HomeMy WebLinkAbout01.20.2004• •
COUNCIL WORK SESSION
January 20, 2004
4:30 p.m.
Council Chambers
Members present: Mayor Hurley, Kincaid, Cole, Greenwood, Clark, Gunderson, Welper.
Moved by Welper, seconded by Clark that the Agenda, as proposed be approved. Ayes: Six.
Motion carried.
Walt Stephenson, General Manager of MET Transit, updated the council. MET is organized
under a 28E Agreement with the City of Cedar Falls. The cities of Waterloo and Cedar Falls
appoint the MET Board of Trustees (9 for Waterloo and 4 for Cedar Falls), and each year
provides funding for MET from the Transit Levy. MET is the designated recipient of all funds,
federal, state and local, intended for the provision of public transit. MET operates 35 vehicles in
the metropolitan area and purchases services that operate additional vehicles. METs operating
budget is $3,279,426.
MET provides two basic services: fixed route transit service and paratransit services. The fixed
route service is a traditional city bus service on 8 fixed routes that operate completely within
Waterloo and 2 routes that operate in Waterloo and Cedar Falls. Paratransit services is primarily
for elderly (under contract with Hawkeye Valley Area Agency on Aging) and disabled persons
who are unable to use the fixed route service. Additional paratransit service is provided for
elderly day care service, dialysis transportation and protective day care. Additionally MET
purchases the provision of additional disabled transportation from Exceptional Persons, Inc. and
evening and weekend employment -related transportation from the Black Hawk Center for
Independent Living and Disability Transportation and Accessibility. Employment transportation
is provided at all times that METs regular services are not offered and at any time to all areas
within the cities that METs fixed routes do not serve.
The fare is $1.50 per ride for fixed route service and $3.00 per ride for paratransit service.
As a recipient of federal transit assistance, MET is mandated to help achieve the following
societal goals: reduction of congestion and pollution, solution of mobility of problems of transit -
dependent persons, solution of mobility problems of disabled persons, reduction of economic
access problems of minority groups, and alleviation of poverty.
Service is provided primarily to transit -dependent persons. METs service is designed to best
meet the needs of transit -dependent persons rather than those of the entire community. Public
transit assistance is dedicated by MET to the provision of "core services." These are defined as
the existing fixed route system and paratransit services mandated by the Americans with
Disabilities Act or contracted from HVAAA. No additional services use public funds. The UNI
campus shuttle, after-hours employment services, specials and charters are all self-supporting or
supported by special dedicated funding. Any additional fixed route or paratransit services must
have additional public transit assistance to be started.
In FY2003, METs cost per ride in the fixed route service was $5.54. The average fare per ride
was slightly over $.75.
METs operating budget for the current fiscal year is $3,279,426. Of this, approximately 64
percent is expended in fixed route transportation and 36 percent in paratransit. The fixed route
cost per ride is $5.54 for route transportation and $5.02 for fixed route overall. The paratransit
cost per ride is $10.34 for the portion they provide directly and $6.38 for the portion they
purchase.
Funding comes from a number of sources. This year, the City of Waterloo provided MET
$988,000 (31%) for operating expenses, plus $62,650 for the Vehicle Replacement Fund. The
total local operating assistance is $1,455,842 (45%), federal operating assistance is $963,027
(29%), state operating assistance is $204,919 (6%), fares contribute $378,000 (12%) and
contracts are $277,638 (8%), including service contracts for HVAAA and UNI. Mr. Stephenson
reviewed the expenses for this year.
Council Work Session
January 20, 2004
Page 2
All the buses run on diesel fuel, with the new buses getting from eight to ten miles per gallon.
The fuel efficiency is improving and there will probably be alternate fuels in the future.
MET received about $5 million for a multi -modal facility in Cedar Falls. UNI will operate the
building and MET will operate a campus shuttle. The viaduct parking was put in place to shuttle
parkers from the parking lot to their destination. There will need to be enough parkers to pay for
operating the shuttle.
With no further business before the council, it was moved by Clark, seconded by Greenwood
that the meeting be adjourned at 5:16 p.m. Ayes: Six. Motion carried.
Nancy Eckert
City Clerk
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