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Agenda - 10-20-2015 - 8a - Report on the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Assessment of Orange Public Transit (OPT)
1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: October 20, 2015 Action Agenda Item No. 8-a SUBJECT: Report on the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Assessment of Orange Public Transit (OPT) DEPARTMENT: County Manager PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: 1) NCDOT Scope - OPT Assessment Study Bonnie Hammersley, 919-245-2300 UNDER SEPARATE COVER 2) Orange County Public Transportation Assessment Study, Including Executive Summary PURPOSE: To receive a report on the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Orange County Public Transportation Assessment Study. BACKGROUND: A few years ago the state funded an effort to develop a Community Transportation Services Plan (CTSP). The Plan focused on the consolidation of OPT with Chapel Hill Transit, but work on the study was suspended because the state determined that neither the County nor the Town were interested in pursuing consolidation. At the time the study was suspended, preliminary findings suggested that OPT's costs were likely higher than those reported to the state, that ridership figures were unreliable, and that consolidation would likely require capital expenditures for facility expansion and incremental expansion of Chapel Hill's scheduling software and hardware. In 2014 NCDOT performed a System Safety Program Plan (SSPP) review of OPT. This plan identified a number of issues related to safety and vehicle maintenance. Based on the safety issues contained in the System Safety report and the preliminary findings in the consolidation study, the County Manager initiated a meeting with representatives from the NCDOT Public Transportation Division. At the meeting NCDOT representatives indicated a willingness to use the remaining funds from the suspended consolidation study to conduct a comprehensive assessment of OPT. The scope of this assessment is included as Attachment 1. Since the comprehensive study was funded using the balance of funds from the original study, NCDOT also required the County to use the consultant that had been engaged to conduct the original study. 2 The purpose of the comprehensive OPT assessment was to ensure that services are safe and accessible, that its costs and ridership are clearly documented, that it is in compliance with state and federal requirements to obtain funding, and that it can effectively utilize available funding to improve service to the residents of Orange County. In addition, the assessment would provide options for the appropriate organizational structure and identify near-term service improvements to the citizens of Orange County. The completed Orange County Public Transportation Assessment Study is attached for review. (Attachment 2) FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no immediate financial impact related to this discussion. SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: The following Orange County Social Justice Goal is applicable to this agenda item: • GOAL: ENSURE ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY The creation and preservation of infrastructure, policies, programs and funding necessary for residents to provide shelter, food, clothing and medical care for themselves and their dependents. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board receive this report and provide direction to Staff as appropriate. 3 Attachment 1 SCOPE OF WORK Orange County Transit Assessment Study December 10,2014 NCDOT Project Title/Name: Orange County Transit Assessment Study NCDOT Project Funding: TBD NCDOT KFH Contract #: 7000014132 NCDOT Internal Fiscal/Project #: NCDOT PO# INTRODUCTION This is the scope for a study of how to ensure that Orange County residents have available safe, convenient, appropriate and usable public transportation, now and in the future. The scope of work presents a proposed set of work tasks required to assist Orange County Transit, and PTD in assessing the current conditions, service, and organization and staffing. KFH Group, Incorporated will provide this assistance in accordance with the terms of the Limited Services Agreement between KFH Group and the NCDOT Public Transportation Division executed on January 28, 2014. No subcontractors will be used in the task order. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Orange Public Transit (OPT) is the County's own transportation service. It grew out of the transportation services provided by the aging program, over time providing service to other human service agencies and later obtaining funding to provide public transportation to the general public. It currently operates demand-responsive services to customers who call and make reservations in advance to be picked up at their residences, provides services to human service agency clients under contract (including seniors, Medicaid clients, and Orange Enterprise clients), provides the fixed-route Hillsborough Circulator service, and scheduled mid-day trips between Hillsborough and Chapel Hill. The purpose of this study is to determine the appropriate organizational structure and identify near-term service improvements to provide improved service to the citizens of Orange County. 1 4 TASKS Task 1: Current Conditions This initial task is intended to determine and document the current operations, costs, funding and ridership of the OPT. Elements to be documented include: • Describe current services: • Routes/Deviated routes • Schedules • Hours of service • Dedicated (contract) services • Service area • Reservation policies • Service supplied: • Vehicle-miles (revenue/non-revenue, by type of service/contract, if available) • Vehicle-hours (revenue/non-revenue, by type of service/contract, if available) • Ridership by category: • General public (by route or service type): • Hillsborough-Chapel Hill (not 420) • Hillsborough Circulator • Demand-response (non-ADA) • ADA complementary paratransit • Other • Agency contract ridership (by contract) • Non-client elderly or disabled • Operating and administrative costs-in NCDOT G code format • Orange County budgetary costs • Non-budgeted costs • Indirect cost • Capital costs • Future capital improvement plan (vehicle replacement, facility cost) • Advanced Technology • Funding and revenues • Federal and state grants, by source and purpose • Local dedicated taxes (transit sales tax) • County general revenue funding 2 5 • Agency contracts (amount, basis of payment, contract or agreement) • Fare revenues • Fare Structure • Funding from other jurisdictions (if any) • Other sources • Staffing and organization • Current staffing and pay categories • Organization chart • FTE equivalents • Cost allocation: • Update OPT fully allocated cost model • Determine costs/revenue by contract or type of service • Identify cross-subsidies • Vehicle fleet: • Vehicle inventory • Vehicle utilization (peak vehicle requirement, spare ratio) • Condition/anticipated year of replacement • Facilities (size, condition,joint use, costs) • Maintenance and repair • Administrative offices • Vehicle storage Deliverable: The results of this task would be a technical memorandum providing an overview of the current conditions of OPT. Task 2: Service Plans This task is devoted to developing implementable near-term service plans that could serve as a basis for ensuring that OPT is providing the services it already is committed to, and for general public service expansion expected under the transit sales tax. Elements include: • Services needed to meet current transit commitments • Planned/expanded services (from existing plans) • Potential additional services (identified from analysis of demographics, gap analysis (using data from previous CTSP) • For each service type or element, identify: • Miles and hours of service, ADA requirements • Vehicle requirements • Staffing requirements • Operating costs 3 6 • Funding (including contract and/or fare revenue) • Coordination with other providers (Triangle Transit and Chapel Hill Transit at least, perhaps new services in Alamance/Burlington). • Potential implementation Plan year • Outreach: • Public meeting • OUTS Board • County policy-makers • Potential regional partners • Technical Advisory Committee Deliverable: Draft technical memorandum describing near-term service options, and presentation of options for use in outreach meetings. Following input, make revisions of draft memorandum. Task 3: Organization and Staffing Currently OPT is a County operation under the planning department, with maintenance provided by the county motor pool. This task will focus on potential alternatives in relation to the anticipated service levels from Task 2. Elements include: • Develop potential options • Current organization (staffing requirements) • Potential organization within the County • Contract for management/services • Contract with Triangle Transit • Contract with Chapel Hill Transit • Meet with potential regional partners to develop options • Develop advantages/disadvantages for each option: • Costs • County control of service levels and quality • Oversight/monitoring • Legal authority • Impact on staff • Funding impacts • Future potential • Present options and assessment to County staff, policy-makers, OUTS Board, regional stakeholders. • Develop recommended organizational and staffing plan o Define roles and responsibilities 4 7 • Estimate costs • Estimate funding • Implementation timeline Deliverable: This task would result in a technical memorandum on near-term requirements and potential options. It would need to be presented to the stakeholders—depending on the results and reaction, subsequent work might be needed to define particular options in detail, and result in recommendations that are feasible. Task 4: Short-Term Plan This task would result in a near-term service plan that can be considered by the County Board and implemented. It would combine the service plan and the recommended organization into a single plan that would include: • Projected service changes for the next three years • Estimated costs and funding for operations • Capital requirements,costs and funding • Staffing and organizational changes • Implementation timeline • Facilitate meeting and presentation to policy-makers, regional partners, OUTS Board and PTD for review and input to be followed by a final version. Deliverable: Succinct document presenting service plan and organizational structure, with implementation timeline, costs and funding, organizational structure. Technical reports or appendixes might include analytical work, policy documents, etc. A draft report would be provided to the County, NCDOT and other stakeholders, revisions made and a final report provided. FINAL PROJECT DELIVERABLES The deliverables for this task order include the three technical memoranda, meeting summaries, and draft and final reports. The consultant will present one copy of all information contained in the Final Plan in electronic format. This information should be easily convertible to HTML or web-based format and five hardcopies to PTD. KFH GROUP PERSONNEL It is anticipated that senior staff will be required to successfully complete many of these consolidation study review tasks. The key personnel assigned to this project will include: 5 8 KFH Group Project Manager and Point of Contact Fred Fravel -Vice President KFH Group Project Team Joel Eisenfeld - Senior Transportation Planner Will Sutton-Transportation Planner NCDOT CONTACT David P. Bender will be the primary NCDOT contact and will serve as the PTD Project Manager for this work. The PTD Project Manager will be copied on all correspondence and/or communication with other offices not a part of PTD and be updated on a regular basis on the status of all activities. All deliverables will be forwarded to him for review and approval. MONTHLY REPORTS A detailed monthly progress report will be submitted to the PTD Project Manager for review. The progress report will include tasks completed during report period, next steps any outstanding and/or unresolved issues involving the project. The Project Manager may request a bi-weekly and/or monthly log documenting conversations/discussions with outside agencies or units and state any outcomes of those discussions. The log will be incorporated into the monthly progress report. SCHEDULE/TIMELINE The project will begin upon written notice to proceed from the NCDOT-Professional Services Management Unit. Tasks will be completed in conjunction with requirements of NCDOT. The schedule for the effort is as follows. Orange County Transit Assessment Study Milestone Timeline by Month (Deliverable Target Date is due at the end of each designated month) Technical Memorandum #1 Technical Memorandum #2 Technical Memorandum #3 Draft Plan 6 9 Milestone Timeline by Month (Deliverable Target Date is due at the end of each designated month) Final Plan HOURS KFH Group proposes to undertake this work as a lump sum for the agreed upon amount. A separate Cost Proposal will be attached showing names, position classifications, rates of pay, and anticipated hours required to complete the various tasks as listed and described above. BUDGET/INVOICING All Non-salary direct costs will be billed in accordance with current NCDOT approved rates. It will be necessary to include a detailed monthly activity report and a DBE-IS form when submitting invoices for the project. Compensation will be based on the percentage of the total work completed as shown on the invoice. The DBE-IS form can be downloaded at httr): www.ncdot.org/doh forms LLiles/DBE-IS.xls (instructions on how to complete the form are included on the second tab of the spreadsheet). All invoices are to be submitted to Charlie Wright, PTD Financial Manager, 1550 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1550. All invoices will need to clearly show project name, WBS #, Division Internal Fiscal/Project #, and NCDOT PO#. 7 10 8 ATTACHMENT 2 11 Orange County Public Transportation Assessment Study Draft Final Report October 2015 -,_4' Prepared for Orange County North Carolina L 0 17 �? �atq By KFH Group, Inc. KFH Bethesda, Maryland 12 13 Table of Contents Executive Summary... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .ES-1 Chapter 1 : Current Conditions ................................................................ 1 Background ........................................................................................................1 Staffing and Organization...................................................................................1 VehicleFleet.......................................................................................................3 Facilities .............................................................................................................6 Technology.........................................................................................................6 Description of Current Services..........................................................................6 Chapter 2- Costs and Funding . ......................................................... 