Vancouver City Council |
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: February 25, 2003
Author/Local: Don Klimchuk / 7345
RTS NO. 03225
CC File Nos. 1756/5561
Meeting Date: March 11, 2003
TO:
Vancouver City Council
FROM:
General Manager of Engineering Services
SUBJECT:
Cost-Sharing Agreements with TransLink and Others
RECOMMENDATION
THAT the Director of Legal Services, in consultation with the General Manager of Engineering Services, be given standing authority to execute on behalf of the City, agreements with TransLink, and in the opinion of the General Manager of Engineering Services other similar funding agencies, for the sharing of costs of selected street, transit and bicycle capital projects, noting that such agreements may require a general indemnification by the City of TransLink or other funding agencies for any losses by them that relate to the cost-sharing relationship, provided that these agreements are otherwise drawn to the satisfaction of the Director of Legal Services.
COUNCIL POLICYCouncil has approved similar programs and funding contributions from senior governments and the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. Council, through approval of the 2000-2002 and 2003-2005 Capital Plans, and related capital budgets, has supported TransLink sharing the cost of selected Streets Capital projects.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this report is to provide Council with an overview of the capital cost-sharing programs which are available on an annual basis from TransLink, and to request Council approval for participating in these types of programs.
BACKGROUND
From time to time the City receives grants from senior governments, ICBC, and other agencies towards Engineering transportation projects. As part of its mandate to plan, co-ordinate and fund transportation facilities in Greater Vancouver, TransLink provides several cost-sharing programs for municipalities. Grants are provided to municipalities for both capital and operating expenses. Through approval of the Streets portion of the 2000-2002 and 2003-2005 Capital Plans, and related capital budgets, Council has supported sharing the costs of selected transportation projects with TransLink.
DISCUSSION
Although Council has supported the principle of cost-sharing selected transportation projects with TransLink, staff recommend Council approve proceeding with the administrative procedures needed to process the funding grants. Projects applied for under the TransLink cost-sharing programs are located on City streets, and they would likely proceed with or without the TransLink funding. The TransLink funding helps expedite project schedules, but does not drive the types of projects the City submits for cost-sharing.
The three main programs, under which TransLink provides grants for municipal capital projects, are summarized below:
Minor Capital Program
Minor Capital provides TransLink funding of up to 50% for capital projects that improve the efficiency and safety of Major Road Network (MRN) roads. Vancouver projects include pedestrian signals, road re-alignments and left turn bays. The amount of funding received by the City is summarized in the table below.
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
$1.97M
$1.97M
$1.97M
$2.96M
$1.64M *
* NOTE: amount shown is total to date that has been applied for; the City is eligible for up to $2.96M again in 2003
Bicycle Infrastructure Cost-Sharing Program
This program helps encourage increased use of bicycles as a transportation mode by providing 50% cost-sharing for the construction of new bicycle routes. TransLink funding provided to the City is summarized below.
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
$197,000 |
$212,000 |
$575,000 |
Transit Related Road Infrastructure Program
The Transit Related Road Infrastructure Program (TRRIP) provides funding of 50% to 100% for bus related improvements such as signal modifications, bus bulges, roadway geometric improvements, transit priority studies and bus stop improvements. The amount of funding varies depending on whether the improvements also benefit the municipality (50%), or whether they are justified solely by the transit system (100% TransLink). Initially, only projects on the MRN were considered for funding. As a result of lobbying from City and other municipal staff, the program was revised in 2002 to fund projects located both on and off the MRN. Funding provided to the City is summarized in the table below.
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
$205,000 |
$375,000 |
$303,000 ** |
$141,000 ** |
** NOTE: amounts shown are totals to date which have been applied for; totals may increase as a result of ongoing discussions between City and TransLink staff
Grant Administration
As the above cost-sharing programs have evolved, so have the practices for administering them. TransLink is now requiring that agreements be signed for all approved cost-sharing programs or projects. In the past, for projects which received Council funding and design approval, the General Manager of Engineering Services signed some agreements. Upon review of the agreements, the Law Department has advised that authority for signing the agreements should be formally delegated from Council to the Director of Legal Services in consultation with the General Manager of Engineering Services.
The TransLink agreements contain a general indemnification by the City of TransLink for any losses by TransLink that relate to their participation in the cost-sharing. We are advised by TransLink that this indemnification is required for all municipalities in the region who wish to participate in their programs.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The amount of anticipated TransLink capital funding has already been estimated as part of the Capital Plan process, and incorporated into the net funding allocations provided in Streets Capital Plans. This funding from TransLink helps reduce the costs of City capital projects, and helps expedite the schedule of either the funded project or other projects in the same Capital Plan category. Council approval of the recommendations in this report will put in place the administrative procedures needed to secure funding from TransLink.
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