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include the state's Block Grant, Service Development Grant, and Transportation Disadvantaged <br />Trip Grant programs. Approximately $500,000 per year is needed to match those grants. While <br />not eliminating the need for local match altogether, provisions of the CARES Act enable the <br />County to substantially reduce its local match while obtaining over $6 million in new federal <br />funds. As a result, the proposed local match for the upcoming FY 20/21 is $500,000, less than <br />50% of the current fiscal year's match. <br />Under federal guidelines, the County is afforded great flexibility toward using the new funds over <br />several years to supplement local operating funds. To that end, the County has developed the <br />attached plan for incorporating the CARESfunds into the transit system's financial plan operating <br />and capital expenses (see Attachment #3). With the one-time infusion of $6.3 million in CARES <br />funds, the County will able to reduce its local match contribution by $1.7 million over the next <br />several years while also increasing capital funds from the Section 5307 program by over $4 <br />million. As a result, the regular Section 5307 grant application for. FY 2020 is for capital assistance <br />only (and the applications for FYs 2021 and 2022 will likely be similar). The additional capital <br />funds will provide the opportunity to address long-standing capital needs such as a permanent <br />home for the North County Transit Hub, providing transit infrastructure improvements on busier <br />transit corridors such as 45th Street, and installing shelters at other busy transit stops. <br />Attached to this report is the County's proposed grant application for the Section 5307 CARES <br />Act funds. As required by Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations, the grant application <br />was prepared using FTA's Transit Award Management System (TrAMS) software. As it has in the <br />past, FTA requires grantees to utilize its TrAMS software in the development, submittal, <br />modification, and management of grants. Per FTA's direction, the CARES Act funds are in a <br />separate application from the County's normal Section 5307 funds. <br />To apply for the CARES Act funds, the Board of County Commissioners must adopt the attached <br />resolution (Attachment #2), authorizing staff to submit the attached grant application. The <br />resolution has been reviewed and approved by the County Attorney's Office. <br />In addition to the $6,316,645 in CARESAct Section 5307 funds, the County has also been awarded <br />$246,951 in transit operating assistance through the Section 5311 (Rural Areas) program. At its <br />June 2, 2020 meeting, the BCC approved the grant agreement for the Section 5311 CARES Act <br />funds. <br />FUNDING <br />Through this grant, the County will receive $6,316,645 in federal transit operating assistance, <br />with no local match required for the CARESAct funds. <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />Staff recommends that the Board of County Commissioners adopt the proposed resolution <br />authorizing the filing of the grant application for the CARES Act Section 5307 program. <br />39 <br />