17 Operating and Administrative Costs...................................................................17 CapitalCosts ......................................................................................................25 Funding and Revenues ......................................................................................26 CostAllocation ...................................................................................................31 Summary Comments..........................................................................................35 Chapter 3- Service Supplied and Performance ...................................... OperatingStatistics ............................................................................................37 Adopted Performance Criteria............................................................................40 Potential Performance Measures.......................................................................40 Summary and Conclusions ................................................................................43 Chapter 4-Planned Services ................................................................... 4 Current Service Plans ........................................................................................45 Descriptions of Currently Planned Services.......................................................46 Potential Additional Service Expansion..............................................................57 Summary Comments..........................................................................................61 KFH NCDOT Orange County TOC-1 Transit Assessment Study 14 Chapter 5: Organizations Options.... ...................................................... 63 Transit Organization ...........................................................................................63 Regional Context, Planning and Administrative Requirements..........................64 Organizational Options for Orange County........................................................65 Summary Comments Regarding Organization ..................................................79 Chapter 6: Summary and Conclusions.................................................. Appendix A: Orange Unified Transportation Board Appendix B: Organizational Charts Appendix C: Positions Descriptions Appendix D: Demographic Needs Aalysis Appendix E: Transit Planner Job Description KFH NCDOT Orange County TOC-2 Transit Assessment Study 15 Executive Summary Executive Summary OVERVIEW OF ORANGE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION (OPT) This report documents the finding that there have been significant improvements in the administration and management of OPT over the past several years. OPT operates a fleet Of 14 vehicles, and the vehicle fleet is being updated to replace overage vehicles and right- sized to address near-term expansion. OPT is now operating out of offices with sufficient space and appropriate conditions managing the system. Fixed-route services at the moment include the Hillsborough Circulator, and the Orange- Chapel Hill Midday Connector. In the fixed-route service areas OPT provides the demand-response service required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Other demand-response services include service to the rural general public, seniors, and persons with disabilities. Specialized demand-response service is also provided to the clients of several County agencies and Orange Enterprises. The County has recently adopted a new fare policy with fares that vary by type of service and the age of the rider. COSTS AND FUNDING Overall based on FY 2014 data, the combined operating and administrative cost of OPT service was s1,o88,112, or $66.6o per service hour. Of that total, approximately$550,000 or 50% of the costs were covered by federal or state grants, fare revenue or contract income from human service agencies. In addition, there are capital costs primarily for vehicles, which vary year to year depending the number and type of vehicles. The incremental operating cost of new services for FY 2014 was $44.28. Application of a cost allocation model to the current services reveals that Orange County funds are subsidizing (to varying degrees) each of the programs utilizing OPT services. PERFORMANCE OPT provided 63,519 trips in FY 2014, of which 73 percent were on demand-response services, and the remainder on fixed-route service. A comparison of OPT's performance with similar systems in a peer group identified by NCDOT provides a rating of"Superior" for trips per service hour, cost per trip and percentage of non-contract riders per non- urban population. The subsidy per trip level was ranked as "Acceptable". OPT has KFH NCDOT Orange County ES-1 Transit Assessment Study 16 Executive Summary adopted performance criteria, but this study suggests also using some measures that use industry benchmarks. PLANNED SERVICES Proposed services for which funding has been identified include: • Expanded midday Hillsborough Circulator service, • The recently implemented Orange-Chapel Hill Midday Connector (fixed-route), • An Orange-Alamance Connector (US 70 Midday Service, also fixed-route), and • An Efland-Hillsborough Commuter Loop (fixed-route), and • Rural Route-Deviation service two days per week in each of three rural zones, and • Expanded Senior Center demand-response service. A review of county demographic data demonstrates that these are appropriate service types for the areas covered. Additional services proposed by OPT staff for which funding has not yet been identified includes an extension of the US 70 mid-day service to Durham, and expanded hours and days of the other fixed-route services. : Based on the potential need for additional flexible services this study proposes daily route-deviation service in the three rural zones, along with an additional two full-time (weekday) demand-response vehicles. Expanded marketing and information is needed to increase awareness of the new services. ORGANIZATIONAL OPTIONS As the system expands its operational aspects become significant, and it may make sense to move the operations out of Planning and Inspections. The basic options are to: i) Keep it in Planning and Inspections, but revise the planning positions to provide for a full-time transit planner/grants administrator, or a) Move it into Asset Management Services (AMS) to reflect the support needed for vehicle maintenance, or 3) Create a separate Transit Department, or 4) Consolidate with either Chapel Hill Transit or GoTriangle. In addition to OPT's operations, there is a significant ongoing need for transit planning staff with a job description that addresses transit planning activities. There is no single industry standard for transit organization, and the County will need to consider the options and the needs of its expanding system before making any changes in the current structure. KFH NCDOT Orange County ES-2 Transit Assessment Study 17 Chapter 1: Current Conditions Chapter 1 : Current Conditions BACKGROUND Orange Public Transit (OPT) is Orange County's public transportation service. It grew out of the transportation services provided by the aging program, over time providing service to other human service agencies and later obtaining funding to provide public transportation to the general public. It currently operates demand responsive services to customers who call and make reservations in advance to be picked up at their residences, provides services to human service agency clients under contract (including seniors, Medicaid clients and Orange Enterprise clients), provides the fixed route Hillsborough Circulator service and scheduled mid-day trips between Hillsborough and Chapel Hill. The purpose of this study is to determine the appropriate organizational structure and identify near-term service improvements to provide improved service to the citizens of Orange County. This chapter is intended to provide an overview of the current system. Mission Statement, Goals, and Objectives Orange Public Transportation's mission is to promote "a healthful quality of life for all residents of Orange County. OPT strives to provide a comprehensive continuum of locally accessible, community based transportation services. As a primary transportation resource for the county, OPT has the responsibility to serve residents with transportation needs. OPT is dedicated to continuously improving the quality and economic value of our services."i STAFFING AND ORGANIZATION Advisory and Governance Structure OPT is governed by the Orange County Board of Commissioners and is guided by the Orange Unified Transportation Board (OUTBoard). 1 Orange County Website, http://www.co.orange.nc.us/transportation/index.asp. KFH NCDOT Orange County 1 Transit Assessment Study 18 Chapter 1: Current Conditions Orange County Board of Commissioners The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is the official governing body of OPT, though public transportation is just one of the numerous county services that the Board oversees. The Board provides policy and legislative direction, overseeing the business affairs of the system. The seven members of the Board of Commissioners are nominated by district and elected at- large in countywide elections; they serve four-year terms. The Board is led by a Chair and Vice- Chair and supported by the Office of the Clerk to the Board. The Board of Commissioners included transit as part of the 20th of 26 priorities developed for the 2009-2o10 budget year: "Support transit, pedestrian, bicycle facilities and other alternatives to the single passenger automobile."2 This priority list is still posted on the BOCC website as the list of Board priorities. The Board of Commissioners meets regularly, usually twice a month on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. The first meeting of the month is held at the Whitted Building in Hillsborough and the second at the Southern Human Services Center in Chapel Hill. Meeting agendas and minutes are available via the Board of County Commissioners' Website at http://server3.co.orange.nc.us:8o88/weblink:Z/Browse.a5px. Orange Unified Transportation Board(OUTBoard) OUTBoard advises the Board of Commissioners and provides information and comments on major transportation issues. It functions as the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) for services funded by grants from the Public Transportation Division of the NCDOT. It makes recommendations regarding planning and programming improvements, including: identifying and prioritizing the county's roadway and transit needs, associated costs and sources of funding; developing and reviewing the transportation component of the county's comprehensive plan; and providing recommendations to the Board regarding Federal and state legislation affecting transportation in the county. The group replaced the former Transportation Services Board in July 2010 when OPT transitioned from the Department on Aging to the Planning and Inspections Department. The OPT Transportation Administrator is one of the fourteen current members of OUTBoard.3 Other members include advocates for pedestrians, bicycle transportation, transit and representatives of townships. Recently the OUTBoard was expanded to ensure that it meets the NCDOT Public Transportation Division Community Transportation program requirements for a representative Transportation Advisory Board (TAB). It expanded the transportation services/OPT advisory function by adding transit topics to OUTBoard agendas on a quarterly basis. Supplemental staff from other county departments (Aging, Department of Social Services, Housing, Human Rights and Community Development, Health; Child Support Enforcement and the library) have been invited to attend OUTBoard meetings for the portion of the agenda that is transit specific.A z Orange County Board of Commissioners Website, http://www.co.orange.nc.us/OCCLERKS/BOCCPrioritO9.pdf. 3 Current as of May 2015.The OUTBoard has four vacancies. KFH NCDOT Orange County 2 Transit Assessment Study 19 Chapter 1: Current Conditions representative from GoTriangle (formerly Triangle Transit ) is invited to attend and the OPT Transportation Administrator attends when the agenda includes transit system issues. With these changes, the OUTBoard functions as OPT's TAB to maintain ongoing communications, as one means of seeking public involvement and providing ongoing administrative oversight. The OUTBoard meets as needed on the third Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Orange County West Campus in Hillsborough. Meeting agendas and minutes are available on the Orange County website at http://www.co.orange.nc.us/planning/outboard.asp. Appendix A includes the current list of OUTBoard members. Organizational Structure and Staffing OPT is administered by the county's Planning and Inspections Department and is one of six divisions within the department. The Transportation Division has 14 staff positions, including 8 drivers. Organizational charts for Orange County as well as OPT within the Planning and Inspections Department are available in Appendix B. In addition to the Transportation Administrator, there is a full-time Assistant Transportation Administrator with a major role in the oversight and management of operations, an Administrative Assistant I (proposed for reclassification to Transit Coordinator or Scheduler/Dispatcher) and an Office Assistant. Position descriptions are included in Appendix C. Transit planning and some management and administrative functions take place in the Comprehensive Planning Division. One of the Planner II positions performs short-term planning for OPT (though this is not included in the position description for this job), grant development and management and policy development. It is estimated that the OPT functions of this staff position may require 50% of an FTE on average with peak requirements that have required full-time attention as the system has needed to develop a number of new policies and plans to support changes in funding eligibility, compliance requirements and services. There is a second Planner II position that also has transportation planning responsibilities although they are not directly related to OPT,with the exception of providing administrative staff support for transit-related items on OUTBoard agendas. VEHICLE FLEET OPT currently has a fleet of i9 light transit vehicles and vans. The current OPT vehicle inventory is presented in Table i-i.As can be seen in the table, seating capacity ranges from 7 to 24 passengers. Two of the seven vans are wheelchair equipped, as are n of the 12 light transit vehicles. Two of OPT's vehicles are leased from CHT because they were funded under an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) grant. KFH NCDOT Orange County 3 Transit Assessment Study 20 Chapter 1: Current Conditions Current daily operations require 8 to io vehicles at the peals, depending on demand. The most recent NCDOT Vehicle Utilization Data (VUD) report from April 2015 shows 9 vehicles in use at peals times. Five of the vehicles are currently out of service awaiting replacement, and 2 of the 5 are in the disposal process. It should be noted that based on NCDOT useful life guidelines, 12 of the vehicles are eligible for replacement in 2015 (including the 5 that are out of service), 4 vehicles are eligible in 2o16, and 1 in 2017 (based on mileage as of May 2015). Two new vehicles are on the property but have not been placed in service, and 5 replacement vehicles are due later this summer; therefore, 7 of the 12 needed replacements are in process, essentially replacing the 7 eligible vehicles that are in revenue service. One of the issues regarding vehicle utilization and replacement is related to the changes in the boundaries of the Durham-Chapel Hill Urbanized Area and the Burlington Urbanized Area. Much of Orange County, including Hillsborough and Chapel Hill (and the eastern half of the County) (see the map in Figure 1-1), are now within the urbanized area. Prior to the re- designation following the 2010 Census, a larger portion of the county's land area was defined as rural, and the funding for vehicle capital and administrative costs was provided by NCDOT under the Community Transportation program using Federal Transit Administration Section 5311 funds for rural areas. The existing fleet of OPT vehicles was funded with Section 5311 rural funding except for the 2 vehicles leased from Chapel Hill Transit. Going forward, OPT will need to develop a cost allocation methodology4 to allocate operating costs between the rural and urbanized area services and to allocate capital costs for joint capital projects (that serve both). Replacement vehicle funding will need to reflect the eligibility requirements of each program. Replacement Section 5311 vehicles cannot be used for services that are entirely within the urbanized area, though they can be used for services that originate in a rural area and go to a destination in an urbanized area (or the return trip). This situation will affect future vehicle procurement strategies as OPT will need to fund more vehicles (but perhaps not all) using Section 5307 funding in order to have the flexibility to use them entirely within the urbanized area (unless Chapel Hill Transit can provide service in these areas using urban funding). This holds true for the Hillsborough Circulator. 