Rembrandt Drive.
• Hollenbeck Avenue from Homestead Road to Danforth Drive.
• Mary Avenue from Homestead Road to Heatherstone Avenue, from Iowa Avenue to California Avenue and from Corte Madera Avenue to Maude Avenue.
• Remington Drive from Bernardo Avenue to Manet Drive.
In May 2020, VTA notified staff that the four projects City staff submitted were recommended for funding. The local match required for the four projects is $79,195.
The funds will be appropriated to four separate projects - one for each corridor. Additionally, the grant will be used to purchase equipment to monitor the timing and traffic conditions for these intersections and install fiberoptic communications conduits to improve communications. New traffic data will be used to develop updated traffic signal timing plans. The timing plans will also incorporate pedestrian and bicycle intersection crossing timing needs.
Granting Agency
The VTA administers FY 2020/21 TFCA County Program Manager funds set aside for competitive local government grant awards.
EXISTING POLICY
Council Policy 7.1.5 Donations, Contributions and Sponsorships:
The City Manager may apply for grants of any dollar amount, but shall notify the Council when grants are being pursued. Council approval of a budget modification to appropriate grant monies is required before funds can be expended by staff. Such a budget modification shall include the use to which the grant would be placed; the objectives or goals of the City which will be achieved through use of the grant; the local match required, if any, plus the source of the local match; any increased cost to be locally funded upon termination of the grant; and the ability of the City to administer the grant. For grants under the amount of $5,000 that do not have any external reporting requirements or any local match requirement, Council approval of a budget modification is not required. The City Manager is authorized to accept and administratively appropriate the grant funds.
This grant does not meet all the criteria to be administratively appropriated by the City Manager; therefore, a budget modification is required. Grant funds from VTA have external reporting requirements and fall under the federal single audit guidelines.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The budget modification does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(4) in that it is a fiscal activity that does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potential significant impact on the environment. It is anticipated that the projects funded by the grant will be a categorical exemption for existing facilities under CEQA Guidelines section 15301.
FISCAL IMPACT
Budget Modification No. 13 has been prepared to appropriate FY 2020/21 TFCA County Program Manager Funds in the amount of $712,755 to four new projects for retiming of traffic signals. Matching funds are required for a total cost of $791,950; however, no ongoing operating costs are required. The local match will be coming from Project 820180 - Traffic Signal Controller Replacement. Staff will reduce the existing FY 2020/21 project budget for the Traffic Signal Controller Replacement Project by $79,195 and then allocate the funding to the 4 new proposed traffic signal projects in conjunction with the grant funding. The scope of the existing project (Traffic Signal Controller Replacement) is highly correlated to the new traffic signal timing projects, so an additional appropriation is not required to utilize the existing project funds. Since the new projects will utilize grant funds and existing project funds, there will be no fiscal impact on reserves.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, Sunnyvale Public Library and Department of Public Safety. In addition, the agenda and report are available at the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve Budget Modification No. 13 to Appropriate $791,950 in FY 2020/21 Transportation Fund for Clean Air County Program Manager Funds for the Retiming of Traffic Signals and Authorize the City Manager to Execute All Grant-Related Documents
Staff
Prepared by: Carmen Talavera, Senior Traffic Engineer
Reviewed by: Chip Taylor, Director, Public Works
Reviewed by: Timothy J. Kirby, Director of Finance
Reviewed by: Jaqui Guzmán, Deputy City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Draft Sunnyvale FY2020/21 TFCA Grant Funding Agreement