Fiscal Note
Adoption of the Resolution will not commit the Council to additional expenditures at this time, but represents the next step toward ultimately significant potential impacts on future City capital and operating expenses. The recommendations of the Transport 2020 Implementation Task Force include improvements to local bus services and establishment of new regional bus services, park-and-ride lots, and commuter rail services. The report estimates that implementation of the initial Start-Up System (a 13-mile commuter rail line between Middleton and near Sun Prairie) will require capital expenditures of approximately $240 million. In addition, annual operating costs of the system are estimated to be $10 million. Costs will be borne by a mix of Federal, State and Local dollars. Future extensions of the initial Start-Up System may have additional impacts to City finances.
This Resolution authorizes continuation of a Preliminary Engineering /NEPA study. City planning staff estimate that the PE/NEPA process will require one more year to complete - at an estimated total cost of $4.25 million. Funding sources for the PE/NEPA study are a combination of Federal and State funds.
Planning staff resources will be reallocated to provide support for the Task Force without the need for additional expenditure. Any future expenditures associated with the project will require further Council approval.
Title
Authorizing the Mayor and the City Clerk to amend an existing agreement with the consultant team of HNTB, et al., for Transport 2020 Preliminary Engineering and environmental documentation services for the City of Madison.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Madison, in partnership with Dane County and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, entered into a contract with HTNB Corporation for Preliminary Engineering (PE)/National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental documentation services in 2005; and,
WHEREAS, Madison Resolution ID 06762 (enacted by the Common Council on 9-7-07) resolved "that the City of Madison endorses the work of the Transport 2020 Implementation Task Force, including its recent selection of a phase I corridor or minimal operating segment and urges Transport 2020 to move forward into preliminary engineering, including submitting a New Starts Application for Commuter Rail to the Federal Transit Administration when the application is ready with its work"; and,
WHEREAS, the Federal Transit Administration has required additional work to support the New Starts Application (including the completion of an on-board survey for Metro Transit; and necessary updating and calibration of the travel demand forecasting model that supports Transport 2020 activities); and,
WHEREAS, the total cost of the contract will include the amended amount of $250,000 for additional survey work. Federal Transit Administration has awarded the City of Madison $200,000 (to be matched with $50,000 WisDOT funds, already committed to the project) to conduct this work as an amendment to the existing Transport 2020 contract; and,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and the City Clerk are authorized to enter into any agreements with Dane County and WisDOT, as necessary to fund and amend the contract to conduct this study.