4 FTA C 9040.1G, e.Joint Urbanized and Rural Protects addresses subrecipients that receive both Section 5311 and 5307 funding.While it requires subrecipients to use Section 5311 only to assist the rural portion of the locality in question, it expects the subrecipient to develop a reasonable basis for allocating operating costs between the two funding sources, and to apply this procedure to"joint"capital projects. Capital replacement policies should also use program funds according to federal eligibility requirements. FTA further states that it will look to the state to make determinations on the reasonableness of the cost allocation methodology. NCDOT-PTD staff have agreed that vehicles funded with Section 5311 prior to the change in UZA boundaries can be used on services that were formerly rural but are now within the urbanized area boundaries.This is consistent with state policies In South Carolina (Clemson Area Transit now part of the Greenville Urbanized Area)and Virginia (Radford Transit now part of the Blacksburg Urbanized Area). KFH NCDOT Orange County 4 Transit Assessment Study 21 Chapter 1: Current Conditions Table 1-1: Orange Public Transit Vehicle Inventory No. Service Year Make Vehicle Capacity Peak Use Mileage Replacement** Type Type AB WC Day Hour May'15 'Eligible Funded 1 Revenue 1FDXE45SX4HA08188 2004 Ford Mini Bus 24 2 No No 229,021 2015 2015 3 Out of 2B7LB31ZX2K126762 2002 Dodge Van 10 1 No No 135,000 2015 2015 Service 6 Revenue 2D71-1331Z83K526892 2003 Dodge Van 12 2 No No 165,028 2015 2015 8 Revenue 1GBE5V1947F422530 2007 Chevy Mini Bus 22 2 Yes Yes 233,313 2015 2015 11 Revenue 1FDXE45502HA40337 2002 Ford Mini Bus 24 0 No No 226,801 2015 2015 20 Revenue 1FDFE45549DA64993 2009 Ford Mini Bus 18 2 No No 194,823 2016 2016 24 Revenue FDFE45S59DA49970 2009 Ford Mini Bus 18 2 Yes Yes 189,443 2016 2016 26 Out of 2D71-1331Z63K527023 2003 Dodge Van 14 0 No No 101,740 Disposal - Service 29 Out of 1GNEL19W5XB193701 1999 Chevy Van 7 0 No No 123,290 Disposal - Service 30 Revenue 1G NEL19W9XB194253 1999 Chevy Van 7 0 Yes No 140,240 2016 2016 32 Out of 21361-831Z51K555066 2001 Dodge Van 14 0 No No 146,844 2015 2015 Service 33 Out of 1GNEL19W9XB194253 2002 Dodge Van 10 0 No No 154,058 2015 2015 Service 34 Revenue 1GBE5V1999F413308 2009 Chevy Mini Bus 22 2 Yes No 167,178 2015 - 35 Revenue 1GBE5V191F413335 2009 Chevy Mini Bus 22 2 Yes Yes 162,191 2015 - 36 Revenue 1GBE5V1979F400654 2009 Chevy Mini Bus 18 6 No No 178,167 2015 - 37* Revenue 1GBG5C1909F401139 2009 Chevy Mini Bus 22 2 Yes Yes 157,567 2015 - 38* Revenue 1GBG5C1959F401167 2009 Chevy Mini Bus 22 2 Yes Yes 155,294 2015 - 40 Revenue 1FDFE4FP7ADA41139 2010 Ford Mini Bus 12 2 Yes Yes 89,044 2017 - 41 Revenue 1FDE4FP4ADA39641 2010 Ford Mini Bus 12 2 Yes Yes 130,497 2016 - *Leased from Chapel Hill Transit **NCDOT State Management Plan set minimum useful life standards at 115,000 miles for vans and 145,000 miles for Mini Buses KFH NCDOT Orange County 5 Transit Assessment Study 22 Chapter 1: Current Conditions FACILITIES Open from 8:oo a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during the week, Orange County's Planning and Inspections Department is located at iii West Margaret Lane in Hillsborough. This is also the location of the Comprehensive Planning Division which is responsible for the county's transportation planning. OPT's operating offices are located in a separate building about a mile and a half north at 600 Highway 86. Formerly, OPT's offices were located in rented construction trailers on the site but the trailers have been removed and the system offices are located in a permanent county-owned building on the site. These facilities include a reception area, three offices, a driver's room/training room, and a storage room. The OPT vehicles are parked outdoors on a gravel lot location and are maintained onsite by the County Motor Pool. The entire campus is fenced with a gate and the vehicle storage areas are lighted. TECHNOLOGY OPT uses CTS software to schedule and manage its demand response passenger trips. This type of software is basic in nature. It includes client files and data management to schedule trips, assign them to vehicles/drivers, document trip completion and support billing and reporting. The CTS software is leased so there is a monthly payment to maintain this software. DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT SERVICES OPT provides weekday demand response, fixed route and ADA complementary paratransit service to persons living in Orange County and the town of Hillsborough outside the Chapel Hill and Carrboro town boundaries. General public services are available, though most demand response services focus on the elderly and persons with disabilities. OPT also provides services under contracts or agreements with human service agencies, including Medicaid program trips. KFH NCDOT Orange County 6 Transit Assessment Study 23 Chapter 1: Current Conditions Figure i-i: Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Burlington Urbanized Areas swell Person urham Burlih9lon Hillsborough v= 5 �e urham Chapel Hill C.arrhora � - wa Legend Burl ington Uitan¢edArea Chatham v Durham Vrbanizr Aroa Orange County a 1 2 4 Mde --- I , 1 KFH NCDOT Orange County 7 Transit Assessment Study 24 Chapter 1: Current Conditions Fixed Route Services Hillsborough Circulator Shown in Figure 1-2, OPT operates an in-town bus service called the Hillsborough Circulator Bus which began service in June aoii. This free fixed route bus route serves several residential areas: the library, Orange County Courthouse, Social Services Center, Food Lion, UNC Family Practice, Durham Tech, UNC Hospital-Hillsborough Campus, Maxway Shopping Center, Walmart/Home Depot, and Triangle SportsPlex. The Circulator provides hourly service, Monday through Friday, from 8:oo a.m. to 5:00 p.m.5 Slightly modified from the original schedule and route, these times and stops went into effect on March 2, 2015. This route can be operated with a single small bus. Operation of this service is funded through the end of FY 2015 (and into the first quarter of FY 2o16) through a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program Grant from NCDOT. Future funding is expected to come from public-transit dedicated vehicle registration fees which may be used to leverage Section 5307 operating funds. Orange-Chapel Hill Midday Connector The other current fixed route service in Orange County is a mid-day shuttle from Hillsborough to Chapel Hill, shown in Figure 1-3. This service is open to the general public. GOTriangle provides the Route 420 commuter service on this route as a peak hour, morning and evening, service. The Route 420 service is operated under contract for GoTriangle by Chapel Hill Transit (CHT). CHT continues to provide Route 420 service in 30-minute frequencies between 6:oo a.m. and 8:3o a.m. and 3:40 p.m. and 6:10 p.m. Previously, OPT operated a limited frequency mid-day service called the Hill-to-Hill Shuttle. On August 17, 2015, OPT implemented an increase in the mid-day service frequency and extended the route to Cedar Grove, north of Hillsborough in the non-urbanized portion of the county. This requires two buses on the route. OPT plans to transition the funding for the three daily service hours on this route to NCDOT State Maintenance Assistance Program (SMAP) funding if its application as an urban provider is accepted. The additional nine daily service hours will be supported with revenue from the 1/2-cent transit sales tax. It should be noted that OPT has plans for additional fixed route services and route deviation services to be implemented in October 2015. These are discussed in more detail in Chapter 4. 5 Hillsborough Circulator Bus brochure,available on the Town of Hillsborough Website, http://www.ci.hillsborough.nc.us/sites/default/files/circulator bus brochure.pdf. KFH NCDOT Orange County 8 Transit Assessment Study 25 Chapter 1: Current Conditions Figure 1-2: Hillsborough Circulator Bus Route �L z 041 N. '4 a 22 5 7U 21 Y 2D C 7 i7 S i Hillsborough w w a To 18 a3 8 13 1 12 14 j I 86 v T5 Legend 16 Hnsborough circulator stop Nilsborou9h circulator Route YaSE1rS�N6 �, Nilsborough surrounding Towns V 0 0.275 0.55 1.1 Miles Chapel Hill i 1 1 I I 1 1 1 'Humber indictes stop sequence KFH NCDOT Orange County 9 Transit Assessment Study 26 Chapter 1: Current Conditions Figure 1-3: Orange-Chapel Hill Midday Connector I I o I d Y � fW Na U Eno Creeks + s Hillsborough i Bingham I Durham County CHAPEL HILL I I O Legend i u ■ Route 42 Bus step - Route 42 =314 I.I de uffer Durham ounty N r Orange Co my Towns Chapel ill 0 0.5 1 2 Miles HOKbor ugh I I 1 KFH NCDOT Orange County 10 Transit Assessment Study 27 Chapter 1: Current Conditions ADA Paratransit Services When requested, OPT will provide complementary paratransit services for the Hillsborough Circulator Bus and the mid-day Hillsborough-Chapel Hill route to meet ADA requirements. The ADA paratransit service is provided within 3/4 -mile of the fixed routes and on the same days and hours of operation. The service is available to persons who are unable to board, ride or alight from accessible fixed route service vehicles because of their disability; persons who could use accessible vehicles on the fixed route service but the vehicles used are not accessible; or persons who cannot travel to or from a bus stop because their disability prevents it. ADA complementary paratransit services are only provided to persons who have been certified as to their eligibility for the service and there is a formal eligibility certification process. Applicants must complete an application and OPT's policy calls for the determination to be made on a functional basis based on certification of the disability status by a certified or licensed professional. OPT has an adopted ADA policy that addresses the eligibility, services, visitor arrangements, appeals process, scheduling, no-show policy and public participation process. The route maps shown on the previous pages show the ADA service area around each of the current routes and the ADA service area for the proposed routes is discussed in Chapter 4.ADA service is only provided within the 3/4-mile area on either side of fixed route, fixed schedule services, not on route deviation services. Under Federal Transit Administration policy, route deviation services are considered demand response if any passenger can request a deviation and therefore do not require ADA complementary paratransit. OPT provides ADA complementary paratransit for the fixed route services it operates, at the same times that fixed route service is available. For the Orange-Chapel Hill Midday Connector, the ADA service provided by OPT is only available during the mid-day period; OPT does not provide ADA coverage during the service hours operated by the peak-only GoTriangle Route 42o. Although OPT is allowed to charge twice the fixed route fare for ADA complementary paratransit, the policy has the same $z fare for both general public fixed route and ADA complementary paratransit riders. The OPT ADA service area overlaps that of Chapel Hill Transit, but typically riders within that area use Chapel Hill's ADA service because it is fare -free. Demand Response Services OPT operates demand response services focusing on the elderly (age 6o and above) and persons with disabilities. Door-to-door transportation is provided for non-emergency medical trips with two working days' notice. Many of the trip destinations are in the Chapel Hill and Carrboro jurisdictions, with some additional out-of-county service provided to Durham. The ridership on the demand response services includes both agency clients and KFH NCDOT Orange County 11 Transit Assessment Study 28 Chapter 1: Current Conditions members of the general public.Agency clients must meet eligibility requirements associated with particular programs to use this service and make arrangements through their funding agency. Other passengers whose trips are funded by the NCDOT Rural Operating Assistance Program (ROAP) must apply to OPT and meet eligibility requirements associated with the three ROAP funding programs used by OPT: Elderly and Disabled Transportation Assistance (EDTAP), Rural General Public (RGP), and Work First. The service characteristics and eligibility vary with the funding programs. Non-program transportation for the general public is available at a higher fare. Elderly and Disabled Transportation Assistance (EDTAP) This NCDOT program uses state funds to provide one hundred percent of the costs of operating assistance for trips provided to persons over the age of 6o and to persons of any age with a disability.Although the NCDOT funding does not have any trip purpose restrictions, OPT focuses its service on provision of trips to medical services in Orange and Durham Counties, charging a fare of$3.00 each way to all users. Riders include those who need transportation to medical services but are not eligible for Medicaid. More details regarding the Medicaid transportation