Broward County Commission Regular Meeting

MOTION TO ADOPT Resolution No. 2018-004 of the Board of County Commissioners of Broward County, Florida, authorizing the Director of the Transportation Department to submit a Grant Application to the Federal Transit Administration for Federal Grant Program funds pursuant to 49 U.S.C. Section 5339(C), for Low Or No Emissions Competitive Federal Grant Program funds in the amount of $1,000,000, for the purchase of electric over-the-road buses; and authorize the County Administrator to take any necessary administrative and budgetary actions to implement the grant.

ACTION:  (T-10:20 AM)  Approved.

VOTE: 8-0.  Commissioner Geller was not present.

Board approval is required to accept $1M grant from FTA.

Provides $1M in grant funding towards the purchase of electric over-the-road buses.

None.

TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND TRANSIT DIVISION RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE ABOVE MOTIONS

This item supports the Board's Values of "Cooperatively delivering an efficient and accessible regional intermodal transportation network" and "Encouraging investments in renewable energy, sustainable practices and environmental protection" and its goals to "Support the development, design and construction of sustainable, multi-modal transportation facilities throughout the County, to meet the demands of residents, travelers, and businesses" and "Seek funding for, implement policies and pursue projects promoting, the use of alternative energies and sustainable practices."

On April 28, 2017, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced the availability of $55 million in Fiscal Year 2017 competitive grant funds for the purchase or lease of low or no emission vehicles (Low-No grant) as well as related equipment or facilities. FTA's Low-No 5339(c) grant program encouraged and allowed public agencies to partner with other entities in implementing projects under the program. Broward County Transit partnered with the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) to provide project management and technical consulting services and BYD Motors to manufacture and deliver battery electric buses and charging infrastructure on its grant application. The project is for the purchase of 45-foot all electric over-the-road buses. These over-the-road buses would be utilized to replace older model diesel buses in BCT's fleet that had met their useful life, and to be operated on BCT's express bus routes. By deploying battery electric buses in place of the existing diesel buses will reduce energy consumption, emissions of harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases.

FTA received 128 applications requesting more than $515 million in project funds. On September 15, 2017, FTA announced that BCT was one of only 51 applications selected nationwide. BCT received $1M in grant funding (Exhibit 2). BCT will be submitting the final project through FTA's Transit Award Management System (TrAMS).

As a result of the reduced amount awarded to Broward County, BCT intends to purchase five all electric over-the-road buses utilizing the awarded FTA Low-No grant funds along with programmed FTA 5307 formula funds, and the required local match for the Low-No grant is $150,000 in Transit Concurrency funds.