Fiscal Note
City staff have prepared and submitted initial grant materials for first round consideration in the USDOT’s Beyond Traffic: The Smart City Challenge. The initial grant materials were prepared as a collaborative effort between Traffic Engineering, the Finance Department, and consultant assistance. Costs for consultant services associated with the initial grant were shared between Traffic Engineering and PCED.
If selected as a finalist, the City will receive a first round prize of $100,000. The proposed resolution will amend the 2016 Adopted Operating Budget for Traffic Engineering and authorize City staff to prepare the final round of grant materials. Funds awarded through the amendment will support additional consultant services to complete the final round of grant materials for the $50 million grand prize. Should the City not be selected as a finalist, the 2016 Adopted Operating Budget will not be amended.
The costs associated with completing the application for the USDOT’s Beyond Traffic: The Smart City Challenge included staff time in the Finance Department and the Traffic Engineering Division. These costs were covered with existing resources. In addition, approximately $25,000 from the 2016 Traffic Engineering and PCED budgets was paid to consultants to assist with the application preparation.
If the City receives the first round prize of $100,000, the Traffic Engineering capital budget, Project 45101, Smart Cities Grant, will be amended to reflect the grant revenues and offsetting consulting expenses. Those funds will be used for consulting services to assist with the preparation of an application for the $50 million Smart City Challenge grand prize. Additional City staff time will also be required to complete the application.
45101-45-200 $100,000
45101-45-201 ($100,000)
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SUBSTITUTE: Authorizing the City to apply to the USDOT’s Beyond Traffic: The Smart City Challenge; and if selected, amend the 2016 Adopted Operating Budget to appropriate $100,000 in Traffic Engineering for a purchased service contract between the City of Madison and two consultants, the Wisconsin Traffic Operations & Safety Laboratory and _____ to prepare the final Smart City application; and, authorizing the City to submit the final application.
A resolution authorizing the City to apply to the USDOT’s Beyond Traffic: The Smart City Challenge; and, if selected, authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to sign an agreement with USDOT to accept a first round prize of $100,000; authorizing a contract between the City of Madison and two consultants, the Wisconsin Traffic Operations & Safety Laboratory and _____ to prepare the final Smart City application; and, authorizing the City to submit the final application.
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WHEREAS, the US Dept. of Transportation and Vulcan Philanthropy have sponsored the Beyond Traffic: The Smart City Challenge and invited mid-sized cities to compete for two rounds of prizes - five $100,000 first round prizes and one $50 million grand prize - to plan and design an intelligent transportation strategy (ITS); and,
WHEREAS, Madison has been an early adopter of ITS strategies to manage congestion and promote safety within our transportation system; and,
WHEREAS, smart transportation technology is evolving rapidly and holds great promise for improved pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle safety; emergency management; transit speed and reliability; parking management; inter-agency communication; and, data-management; and,
WHEREAS, it is critical that Madison take advantage of these evolving technologies to promote economic development, equitable access, informed mode choice, public safety, and continued growth of a robust multi-modal transportation system; and,
WHEREAS, the Smart City Challenge provides Madison a unique opportunity to design and deploy a next generation transportation system; and,
WHEREAS, the timing of the selection of semi-finalists and the due date for the final application will require the City to quickly select and contract with a transportation planning consultant to assist with semi-finalist activities and prepare a final application. The $100,000 prize money is intended for this purpose and under MGO 4.26, service contracts exceeding $25,000 must be authorized by the Common Council if a competitive selection process was not used.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council authorizes City staff to work with faculty and staff of the UW College of Engineering and private sector partners to prepare and submit a first round application to the US Department of Transportation’s “Beyond Traffic: The Smart City Challenge." Any such collaboration that requires a written contract in the opinion of the City Attorney and City Risk Manager will be authorized as needed per City contracting policies; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that if the City is selected as one of five first-round finalists, the Common Council amends the 2016 Adopted Operating Budget to appropriate $100,000 in the Traffic Engineering budget and authorizes the Mayor and City Clerk to accept the $100,000 award and to enter into a Cooperative Agreement with the USDOT for its use in preparing an application for the $50 million Smart City Challenge grand prize; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Common Council authorizes the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a contract with both the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin Systems on behalf of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering, Wisconsin Traffic Operations & Safety Laboratory and _____________, a transportation planning firm, to develop the second round application, at a total price for both contracts not to exceed $100,000; and,
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Common Council authorizes City Traffic Engineering and other staff to work with the transporation planning consultants named above and other partners, including the UW College of Engineering, regional and state government, and private sector partners (subject to any contract documents with such partners being approved and authorized per applicable city contracting policies) to prepare a smart transportation system concept plan specific to the needs of our city and region; to engage the community to assist in developing the concept vision; and, to work with the USDOT to prepare and submit the required deliverables including progress reports, oral presentations, project video, and final report to the USDOT, with the above-described partnerships subject to applicable city contracting policies as determined by the City Attorney and City Risk Manager.