program are described later in this section. Reservations must be made two days in advance and trips are scheduled to combine trips and achieve scheduling efficiencies. Drivers can assist passengers who are unable to get from their door to the vehicle and from the vehicle to their destination. Rural General Public (RGP) Service Demand response service is available county-wide outside the Chapel Hill Transit service area.Advance reservations must be made two business days in advance. There is no trip purpose restriction or client eligibility requirement. The fare is $12.75 each way which is approximately the average full operating cost for OPT. NCDOT funds up to go% of the cost of service, with a io% local county match. For some users in Orange County, the fare is discounted and the resulting deficit is covered by a combination of RGP funds and county funding. The service is door-to-door for those who are unable to get from their door to the vehicle without assistance.Although these services are not restricted geographically, these trips are combined on vehicles with persons making trips under specialized programs. There may be limitations on the times, days and locations that such service is available. Specialized/Dedicated Services As the coordinated transportation provider for the county, OPT provides transportation for clients of several agencies and organizations. These include transportation for activities through Orange County's Social Services Department and Senior Centers and Orange Enterprises, a human service agency that provides employment opportunities to persons with disabilities. KFH NCDOT Orange County 12 Transit Assessment Study 29 Chapter 1: Current Conditions Transportation for the Department of Social Services serves low-income, transit-dependent, and Medicaid-eligible participants. Potential users must determine their eligibility for transportation under Medicaid or Work First with the Department of Social Services prior to contacting OPT. Department of Social Services/Medicaid The Department of Social Services (DSS) administers the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation program (NEMT) for Orange County. It uses federal funding through the NC Department of Health and Human Resources to provide transportation for Medicaid eligible (very low income) persons to Medicaid-funded medical services if they have no other way to access these services. In Orange County, OPT is the provider of these services under an agreement with the DSS at a cost to the NEMT program of$12.75 per trip. The demand response service characteristics are the same for these trips with a two-day advance reservation requirement. The capacity for same-day service is required by the NEMT program.Assistance is provided to those who need it for door-to-door transportation. Department of Social Services/Employment Transportation Assistance Program (Work First) Using the same demand responsive transportation model, OPT uses state funding (NCDOT funding at ioo%) for employment trips for low-income individuals. Eligibility is determined through the Department of Social Services. In this case there is both an eligibility requirement and a trip purpose restriction, so the service is really more specialized than general, but it is offered as part of the demand response program. Department on Aging/Senior Center Transportation The Orange County Department on Aging uses Home and Community Care Block Grant (HCCBG) funding to provide transportation Monday-Friday to and from two Orange County Senior Centers which also serve as nutrition sites. The daily, subscription transportation transports residents who are age 6o or above to two senior centers, Seymour Senior Center (in Chapel Hill) and Central Orange Senior Center (in Hillsborough). There is no fare for these trips, though users can make a donation. OPT is paid $6.8o per trip by the Department on Aging. The service is provided on a subscription basis; seniors desiring service call the Senior Center and are referred to OPT. Subscription routes are also open to other OPT demand response trips but are generally focused on the needs of those going to the senior centers. KFH NCDOT Orange County 13 Transit Assessment Study 30 Chapter 1: Current Conditions Orange Enterprises/Residential Services Inc. This private non-profit organization provides services for persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities to create opportunities for personal and professional growth, focusing on helping clients develop and maintain independent life to their full potential. Programs include day support, vocational evaluation, work adjustment (including training), adult developmental vocation programs, long term vocational support and internships with community employers. Orange Enterprises (OE) offers several business lines that provide employment. This organization purchases tickets for its clients at $i.00 per trip (the fare for persons with disabilities), and the clients ride subscription routes that meet their needs. These routes are also open to the general public or other agency trips if the schedules and routes fit their needs. Sportsplex/Parks and Recreation OPT provides group transportation to the Sportsplex which is a county recreation facility. This is a long-standing arrangement and OPT is paid for driver time (at $20.00 per hour) and the vehicle (at si.00 per mile). The combined rate currently works out to $52.20 per day. No additional user fare is collected. The revenue is shown in the MUNIS system as driver lease revenue. The service was formerly dedicated to service Sportsplex riders only but last year it was changed to allow for trips by other riders to be on the vehicles as well. The Sportsplex added adult bus monitors to two routes, and tools over operation of a third, which will reduce the ridership to approximately 4,000 trips this fiscal year. Fare Structure-OPT Fares for OPT's transportation vary by type of service and program. Fixed route On September 1, 2015, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners adopted a new fare schedule covering the fixed route and route deviation services. • Hillsborough Circulator: Free • Other Non-Peals Fixed Routes (Orange-Chapel Hill Mid-day Connector, Orange- Alamance Connector): o $2 one-way, general public cash fare o s1 one-way, fare for children age 6-17 o Free, passengers 6o and above, children age 0-5, persons with disabilities and passengers with a Medicaid or Medicare card FH NCDOT Orange County 14 Transit Assessment Study 31 Chapter 1: Current Conditions • Peak Period Fixed routes (Efland-Hillsborough Commuter Loop) o $2 one-way, general public cash fare o s1 one-way, fare for children age 6-17 o Free, passengers 6o and above, children age 0-5, persons with disabilities, and passengers with a Medicaid or Medicare card o Free to passengers transferring to or from GoTriangle routes (ODX and 420) • Rural Deviated Fixed Routes (scheduled to begin mid-October 2015): o $2 one-way, general public cash fare for passengers boarding at fixed stop locations o $4 one-way, general public cash fare for passengers boarding or alighting at a location on a requested deviation o s1 one-way, fare for children age 6-17 boarding at fixed stop locations o $2 one-way, fare for children age 6-17 boarding or alighting at a location on a requested deviation o Free, passengers 6o and above, children age 0-5, persons with disabilities, and passengers with a Medicaid or Medicare card boarding at fixed stop locations • Free transfers between OPT-operated fixed routes; no free transfers to/from services operated by other transit systems except to/from peak period GoTriangle ODX and Route 420 services. A pass program has also been proposed but is not currently in effect. Demand Response Trips for the elderly and persons with disabilities who are not agency clients are $3.00 each way, while transportation to nutrition sites is free; users are encouraged to make a donation. Trips for non-program passengers, who are not elderly or disabled, cost $12.75 each way. KFH NCDOT Orange County 15 Transit Assessment Study 32 33 Chapter 2: Costs and Funding Chapter 2 : Costs and Funding This chapter presents an overview of the costs of OPT services. This includes an examination of operating and administrative costs, capital costs (primarily vehicles) and indirect costs. A comprehensive budget is presented that includes all identifiable administrative, operating and indirect costs. This is then used to develop an average cost per service hour for OPT services. In addition, an incremental cost per service hour is calculated for use in estimating the costs of additional services that will not require expansion of the basic administrative staff structure. Finally, a cost allocation model is used to compare the estimated variable costs for each of the current services, based on estimates of the amount of service each contract or service utilizes. OPERATING AND ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS The FY 2014 OPT revised budget and actual results is provided in Table 2-1. The county's budget system is the MUNIS municipal budget system which unfortunately bears no relation to the G code FIFA standard transit accounts (column number 1 in the table) and many of the account names do not accurately reflect the actual purpose or source. Fortunately, the Orange County planning staff has developed a Chart of Accounts. This chart was used along with the FTA's UPTAS chart of accounts (known as the G codes), an OPT analysis of FY 2014 costs and data from Orange County on transit related indirect costs (unfortunately these were for FY 2013) to develop this table.As can be seen, the total budgeted operating cost was $874.932, and the end-of-year actual cost was $978,912.A large factor in the difference between budget and actual is that the indirect costs (approximately$170,000) were not included in the OPT revised budget and there were variances between budget and actual. KFH NCDOT Orange County 17 Transit Assessment Study 34 Chapter 2:Costs and Funding Table 2-1: OPT FY2014 Actual and Budgeted Total Administrative and Operating Costs OPT FY 2014 OPT FY 2014 Source of Data or Title Budget Actual Assumptions G121 Salaries and Wages - Full-Time $ 373,891 $ 348,990 FY 2014 MUNIS Report G122 Salaries and Wages -Overtime $ 6,583 $ 4,111 FY 2014 MUNIS Report G125 Salaries and Wages - Part-Time (Benefits) G126 Salaries and Wages - Part-Time (No Benefits) $ 128,970 $ 84,303 FY 2014 MUNIS Report G127 Salaries and Wages - Longevity $ 3,439 $ 2,409 FY 2014 MUNIS Report Salaries -Temporary Other Pay G129 Salaries,Travel, Other Admin. Costs FY 2014 MUNIS Report G181 Social Security Contribution $ 29,324 $ 26,919 FY 2014 MUNIS Report Medicare $ 6,858 $ 6,296 FY 2014 MUNIS Report G182 Retirement Contribution $ 26,314 $ 24,900 FY 2014 MUNIS Report MUNIS: Med Ins+Pmt. In Life+ Dental + HSA Group Insurance $ 77,558 $ 63,952 Contribution Retiree Medical G183 Hospitalization Insurance Contribution G184 Disability Insurance Contribution Included in Indirect Cost G185 Unemployment Compensation of Risk Management K F H NCDOT Orange County 18 Transit Assessment Study 35 Chapter 2:Costs and Funding OPT FY 2014 OPT FY 2014 Source of Data or Title Budget Actual Assumptions Included in Indirect Cost G186 Worker's Compensation of Risk Management G187 Payment for Released Time G188 Flexible Benefit Admin Fee FY 2014MUNIS Budget G189 Other(Physicals, Bonus, Ins., Etc.) $ 7,150 $ 10,589 Document-401K match FY 2014 MUNIS Budget Document- Life Life Insurance $ 992 $ 869 Insurance Reserve for Vacancies Sub-Total Person $ 661,079 $ 573,337do FY 2013 OPT Indirect Cost Report-County G192 Legal $ 7,619 Attorney G196 Drug and Alcohol Testing Contract G197 Drug and Alcohol Tests G198 Medical Review Officer FY 2013 OPT Indirect Cost Report-County G199 Other- Professional Services $ 1,601 Attorney G212 Uniforms G233 First Aid Supplies (Replacement) Employee Activity Supplies FY 2014 MUNIS Report-- Included in Motor Pool G251 Motor Fuels and Lubrication G353 K F H NCDOT Orange County 19 Transit Assessment Study 36 Chapter 2:Costs and Funding OPT FY 2014 OPT FY 2014 Source of Data or Title Budget Actual Assumptions G252 Tires and Tubes FY 2013 OPT Indirect Cost Allocation Report- G253 Associated Capital Maintenance (Building)* $ 6266 Buildings and Grounds G254 Licenses,Tags, and Fees G255 Vehicle Cleaning Supplies G256 Hand Tools G257 Vehicle Sign and Paint Supplies G258 Vehicle Touch-Up Paint FY 2014 MUNIS Report- Actually Relocate G259 Other Vehicle Supplies $ 1,000 $ 945 Vehicle Radios G261 Office Supplies& Materials $ 2,000 $ 1,552 FY 2014 MUNIS Report FY 2014 MUNIS Report-- Actually Legal Ads, G291 Computer Supplies $ 2,500 $ 2,188 Uniforms, Misc. Supplies G292 Fire Extinguisher(Recharging System) G311 Travel $ 800 $ 656 FY 2014 MUNIS Report FY 2014 MUNIS- Certifications and G312 Travel Subsistence $ 203 195.19 Personal Mileage G313 Transportation of Clients/Others G314 Vehicle Rental K F H NCDOT Orange County 20 Transit Assessment Study 37 Chapter 2:Costs and Funding OPT FY 2014 OPT FY 2014 Source of Data or Title Budget Actual Assumptions FY 2014 MUNIS Budget G321 Telephone Service $ 6,000 $ 7,044 Document G322 Internet Service Provider Fee G323 Combined Service Fee FY 2014 MUNIS Budget G325 Postage $ 750 $ 542 Document G329 Other Communications G331 Electricity G332 Fuel Oil G333 Natural Gas FY 2013 OPT Indirect G337 Single/Combined Utility Bill $ 11,513 Cost Report-Utilities G339 Other Utilities G341 Printing& Reproduction $ 500 $ 1,245 FY 2014 MUNIS Report G349 Other Printing and Reproduction FY 2014 MUNIS Budget Document--Includes G353 Repairs and Maintenance -Vehicles $ 140,000 $ 204,266 Fuel, Maint, Rep. G354 Repairs and Maintenance -Shop Equipment Repair& Maintenance -Office/Computer G355 Equipment $ 500 $ - FY 2014 MUNIS Report Repair& Maintenance-Communication G357 Equipment FY 2014 MUNIS Budget Document--Repairs G359 Other Repairs and Maintenance $ 500 $ 465 Contracted Out K F H NCDOT Orange County 21 Transit Assessment Study 38 Chapter 2:Costs and Funding OPT FY 2014 OPT FY 2014 Source of Data or Title Budget Actual Assumptions G371 Marketing- Paid Advertisements G372 Promotional Items G373 Other Advertising/Promotion Media G381 Computer Programming Services FY 2013 OPT Indirect Cost Report- Information G382 Computer Support/Tech Assistance Services $ 11,976 Technologies G391 Legal Advertising G392 Laundry and Dry Cleaning G393 Temporary Help FY 2013 OPT Indirect Cost Report-Custodial G394 Cleaning Services $4,923 Services FY 2013 MUNIS Budget Document-Training and G395 Training- Employee Education $ 500 $ 471 Mileage FY 2014 MUNIS Rpt- Contract Serv.: Software, Vehicle G399 Other Services $ 31,500 $ 19,961 Cleaning, Rent G412 Rent of Building G431 Lease of Reproduction Equipment $ 15,500 $ 2,998 FY 2014 MUNIS Report G444 Maintenance Contracts -Vehicles G446 Maintenance Contracts -Tires G449 Other Service and Maintenance Contracts K F H NCDOT Orange County 22 Transit Assessment Study 39 Chapter 2:Costs and Funding OPT FY 2014 OPT FY 2014 Source of Data or Title Budget Actual Assumptions Includes G 185-186 Unemployment and Workmen's Comp-Risk G452 Insurance -Vehicles $ 55,501 Management FY 2013 OPT Indirect Cost Report- NEC Indirect costs (HR, Bud, G481 Central Services $ 70,669 BOCC G491 Dues and Subscriptions $ 600 $ 600 FY 2014 MUNIS Report G499 Other Fixed Charges FY 2014 MUNIS Report: G611 Direct Purchase of Service (Private) $ 5,000 $ - Transportation Services G612 User Side Subsidy G613 Purchase of Paratransit Service G621 Volunteer Reimbursement G641 Direct Purchase of Service (Public) G693 Payment Made on Cooperative Agreement G821 General Fund G822 Capital Reserve Fund G832 NC Sales Taxes G833 North Carolina Gasoline Tax Refund G834 County Sales Taxes G835 Federal Excise Taxes G836 Federal Gasoline Tax Refund G839 Other Taxes K F H NCDOT Orange County 23 Transit Assessment Study 40 Chapter 2:Costs and Funding OPT FY 2014 OPT FY 2014 Source of Data or Title Budget Actual Assumptions G841 Charter Expenses G842 Garage Services G843 Advertising Expenses G844 Insurance Settlements G847 Income From Elderly/Disabled (EDTAP) G849 Other Contra Accounts G873 Bad Debts --Enterprise FY 2014 MUNIS Report: G881 Purchase for Inventory $ 6,000 $ - Capital under$500 G882 Issues from Inventory $ 213,853 $ 405,576 $ 978,912 K F H NCDOT Orange County 24 Transit Assessment Study 41 Chapter 2: Costs and Funding These figures differ from previous estimates in that the administrative costs covered by the NCDOT Community Transportation Program (CTP) grant are included as costs. The indirect cost elements have been included as line items where possible, and as a combined indirect central services cost for accounts that could not be matched with the G-codes. This total administrative and operating cost represents all known costs except Planning and Inspections, Comprehensive Planning Division costs (staff time, office operations and supplies) that are not charged to the transit system and not included in the county's budgeted direct costs or estimate of indirect costs. If the transportation planner position in the Comprehensive Planning Division was charged as a direct cost, the combined salary and indirect costs on it would add $84,000 to this total. However, the transportation planner is also involved in other transportation programs, and perhaps a fairer allocation to OPT in the long term would be 50%, or $42,000. In addition, approximately io% of the Comprehensive Planning Supervisor (for supervising the two Planner Its involved in OPT issues) and 15% of the other Planner II (for work on OPT-related OUTBoard agenda items) should be included as OPT-related costs. Based on the salary and fringe for those positions, the additional cost would be approximately$25,2oo, resulting in a total administrative and operating cost of$i,o88,112 (based on the FY 2014 actuals). Much of this total expense is covered by federal and state grant funds and other revenues, as discussed below. If divided by the 16,336 service hours operated in FY 2014, this total operating and administrative cost would be $66.6o per hour. For estimating costs of incremental service expansions that would not require additional administrative staff, the administrative costs included the County's CTP grant, administrative indirect costs included in the above budget, and the additional comprehensive planner costs discussed above are all subtracted from the total, resulting in an operating cost of$733,588, or$44.28 per service hour. This lower figure is the operating budget that reflects the costs involved in putting additional vehicle hours into service. There is no capital expense included for FY2014,which is an atypical situation. CAPITAL COSTS As noted above, OPT has just received two vehicles, and five more are on the way.All five of these vehicles were funded by NCDOT under the FY 2015 CTP program, with a local cost of $48,25o, and a combined state and federal share of$434239• For FY 2o16, OPT has requested another three vehicles: one minivan and two 28-foot light transit vehicles (small buses),with a total local share of$23,23o and combined state and federal funding of$209,056. These are replacement vehicles. Three replacement mobile radios are included in this application. KFH NCDOT Orange County 25 Transit Assessment Study 42 Chapter 2: Costs and Funding OPT is eligible for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 urban funding which can be used for capital in the future. For services that will operate completely within the urbanized area, the vehicles must be funded with a source other than CTP Section 5311 funding, either Section 5307 or CMAQ. This is currently being considered. Up until this point, no Section 5307 capital applications have been submitted. FUNDING AND REVENUES Table 2-2 presents a summary of the funding and revenue sources used by OPT, with the dollar values for FY 2014. As can be seen, the revised FY 2014 budget shows $638,227 in budgeted funding to support OPT while the actual receipts were lower at $56o,196. Much of the difference is due to the fact that revenues from the regional transit sales tax and local vehicle license fees were budgeted, but no revenues were collected from these sources (which will occur in the future). Also in FY 2014, there were staffing transitions that resulted in delays in submitting invoices to funding agencies, including NCDOT-PTD. For example, a significant share of the CTP administrative grant funding was not posted in the accounting system within the period of performance. Table 2-2: Estimate of FY2014 Grant and Contract Funding for Orange Public Transportation OPT FY 2014 FY 2014 Title Budget Actual FUNDING Federal Section 5311-CTP Funds -Administrative $ 140,000 $ 35,911 Section 5311-CTP Funds -Operating Section 5310 Section 5316 Section 5317 (New Freedom) Section 5307 Section 5307 Flex Funds -STP-DA Section 5307 Flex Funds -CMAQ $ 60,000 $ 52,699 Other(Enter Name) KFH NCDOT Orange County 26 Transit Assessment Study 43 Chapter 2: Costs and Funding OPT FY 2014 FY 2014 Title Budget Actual Federal Total $ 200,000 $88,610 State CTP -State Funds in Support of Administrative Expenses ROAP - Elderly& Disabled Transp.Assistance Program (EDTAP) $ 75,000 $ 80,561 ROAP - Rural General Public (RGP) $ 80,000 $ 92,624 ROAP-Work First Employment Transportation $ 10,000 $ 34,980 State Operating Assistance Other(Enter Name) Other(Enter Name) Other(Enter Name) State Total $ 165,000 $ 208,165 Local Local Cash Match -CTP $ 27,885 $ 27,885 Local Cash Match - Hillsborough Circulator/P&R $ 28,192 $ 60,988 1 Other Local Revenue Local Expenditure HCCBG Dept. of Aging-Nutrition $ 50,000 $ 57,398 Title III Program Donations $ 150 $ 796 Senior Day Trip Donations $ 1,500 $ - Medical Trips- Co-Pay (EDTAP Fares) $ 12,500 $ 18,699 Vehicle Lease $ 10,000 $ 1,054 Driver Lease $ 11,000 $ 13,032 Transit Sales Tax Proceeds $ 22,000 $ - 1 The original CMAQ grant for the Hillsborough Circulator did not require any local match for the first$190,000, but the Town paid the County a match that has been deferred for use going forward as the funding transitions from the CMAQ grant. KFH NCDOT Orange County 27 Transit Assessment Study 44 Chapter 2: Costs and Funding OPT FY 2014 FY 2014 Title Budget Actual Transportation Payments-DSS (NEMT) $40,000 $ 67,116 Advertising Property Tax Ad Valorem: Current Yr Property Tax Ad Valorem: 1st Yr Prior Property Tax Ad Valorem: 2nd Yr Prior General Ticket Sales-Passenger Fares $ 4,000 $ 11,904 Market Promotion Triangle Transit Authorized Service Special Event Revenues Vehicle License Fee Collections $ 66,000 $ - Interest Income Sales: Equipment ' Miscellaneous Revenues Warranty Reimbursement ■ Appropriation FD Balance ■ Local Total ` $ 273,227 $ 263,421 Total Funding ■ ■ $ 638,227 $ 560,196 Source:Created by KFH based on the OPT FY14 MUNIS Year-to-date Budget Report Comparing the budgeted funding and revenues to the total budgeted expenditure, approximately'73% of the OPT operating expenses were covered by federal or state grants, contracts or user contributions. If the total actual expenditure (FY 2014 actuals plus indirectS2) is compared to the actual FY 2014 revenues, this recovery declines to 54.8%. In general, reimbursements are not received until long after the period of performance so they may be posted in the following year. Because of this situation, the budgeted column is probably a better reflection of the types and amounts of funding used to support OPT services. z In this budget,the provided line item estimates of indirect costs.Where line items that had been listed by the County as indirect costs could be assigned to G-code accounts,they were included in this budget under the appropriate line item. For example the County identified vehicle insurance as an indirect cost, but it could be assigned to G452. Indirect costs identified by the County that could not be assigned to a line item were aggregated and assigned to the G 481 Central Services line item. NCDOT-PTD calculation of eligible indirect costs for its grant programs likely would be different. KFH NCDOT Orange County 28 Transit Assessment Study 45 Chapter 2: Costs and Funding It should be assumed that the difference between the revenues and expenses is county general revenue funding. Funding Sources Federal/State Programs Community Transportation Program-Section 5311 for Non-urbanized Areas OPT receives funding under the FTA Section 5311 Program. This program is used to support public transportation services in rural areas with a population less than 50,000. Though the federal regulations allow these funds to be used for administrative, capital or operating expenses, the program as administered by NCDOT (called the Community Transportation Program or CTP) allows the use of Section 5311 funding only for Administrative and Capital Expenses unless the sub-recipient is a small urban fixed-route system or a regional community system. In this case, operating deficits (up to 50% of the net operating costs of general public routes) can be funded with CTP funds. Operating costs must be paid out of state program funds, local funds or contract revenues. The match ratio for S.5311 funds for Administration under the CTP program (for FY 16) allows for up to a 63% federal share,with NCDOT providing 22%, and a required local cash match of 15%. For capital expenses, under the NCDOT program the federal share is 8o% of the capital cost and up to 83%participation for a vehicle related purchase to be in compliance with ADA. Under MAP-21, the federal share for vehicles acquired to comply with ADA or the Clean Air Act (CAA) is 85%. The federal share is go% for vehicle- related equipment and facilities acquired either to comply with CAA or required by ADA (vehicle-related equipment is equipment on or attached to the vehicle). State funds, subject to appropriations, may be used to provide one-half of the non-federal match, up to 10%. Local funding and contractual revenue can be used for the remaining required local match. For FY 2014, OPT's administrative grant included state and federal funds for$157,764, to be matched by$27,841 in local funds. There was no capital application under this program. Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Program In non-attainment areas, the FTA provides funding under the CMAQ program for projects that address air quality and congestion issues. This includes capital funding for vehicles and facilities and operating funding for up to three years of operation (five if originally funded under MAP-21). The Hillsborough Circulator operations have been funded under this program. The original grant of$1go,000 did not require local match but the town made contributions toward local match which have been deferred for use as the service is transitioned to different funding sources. In FY 2014, $6o,000 in CMAQ operating funds were budgeted for this service KFH NCDOT Orange County 29 Transit Assessment Study 46 Chapter 2: Costs and Funding and the budget included $28,182 in local funds from the town. The actual amount shown reflects the accumulated deferred local match from the town. State Programs OPT receives state funding under the Community Transportation Program (CTP) and the Rural Operating Assistance Program (ROAP). As noted above, the state provides a portion of the local match for CTP administrative and capital expenses incurred by local transit agencies in North Carolina. OPT budgeted for a total of$140,000 in federal and state funds combined for FY 2014. Based on the actual grant application, the actual amount requested was $157,764; of which $37,492 was state match funding. Orange County had to provide $27,841 in local match for this CTP administrative expenses grant. The MUNIS report for FY 2014 shows that only $35911 in CTP funding had been received by year end. ROAP combines the Rural General Public (RGP), Elderly and Disabled Transportation Assistance Program (EDTAP) and the Employment program into one grant. In 2014, OPT budged for$165,000 in state ROAP funding while actual receipts during the period came to $208,165. Fares, Donations and Contracts In addition to federal and state funding, OPT operating expenses are offset by revenues generated locally. NCDOT allows contract revenues to be counted as revenue (reducing the net deficit) or as match. Other revenues such as fares must be used to reduce the deficit and are applied to operating expenses. • Contract Revenue:As described previously, OPT provides transportation under contract to several human service agencies. FY 2o14 budgeted and actual revenues by agency are as follows: • HCCBG Department of Aging: Budget - $50,000,Actual - $57,398 • DSS Non-Emergency Medical Transportation : Budget - $40,000, Actual $67,116 • Fares and Donations:These are funds provided by users, broken out in relation to the program that these revenues get applied to: • Title III Program Donations: Budget - $15o,Actual - $796 • Senior Day Trip Donations: Budget - $1,5oo, Actual- None • EDTAP Medical Co-pay (Fares): Budget - $12,5oo,Actual - $ 18,699 • General Passenger Fares: Budget - $4,000,Actual - $11,904 (The high level of actual reported fare revenue may indicate an error in posting of some income.) In the past the OPT coordination model offered agencies needing transportation the option of leasing a vehicle from OPT, and/or leasing a driver. These budget categories are continued in KFH NCDOT Orange County 30 Transit Assessment Study 47 Chapter 2:Costs and Funding the MUNIS accounts but the revenues shown in the MUNIS system now reflect revenues from contracted trips beyond baseline Medicaid and Senior Center services. In FY 2014, $ii,000 was budgeted for "driver lease" receipts and $1o,000 for"vehicle lease". Actual receipts were $1,054 for vehicle lease, and $13,032 for driver lease. These are budget line names, not actual leasing of drivers or vehicles from OPT or by OPT. Dedicated Local Taxes In North Carolina, local vehicle registration fees can be used to fund transit programs. Orange County budgeted $66,000 in FY 2014 to come from such fees but no revenues are shown. In addition, Orange County voters supported the collection of a 1/2-cent sales tax for transit. OPT will be using its allocation for service expansion. In FY 2014, the OPT budget included $22,000 in proceeds from this tax but this was premature and there were no receipts. COST ALLOCATION In an effort to compare costs for particular services to the revenues associated with them, a cost allocation model was applied to the FY 2015 OPT budget to develop a formula that can be used to assign costs to the different services based on the number of miles, service hours and riders associated with each. The purpose of this exercise is to shed some light on existing cross subsidies and the relationship between the funding provided by different agencies and the related costs. There are limitations to this analysis and it should not be used for pricing at this point. The FY 2015 OPT budget was provided in the MUNIS report. Because it shows the original budget, the revised budget and the actual accrued amount and the budget year is not yet over, the revised budget amount was used to populate the accounts of the model. The model used is the cost allocation model developed by ITRE for use in North Carolina transit systems. The chart of accounts used is the G-code transit accounts so an assignment was made to incorporate the MUNIS budget into the appropriate G-code line items. The model assigns each line item based on whether it is fixed or varies with miles, hours or ridership. An adjustment is made reflecting the NCDOT contribution for the CTP administrative grant. Capital is not included in the model. KFH NCDOT Orange County 31 Transit Assessment Study 48 Chapter 2: Costs and Funding The resulting equation for Orange County services is: Equation with Grants Discounted ($49.28 Per Hour) x ($o.73 per Mile) x (-$2.25 per Passenger) = Cost Allocation Although the results of the equation below are not included in this report, it is useful to note the difference in cost per passenger without the CTP grants discounted. Equation without Grants Discounted ($49.2$ Per Hour) x ($o.73 per Mile) x ($0.53 per Passenger) = Cost Allocation This equation was applied to estimated miles, hours and ridership for the various OPT services, and compared to the funding associated with each service. OPT has not tracked miles or hours by contract or program in the past, so an estimate was developed by using the April 2014 vehicle utilization report and assigning each vehicle run in that six day sample to one predominating service or contract, recognizing that some trips from different programs may be mixed in. Table 2-3 presents a comparison of the estimated data to the known reported actual annual totals. While the estimated numbers for the total year are not exactly the same, the resulting information of miles, hours and ridership was deemed adequate for a first approximation cost allocation. Table 2-3:April 2015 Vehicle Utilization Report Estimates Service Service Total rvice Ty Miles Hours Passengers Reported FY14 Fixed Route 61,964 2,557 16,690 Estimated FY15 Fixed Route 65,936 3,177 13,936 Percent Change 6.0% 19.5% -19.8% Reported FY14 Demand Response 252,659 13,778 46,829 Estimated FY15 Demand Response 259,532 11,524 39,806 Percent Change � 2.6% -19.6° 1-17.6% Reported FY14 Total 314,623 16,335 63,519 Estimated FY15 Total 325,468 14,702 53,742 Percent Change ■ 3.3% -11.1% -18.2% KFH NCDOT Orange County 32 Transit Assessment Study 49 Chapter 2: Costs and Funding Table 2-4 presents the estimated cost per trip for each program/service compared to the payment received. This provides information on how county funds subsidize the different programs. Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to directly compare the total funding from each source to the costs of the trips that are funded by that source because each of these services is not dedicated to a particular user group/funding source. This practice increases system efficiency, lowering overall costs. For example, Medicaid funded trips may be scheduled on vehicle routes that include the "medicals" route, or one of the dialysis routes so we cannot allocate the cost of"medicals" and then compare it to the total revenue from Medicaid. We can see that any trip on those two services costs more than the $12.75 per trip paid by Medicaid (though not by a huge amount). Similarly, the services to nutrition sites are not one hundred percent dedicated to those riders; there may be a medical or prescription trip or a general public trip blended in. For all of the Senior Center services, we can see that the cost per trip on those services is well above the $6.8o that the Aging program is able to provide. Similarly the Orange Enterprises' (OE) services at $12.72 per trip cost more than the $i.00 provided by OE, but the subsidy per trip is almost the same as the $io.67 per trip subsidy cost for the fare-free Hillsborough Circulator. Dedicated general public trips are those on the Hill-to-Hill mid-day route and the Hillsborough Circulator. Other general public trips may be scheduled on the other demand response routes but are currently not tracked separately from the service. For demand response services it is likely that there are few true "general public" rides at the current $12.75 per trip price as the sum of the specialized program ridership is pretty close to the total demand response ridership. Part of the evaluation depends on the perspective of the evaluator;Are OE trips "client trips" or are persons going to OE destinations part of the "general public"? KFH NCDOT Orange County 33 Transit Assessment Study 50 Chapter 2: Costs and Funding Table 2-4:Weekly Allocated Miles, Times and Passengers Total Trip Typical Contractor Service Service Total Cost Cost per Trip Miles Hours Passengers* (With Grants Per Trip Discounted)" Payment Adult Day 572 394 1,144 $17,691.47 $15.46 $3.00 Chapel Hill Dialysis 42,328 1,780 5,720 $107,636.14 $18.82 - Durham Dialysis 29,484 584 2,392 $45,502.48 $19.02 - Hill to Hill Fixed Route 19,916 1,209 3,848 $66,752.16 $17.35 $2.00 Hillsborough Circulator 46,020 1,968 10,088 $109,470.72 $10.85 - Medicals 15,132 374 1,716 $25,966.06 $15.13 $12.75 Orange Enterprises 63,336 3,317 13,988 $181,276.45 $12.96 $1.00 Senior Nutrition Cedar 25,012 608 2,704 $42,672.25 $6.80 Grove $15.78 Senior Nutrition Chapel Hill 21,684 1,198 3,172 $69,093.78 $21.78 $6.80 Senior Nutrition Efland 25,792 1,044 2,652 $65,512.51 $24.70 $6.80 Senior Nutrition 33,748 1,718 2,912 $104,868.28 $6.80 Hillsborough $36.01 Senior Shopping 208 78 312 $3,366.66 $10.79 - Sportsplex 2,236 429 3,094 $16,038.01 $5.18 - Total 325,468 14,701 53,742 $855,846.98 $15.93 *Estimates from April 2015 VUD Report **Grants Discounted-NCDOT CTP Administrative Funding is not allocated among services but is taken as a contribution to reduce overall costs. Another observation that arises from the cost allocation effort in this memorandum is that most (if not all) of the specialized services, even those operated under contract, are subsidized by some combination of state and local transit operating funds, and it is likely that a substantial part of this subsidy comes from Orange County general revenues. In many cases what the agency can pay is fixed and OPT and the county have considered it part of the agency's mission to provide the service even if the agency contract rate could not cover the full costs. None of this is meant to imply that the price for these trips should be, or can be changed-but only that the subsidy and its source need to be made explicit. As OPT expands its services, the funding it plans to use is clearly designated as funding for general public transit and the agencies providing it will need to be assured that it is used for its intended purposes. For example, a subsidy to support the senior nutrition trip, costs that are not covered by the HCCBG funding and donations, will need to be identified as coming from county general funds not from Section 5307 operating funds or the regional sales tax. NCDOT Orange County 34 �� Transit Assessment Study 51 Chapter 2: Costs and Funding SUMMARY COMMENTS Major improvements have been made in understanding and documenting the costs and ridership of the system to provide a true picture, which is needed to plan and implement any future service expansions. Continued work on these elements is needed to bring the MUNIS accounts and the public transit accounts into greater conformance and provide better detail on some items, or at least to make the account names and definitions more clear. The major gap at the moment is in being able to use the scheduling and dispatching software to fully allocate costs to particular contracts or service types. This may be required as a result of grants that are intended to provide particular types of service. The next chapter examines the performance of the system in terms of its efficiency and effectiveness. NCDOT Orange County 35 KFH Transit Assessment Study 52 53 Chapter 3:Service Supplied and Performance Chapter 3 : Service Supplied and Performance With a significant expansion underway that includes a number of new services of varying types (fixed route, route deviation, demand response), OPT will need a means to evaluate whether these services are successful over time. If the expected ridership does not materialize, or if costs are higher than anticipated, it may be prudent to consider whether a particular service should be revised or eliminated rather than continue to support an under-performing service. In order to do this, the county needs to track performance over times using a consistent set of measures, along with thresholds that are set to trigger review and reassessment of underperforming services. NCDOT has sought to use the OpStats program to provide a consistently defined statewide set of measures. It uses peer comparisons to help systems identify cases in which their program is falling behind its peers. Currently, PTD is focusing on performance-based management statewide. It is likely that in the future, funding may be linked to performance as well. This chapter presents information about the amount of service that OPT delivers and how it performs in comparison to its peers. It also discusses performance measures that have been or could be adopted by Orange County. OPERATING STATISTICS The Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) at NC State University manages reporting for the NCDOT's Public Transportation Division. The reporting system is known as OpStats and is the basis for the data provided below regarding the amount of service provided and the ridership on OPT services. Table 3-1 presents FY 2014 ridership, service miles and hours for OPT services. • w J f Orange County Public Transportation(OPT)Bus Sou rce:htt p://www.o ra ngecou ntync.gov/departments/p la n n i ng_a n d_i ns pec tions/orange_public_transportation/about_us.php NCDOT Orange County 37 KFH Transit Assessment Study 54 Chapter 3:Service Supplied and Performance Table 3-1: OPT Service Provided, FY 2014 Annual Miles Fixed-Route 61,964 Demand-Response 252,659 Total Miles 314,623 Annual Hours Fixed-Route 2,557 Demand-Response 13,778 Total Hours 16,335 Ridership Fixed-Route 16,690 Demand-Response Human Service Agency Vocational Workshop 15,637 DSS Medicaid 5,895 DSS WorkFirst 309 Senior Services Parks and Recreation 6,381 Sub Total 1) HSA Demand-Response 28,222 2) Non-contract 18,607 Total Demand-Response 46,829 Total Ridership 63,519 Source:NCDOT OpStats Report,Fourth Quarter 2014,Orange Public Transit Table 3-2 presents trends of key measures and performance indicators for the period from 2oo6 to 2014. Prior to FY 2oi3, reporting of OPT ridership was not accurate due to issues with the computerized data management system. Therefore, trend analysis using reported data shows a significant decline in ridership though it is likely that in reality the ridership has held steady'. 1 A earlier analysis of ridership and revenues estimated that the actual 2012 ridership was approximately 64,000 trips, rather than the reported 116,500, so the FY 2014 figure of 63,519 is likely accurate. NCDOT Orange County 38 �� Transit Assessment Study 55 Chapter 3:Service Supplied and Performance Table 3-2: OPT Trend Analysis, 2oo6-2014 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Miles (Thousands) 464 472 473 453 408 465 405 341 315 Hours (Thousands) 34.1 36.1 32.8 30.6 28.6 36.3 25 18.3 16.3 Trips (Thousands) 117 128 133.9 115.3 112.3 113.4 116.5 80.3 63.5 Operating Cost $954.70 $1,018.90 $1,103.90 $1,011.10 $881.00 $857.00 $749.10 $796.80 $816.50 Trips/Hour 3.43 3.55 4.08 3.77 3.93 3.12 4.66 4.39 3.90 Cost/Hour $28.00 $28.22 $33.66 $33.04 $30.80 $23.61 $29.96 $43.54 $50.09 Cost/Mile $2.06 $2.16 $2.33 $2.23 $2.16 $1.84 $1.85 $2.34 $2.59 Source:NCDOT OpStats Reports Table 3-3 presents a comparison of OPT performance for FY 2014 compared to the fourteen counties identified by ITRE as appropriate peers for benchmarking comparisons. Only FY 2014 data is used in this case because it is most likely to be accurate. Except for the subsidy per trip, OPT's statistics as compared to its peer group are quite good. The subsidy per trip measure may reflect the fact that many of the peers have significant levels of contract income which reduces the subsidy per trip. OPT's superior ratings for cost per trip, trips per hour and non-contract trips per non-urban population likely result in part from the fixed-route services that are more productive, whereas many of the peers have limited amounts of fixed-route service. Table 3-3: OPT Peer Performance Benchmarking Measure Acceptable Median Superior OPT Value OPT Ranking Subsidy per Trip 10.99 7.18 3.36 7.51 Slightly below Median Cost per Trip 23.66 18.09 12.53 12.85 Superior Trips per Hour 0.73 1.95 3.17 3.89 Superior Non-Contract Trips per Non-Urban Population 0.26 0.6 0.94 0.93 Superior Source:NCDOT FY 2014 Orange County OpStats Report;Community Transportation Peer Group Summary for Peer Group 2. Peer Group 2:Alamance,Cabarrus,Cumberland,Davidson,Gaston,Iredell,Lee,Onslow,Orange,Pitt,Rowan,Union,Wayne,and Wilson Counties NCDOT Orange County 39 �� Transit Assessment Study 56 Chapter 3:Service Supplied and Performance ADOPTED PERFORMANCE CRITERIA As part of its Title VI plan, OPT was required to adopt performance standards that could be applied to its services as a common yardstick that could be used to assure equitable provision of services. The adopted standard for fixed route services uses the measure "boardings per service hour" (which has to be collected for OpStats), such that over a specified period, any route that falls below 5o% of the average boardings per hour for the entire system is to be evaluated for modification or elimination. This methodology is often used for urban fixed route transit systems. Its advantage is that each individual service is compared only to the average of the entire system, so it is calibrated to that system. If the entire system has a low average, it is possible that a route operating at a productivity that is 50% of that level may actually be providing a very low ridership in absolute terms. For example, if the system average is 8 boardings per service hour and a route is only providing 4 boardings, it may still meet the threshold even though the service really should be considered for a change to route deviation (Four boardings per hour is a very low level of productivity for fixed-route service). Consideration of this possibility suggests that OPT should at least consider setting some additional benchmarks by type of service, perhaps based on industry norms. POTENTIAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES In addition to the adopted measure, there are several general transit performance measures that can be used to track transit performance. These could include: • Operating cost per service hour • Operating cost per service mile • Operating cost per passenger trip • Passenger boardings per service mile • Farebox recovery (fare or contract revenue divided by total operating expenses- i.e. the percentage of costs paid by the user or agency) • Total subsidy per trip (the portion of operating costs that is not paid by the user or agency) In addition to: • Passenger boardings per service hour In general, a system should apply these measures to each type of service it provides because each is likely to have very different characteristics based on the possibility of NCDOT Orange County 40 KFH Transit Assessment Study 57 Chapter 3:Service Supplied and Performance carrying higher numbers of passengers on the same trip. There may be different cost levels associated with using different size vehicles or providing a service that requires telephone reservationists and daily scheduling of individual trips. A system can collect this data over time and perform internal comparisons to identify trends with particular services, although there are often seasonal variations that require comparison to the same period of the previous year. Comparisons to peers or an industry standard can provide benchmarks that are useful in deciding whether a particular service needs review, is acceptable or exceeds expectations. In a very general sense, one would expect typical productivities to be: • Demand-response: 1.5 to 3.5 boardings per hour • Rural Route Deviation:3.5-6 boardings per hour • Rural commuter (Orange-Chapel Hill Connector): 4-io boardings per hour • Small town local fixed-route (Hillsborough Circulator): 4.5- io boardings per hour Table 3-4 presents OPT performance by service type based on the estimates of costs and ridership by service type found in the previous chapter. NCDOT Orange County 41 KFH Transit Assessment Study 58 Chapter 3:Service Supplied and Performance Table 3-4: OPT Estimated Performance By Service Type Total Trip Cost Cost Service Service Total Cost Cost Boardings Contractor * per per Miles* Hours* Passengers (With Grants Per Trip Hour Mile per Hour Discounted)" Hill to Hill Fixed Route 19,916 1,209 3,848 $66,752.16 $17.35 $55.20 $3.35 3.18 Hillsborough Circulator 46,020 1,968 10,088 $109,470.72 $10.85 $55.63 $2.38 5.13 Fixed Route Combined 65,936 3,177 13,936 176,223 $12.65 $55.46 $2.67 4.39 Demand Response Adult Day 572 394 1,144 $17,691.47 $15.46 $44.88 $30.93 2.90 Chapel Hill Dialysis 42,328 1,780 5,720 $107,636.14 $18.82 $60.47 $2.54 3.21 Durham Dialysis 29,484 584 2,392 $45,502.48 $19.02 $77.88 $1.54 4.09 Medicals 15,132 374 1,716 $25,966.06 $15.13 $69.38 $1.72 4.58 CE 63,336 3,317 13,988 $181,276.45 $12.96 $54.66 $2.86 4.22 Senior Nutrition Cedar Grove 25,012 608 2,704 $42,672.25 $15.78 $70.24 $1.71 4.45 Senior Nutrition Chapel Hill 21,684 1,198 3,172 $69,093.78 $21.78 $57.66 $3.19 2.65 Senior Nutrition Efland 25,792 1,044 2,652 $65,512.51 $24.70 $62.74 $2.54 2.54 Senior Nutrition Hillsborough 33,748 1,718 2,912 $104,868.28 $36.01 $61.06 $3.11 1.70 Senior Shopping 208 78 312 $3,366.66 $10.79 $43.16 $16.19 4.00 Sportsplex 2,236 429 3,094 $16,038.01 $5.18 $37.38 $7.17 7.21 Demand Response Combined 259,532 11,524 39,806 6791624 $17.07 $58.97 $2.62 3.45 Total Syste -- 032,069.86 $15.25 $57.73 $2.64 3.79 *Estimates from April 2015 VUD Report **Grants Discounted-NCDOT CTP Administrative Funding is not allocated among services but is taken as a contribution to reduce overall costs. NCDOT Orange County 42 KFH Transit Assessment Study 59 Chapter 3:Service Supplied and Performance The values in Table 3-4 are estimates based on a single month VUD report of statistics by contract or service type, as described in the previous chapter. They may not accurately represent each service, but the overall estimates are similar to annual figures supplied by OPT to NCDOT. This table represents a potential model for OPT to track performance by service, if this data is collected monthly and then aggregated. It could be used to track trends within OPT, and could be used to compare with benchmarks from other systems, or from the National Transit Database. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS OPT has greatly improved its data collection and analysis capabilities over the past several years. It is now able to respond to NCDOT data requests with reasonably accurate representative data. When current information is compared to peer systems (as identified by the state), OPT is classified as "Superior" on the measures used, with the exception of the subsidy per passenger. This likely reflects that the county is subsidizing demand response passengers whose trips are paid by agency contracts in other systems, which is then reported as revenue to the transit system. OPT can do more to track performance of key measures by service type and contract. It should do this as its service expands and new service types are offered. Once trends for OPT measures are evident, comparisons with other similar services will be possible.A concern is that ridership on the new fixed route services should be appropriate to the amount of investment in the service. For example, the estimated cost per trip of the Hill- to-Hill fixed route service in Table 3-4 is the same as the average demand response cost per trip. This suggests that it might have been just as cost-effective to provide those trips on a demand response basis.As service is added on that route, one would hope that the ridership increases sufficiently to result in a lower cost per trip that demand response or even route deviation services could provide. The only way to know this is if the county tracks the appropriate data. NCDOT Orange County 43 KFH Transit Assessment Study 60 61 Chapter 4: Planned Services Chapter 4 : Planned Services CURRENT SERVICE PLANS Orange Public Transit (OPT) existing services were described in detail in Chapter i. This section of this document is intended to describe the near-term (one- to- three years) planned service expansions as a factor for consideration in developing organizational options. Following the November 2012 referendum in favor of the half cent sales tax increase to support additional investment in transit, in December 2012 the Orange County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) authorized a seven dollar increase in the vehicle registration fee and the implementation of the sales tax.At the same time the results of the 2010 Census resulted in a change in the boundaries of the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Urbanized Area to include more of Orange County. This shifted the basic source of transit funding for that area from the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA's) Section 5311 rural program (implemented in by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) as the Community Transportation Program (CTP) to the Section 5307 Urbanized Area program. These changes together created the opportunity for Orange County to develop plans for an expanded public transit program. The Bus and Rail Investment Plan in Orange County (Orange Transit Plan) was adopted by the BOCC in October of 2012 as the basis for expanded services using the sales tax revenue, in anticipation of the passage of the referendum. The planning process leading up to this plan included substantial public input over a two-year period. The plan was developed with joint participation from Triangle Transit, Orange County, municipalities and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHCMPO). It has a number of elements including new light rail service, a new Hillsborough Amtrak station, bus lanes on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Chapel Hill and new bus services (and bus capital to support the service). The focus of this section of the study is the local (rural and urban) bus service expansion planned for Orange County outside Durham and Chapel Hill/Carrboro. This refers to the portions of the Orange Transit Plan slated for operation by OPT, in relation to the regional service expansions planned for operation by GoTriangle. These services were developed by Orange County planning staff, based in part on demographic analysis performed as part of a previous study. That study examined the potential feasibility of consolidating OPT with Chapel Hill Transit's ADA operations, and to a large extent on public and policy-maker input. The demographic needs analysis from that study is included as Appendix D. The planned services are illustrated in Figure 4-1, depicting the rural route deviation service areas, and in Figure 4-2, depicting the fixed routes. KFH NCDOT Orange County 45 Transit Assessment Study 62 Chapter 4: Planned Services Figure 4-1 includes shading that portrays the level of transit need, based on the percentage of the population with high transit needs characteristics as combined in an overall Transit Dependence Index. The Transit Dependence Index analysis can be found in Appendix D. On a percentage basis it can be seen that there are areas of the county with high need, however, they are areas with very low numbers of persons and low density, so a demand-response or route deviation service is appropriate. Similarly, Figure 4-2 presents the fixed-routes together with information on the overall level of population density,which is generally required to support fixed-route, fixed-schedule service. The areas of density are concentrated along the U.S. 70-I-40 corridor, in Mebane and Efland, in Hillsborough, and in Chapel Hill. The proposed routes link these areas, and provide local service in the higher density areas, so they are generally in the appropriate areas of the county. The extension to Cedar Grove does not serve much density, but there are identified senior needs in that area and it allows utilization of a Section 53n funded vehicle on the Hill-to-Hill shuttle. These services are described in more detail in the following sections. DESCRIPTIONS OF CURRENTLY PLANNED SERVICES Rural Zonal Route-Deviation Services Description This combined service would provide general public service (no eligibility requirements) in the rural areas of Orange County on a deviated fixed-route basis. Each of three zones (Northeastern, Northwestern and Southern) would receive service two days per week. Figure a- i presents a map of the general zones. A generalized route will be developed for each zone with designated stops, but passengers may also make advance reservations to have the vehicle deviate to pick-up and drop-off passengers at or near their homes or destinations. The services will be offered during scheduled periods, and the routes will be designed to provide connections to Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, Mebane, and connecting to Durham. It is anticipated that each zone would receive service approximately five hours per day, with several frequencies (between one and two-hours between trips in each zone). This service design is intended to concentrate limited public demand in the lowest density parts of the county in order to make general public service feasible. KFH NCDOT Orange County 46 Transit Assessment Study 63 Chapter 4: Planned Services Fares Standard OPT fixed-route fares would apply. If OPT can work out the technology and revenue accounting, it is planned that passengers will be able to use GoTriangle farecards. Vouchers from the Department of Social Services (DSS) for low-income riders may be used for fare payment. Vehicle Requirements A single light transit vehicle (lift-equipped) will be required because this service operates only two days per week in each of three zones. Operating Costs OPT estimates annual operating costs of$75,255 based on 1,56o service hours at $48.24 per service hour (FY 2o16). Anticipated Funding As new general public service in rural areas the service will be eligible for local funding from the vehicle registration fee, the sales tax, and NCDOT/FTA Section 5311 operating assistance. Fare revenues would contribute toward operational expenses.Vehicle capital would need to come from NCDOT/FTA Section 5311 Community Transportation Program (CTP) capital funding. It is likely that OPT would utilize vehicles in the fleet previously funded from this source, with new vehicles funded by Section 5307 used to free up the vehicles previously funded by the rural CTP program. Implementation Timeframe These services are currently planned for implementation in October 2015. KFH NCDOT Orange County 47 Transit Assessment Study 64 Chapter 4: Planned Services Figure 4-1: Rural Route Deviation Service Areas Caswell Pe son r r r r \ l l� i Northwestern Orange County Northeastern Orange County 157 Deviated Fixed Route Zone Deviated Fixed Route Zone Wood lawn _ Meb e 70 \ Hillsborough \ Alamance Du am i I 11 C apel ill , y� 54 Carrboro 'I ®southern orange county Deviated Fixed[Route Zane Na —tam Orange County Deviated Fixed Route Zone 'Jarthweaiem Orange C—ly Deviated Fixed Route Zone _ �} ::::7 CarrWo Transit Dependent By Percentage / �\ V"Law Law 0 ,3 Mile Maaerete M High �V.ryFgh C atham Copyright:©2014 Esri �rH NCDOT Orange County 48 Transit Assessment Study 65 Chapter 4: Planned Services Figure 4-2: Fixed Routes and Population Density i f 1 lawn p ° 1Meb9i / in 11a' r —Ails Y ' t ■ I I a I1 I V 1 e � q Durham `1 p Carrbor hapel Hill j a } f Legend . R.W.420 eus Stop 1 Eflantl-Rilsbereugh Cemmuler Laop � 0 X Route RIIlebereugh C'111ulaW Red, ❑ u5]0 M n'ay Se—, l U .ill 420 Expana 420 Expansion Mitleay Service Go Triangle iRgute 4201 Persons!Sq.Mile unaer s00 "� ,.,non 3 Mile 1001-2000 I 1 I 1 s.e.2000 CDpyright©20i4 Esri KFH NCDOT Orange County 49 Transit Assessment Study 66 Chapter 4: Planned Services Later Senior Center Service Description Later Senior Center service would add three service hours per day on weekdays to provide additional service to the county's Senior Centers, particularly the Central Orange Senior Center. Two route-deviation services will be provided at times later than the current services. Riders can call OPT to make advance reservations and the vehicles may deviate from the basic route to provide service from the passenger's home. Because of the funding source, the service may be limited to seniors and persons with disabilities. Fares The service will be fare-free to eligible riders. Vehicle Requirements With only 75o annual hours of service, this service will not require an additional dedicated vehicle; it can be provided with the existing fleet. Depending on the schedules, it could potentially be provided in the mid-day with the vehicle used for the rural zone services. Operating Costs OPT estimates that the FY 2o16 operating costs would be $36,i8o based on 750 service hours at $48.24 per service hour. Anticipated Funding OPT and Department of Aging staff have secured grant funding for this service for its initial year, and will continue to seek this funding in future years. The planned source is NCDOT/FTA Section 5310 funding, provided to the Department of Aging to use as a purchase of service from OPT. Implementation Timeframe Service is currently projected to begin in October 2015. Orange-Alamance Connector (US 70 Mid-day Service) Description GoTriangle has implemented its Orange County-Durham (ODX) peals hour commuter service, which operates between Mebane, Efland and Hillsborough on the origin end, with Duke, the VA Hospital, and downtown Durham at the destination end. There are three inbound morning FH NCDOT Orange County 50 Transit Assessment Study 67 Chapter 4: Planned Services services and two outbound services, with three trips each way in the afternoon. The Orange- Alamance Connector will be operated by OPT to complement the GoTriangle ODX service. It will provide mid-day service weekdays between Mebane/Efland and Hillsborough (several destinations), on an hourly headway. It is anticipated that this will require five-service hours per day, weekdays only. Fares Standard OPT fixed-route fares would apply. If OPT can work out the technology and revenue accounting, it is planned that passengers will be able to use GoTriangle farecards. Vouchers from the Department of Social Services (DSS) for low-income riders may be used for fare payment. Vehicle Requirements This service will require an additional light transit vehicle (28 foot small bus) to be funded with capital provided through the Burlington-Graham MPO under the FTA Section 5307 program. Operating Costs OPT estimates that the FY 2o16 annual operating costs for this fixed-route service will be $60,3oo, based on 1,250 service hours at $48.24 per service hour. Anticipated Funding As new general public service largely in the Urbanized Area, the service will be eligible for local funding from the vehicle registration fee and the sales tax. FTA Section 5307 and NCDOT SMAP operating funds will also be used. Fare revenues would also contribute toward operational expenses. Vehicle capital would need to come from the FTA Section 5307 Urbanized Area formula program. Implementation Timeframe Service is currently projected to begin in October 2015, though it may need to begin with vehicles originally procured with Section 5311 funding. Efland-Hillsborough Commuter Loop Description Complementing the GoTriangle ODX peals hour commuter service between Mebane/Efland, Hillsborough and Duke/VA Hospital, downtown Durham, OPT will operate peals period/peals direction service from Efland to connect with the ODX at its Hillsborough stop, enabling Efland residents to connect to Duke and Durham. The OPT schedule will connect to the three FH NCDOT Orange County 51 Transit Assessment Study 68 Chapter 4:Planned Services inbound morning services and two outbound, with three trips each way in the afternoon. Because the trip time from Efland is so short, there will be additional vehicle time that will enable this service to add service from the north side of Hillsborough to service employers on the south side. It is anticipated that this will require five-service hours per day, weekdays only. Fares Standard OPT fixed-route fares would apply. If OPT can work out the technology and revenue accounting, it is planned that passengers will be able to use GoTriangle farecards. Vouchers from the Department of Social Services (DSS) for low-income riders may be used for fare payment. Vehicle Requirements This service will require a single expansion vehicle (a light transit vehicle) to be funded with capital provided through the Burlington-Graham MPO under the FTA Section 5307 program. Operating Costs OPT estimates that the FY 2o16 annual operating costs for this fixed-route service will be $6o,30o, based on 1,250 service hours at $48.24 per service hour. Anticipated Funding As new general public service largely in the Urbanized Area, the service will be eligible for local funding from the vehicle registration fee and the sales tax. FTA Section 5307 and NCDOT SMAP operating funds will also be used.Additionally, fare revenues would contribute toward operational expenses.Vehicle capital would need to come from the FTA Section 5307 Urbanized Area formula program. Implementation Timeframe Service is currently projected to begin in October 2015, though it may need to begin with vehicles originally procured with Section 5311 funding. Route 420 Expansion Description This is an increase in the frequency of service on the mid-day fixed-route service that OPT operates on the Hillsborough-Chapel Hill route. Peak hour service will continue to be operated as GoTriangle Route 420, operated by Chapel Hill Transit under an agreement with Triangle Transit. Currently OPT provides three service hours per day during the mid-day, offering less than hourly service. This expansion would add nine service hours for a total of twelve, allowing KFH NCDOT Orange County 52 Transit Assessment Study 69 Chapter 4:Planned Services hourly service in both directions. In addition, the mid-day OPT route would be extended on the north to Cedar Grove, providing a scheduled mid-day service that would connect to the Hillsborough Circulator and continue on to Chapel Hill and Carrboro. This expanded service will operate weekdays only. Fares Standard OPT fixed-route fares would apply. If OPT can work out the technology and revenue accounting, it is planned that passengers will be able to use GoTriangle farecards. Vouchers from the Department of Social Services (DSS) for low-income riders may be used for fare payment. Vehicle Requirements This service will require two vehicles, including a single expansion vehicle (a 28-foot light transit vehicle) in addition to the single vehicle currently on the service. As Cedar Grove is outside the Urbanized Area, this service can be operated with vehicles previously funded as Section 5311 CTP capital. The new expansion vehicle should be funded with capital provided through the Durham- Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO under the FTA Section 5307 program. Operating Costs OPT estimates that the total FY 2o16 annual operating costs for this fixed-route service will be $144,72o based on 3,000 service hours at $48.24 per service hour. Because OPT already operates three service hours per day (753 annual hours for 251 service days), the incremental expansion is actually 2,259 hours, or$1o8,974 at $48.24 per service hour. Anticipated Funding As new general public service largely in the Urbanized Area, the service will be eligible for local funding from the vehicle registration fee and the sales tax. FTA Section 5307 and NCDOT SMAP operating funds will also be used. Fare revenues would also contribute toward operational expenses. Vehicle capital would need to come from the FTA Section 5307 Urbanized Area formula program. Implementation Timeframe Service is currently projected to begin in October 2015, though it may need to begin with vehicles originally procured with Section 5311 funding. Operating Costs—Existing and Planned Services Table 4-1 presents a revised estimate of the operating costs of the existing demand-response and fixed-route services and the expanded services. The revision is intended to reflect the KFH NCDOT Orange County 53 Transit Assessment Study 70 Chapter 4:Planned Services revised estimated line item budget developed in Chapter 2, which includes a number of cost categories as line items in the transit budget that were previously considered indirect costs not charged directly to the transit program.As described in Chapter 2, the appropriate estimated incremental operating cost per hour is estimated to be $44.28, slightly less than the $48.24 operating cost per service hour used by the County in its Orange Public Transportation Five- Year Financial Plan. The revised operating budget in Chapter 2 includes a number of costs previously treated as non-budgeted indirects and the costs of transit planning staff, but with the fixed administrative costs subtracted from the total operating budget.As these proposed services are all to be implemented during FY 2016, a 3.1 percent annual rate of increase has been applied to bring the costs up to the current year, so the $44.28 is increased to $47.73 per hour. Future years are based on the same projected inflation rate. This inflation adjustment is the same as that used in the Orange Public Transportation Five-Year Financial Plan. KFH NCDOT Orange County 54 Transit Assessment Study 71 Chapter 4:Planned Services Table 4-1: Orange County Near-Term Service Plan- Estimated Operating Cost FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated Hours(1) Cost(2) Cost(3) Cost Cost Cost Cost Cost Existing Demand Response Orange Enterprises 3,317 $146,877 $151,430 $156,124 $160,964 $165,954 $171,099 $176,403 DSS Medicaid-NEMT Senior Transportation Senior Nutrition-Cedar Grove 608 $26,922 $27,757 $28,617 $29,504 $30,419 $31,362 $32,334 Senior Nutrition-Chapel Hill 1,198 $53,047 $54,692 $56,387 $58,135 $59,938 $61,796 $63,711 Senior Nutrition-Efland 1,044 $46,228 $47,661 $49,139 $50,662 $52,233 $53,852 $55,521 Senior Nutrition-Hillsborough 1,718 $76,073 $78,431 $80,863 $83,369 $85,954 $88,618 $91,366 Senior Shopping 78 $3,454 $3,561 $3,671 $3,785 $3,902 $4,023 $4,148 Adult Day 394 $17,446 $17,987 $18,545 $19,120 $19,712 $20,323 $20,953 Medical Transportation $0 Dialysis 2,364 $104,678 $107,923 $111,269 $114,718 $118,274 $121,941 $125,721 Other Medical Trips 374 $16,561 $17,074 $17,603 $18,149 $18,712 $19,292 $19,890 Sportsplex 429 $18,996 $19,585 $20,192 $20,818 $21,463 $22,129 $22,815 11,524 -x$510= L $542,411 $559,225 Wjj,__$576,511L, $594,435 $612,862 im Hill to Hill Fixed Route(420 Mid-day) 1,209 $53,535 $55,194 $56,905 $58,669 $60,488 $62,363 $64,296 Hillsborough Circulator 1,968 $87,143 $89,844 $92,630 $95,501 $98,462 $101,514 $104,661 Total Existing Fixed Rout $149,535 $154,170 I� $163,877 $168,957 Mir=q Total Operating Cost-Existing Service 14,701 $650,960 $691,945 $713,396 $735,511 $758,312 $781,819 K F H NCDOT Orange County 55 Transit Assessment Study 72 Chapter 4:Planned Services FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated Hours(1) Cost(2) Cost(3) Cost Cost Cost Cost Cost Planned Service Expansion-FY2015 Planned Service Expansion-Deviated Service Northeastern Orange-Deviated Fixed Route 520 $23,026 $23,739 $24,475 $25,234 $26,016 $26,823 $27,654 Northwestern Orange-Deviated Fixed Route 520 $23,026 $23,739 $24,475 $25,234 $26,016 $26,823 $27,654 Southeastern Orange-Deviated Fixed Route 520 $23,026 $23,739 $24,475 $25,234 $26,016 $26,823 $27,654 Additional Senior Center Service 750 $33,210 $34,240 $35,301 $36,395 $37,524 $38,687 $39,886 TotTPlanned Service Expansion 2,310 $102,287 $105,458 $112,097 $115,572 $119,155 $122,849 Planned Service Expansion-Fixed Route Cedar Grove-Hillsborough-Chapel Hill Mid-day 3,000 $132,840 $136,958 $141,204 $145,581 $150,094 $154,747 $159,544 Orange-Alamance Connector 1,250 $55,350 $57,066 $58,835 $60,659 $62,539 $64,478 $66,477 Efland-Hillsborough Commuter 1,250 $55,350 $57,066 $58,835 $60,659 $62,539 $64,478 $66,477 Additional Hillsborough Circulator (Mid-day) 282 $12,487 $12,874 $13,273 $13,685 $14,109 $14,546 $14,997 Total Planned Service Expansion-Fixed Route 5,782 256,027 263,964 $272,147 $280,583 289,281 $298,249 $307,495 TOTAA�ISION OPERATING COST $358,314 $369,421 $380,874 $392,681 $404,854 + W430,344 $1,009,274 $1,040,562 (1)Estimated hours for baseline service taken from Chapter 2 based on VUD analysis;estimated hours for expansion service taken from "Orange Public Transportation Five-Year Financial Plan". (2)Hourly operating cost of$44.28 taken from Chapter 2. (3)Operating cost increased 3.1%per year. KFH NCDOT Orange County 56 Transit Assessment Study 73 Chapter 4: Planned Services In addition to the operating costs, there are requirements for vehicle capital, both for expansion vehicles and to replace existing vehicles in a timely way. Chapter i included information on the fleet replacement plan, which is also included here with projected costs (which are from the Orange Public Transportation Five-Year Financial Plant. The plan is a little bit confusing because OPT already had enough vehicles to operate the expanded service. The vehicles were worn out so they are considered replacements rather than expansion vehicles. OPT is not expanding the fleet, but is able to operate expanded services. The projected vehicle costs for this plan are presented in Table 4-2. POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL SERVICE EXPANSION It is appropriate to consider the degree to which OPT might grow over the next several years beyond the planned expansions presented above.All of those services are planned for implementation in the fall of 2015 (or sooner). Budget planning for the next five years assumes that they will remain in operation, but there is no additional expansion planned. Any additional services are currently unapproved and unfunded. OPT Proposed Unfunded Service Expansion Orange County staff have proposed several possible service expansions, which are presented in Table 4-3. The only additional service coverage is the extension of the U.S. 70 midday service to Durham with hourly headways, while the other proposed services are expansions in terms of frequency or span of service (hours and days). This is appropriate because the locations of density appropriate for fixed route service are all covered by the initial round of new services. These additional services could conceivably require two more expansion vehicles, which would bring the fleet to a total of 27. Additional Rural Route Deviation Table 4-3 includes some funding, not called for by the staff plan, for build-out expansion of the route deviation zone services, moving from two days per week in each zone (using one vehicle) to three days and then eventually to daily service and thus requiring 3 vehicles (plus backup). Table 4-3 presents estimated additional operating costs at the lower incremental level of$44.28 per service hour (operations only). KFH NCDOT Orange County 57 Transit Assessment Study 74 Chapter 4:Planned Services Table 4-2:Vehicle Capital Costs Replacement Vehicles--Existing Baseline Fixed Route and Demand Response Services 2016 FY 2016 �FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2� Vehicle Type Unit Cost Units Cost U its ] Cost Units Cost Units —_ Minivan $30,162.00 1 $30,162.00 0 $0.00 0 $0.00 0 $0.00 0 $0.00 25' Light Transit Vehicle (diesel, bike rack) $83,402.00 0 $0.00 0 $0.00 2 $177,306.00 0 $0.00 0 $0.00 28' Light Transit Vehicle (diesel, bike rack) $101,062.00 2 $202,124.00 2 $208,389.84 0 $107,424.96 4 $443,020.55 3 $342,565.64 Expansion Vehicles 28' Light Transit Vehicle (diesel, bike rack) $101,062.00 4 $416,779.69 2 $214,849.93 0 $0.00 0 $0.00 0 $0.00 Total—Replacement _ +Expansion _,565.64 KFH NCDOT Orange County 58 Transit Assessment Study 75 Chapter 4:Planned Services Table 4-3:Unfunded Potential Expansion Daily Annua Annual Annual Additional Additional NNLLA� Operating Cost Hours Days Hours (1) Vehicles Capital Cost L in Expand US 70 Mid-day to Durham 5 250 1250 $44.91 $56,138 0 $0 Expand Hillsborough Circulator Reverse Loop 9 250 2250 $44.91 $101,048 1 $101,062 Hillsborough Circulator Saturday Service 6 52 312 $44.91 $14,012 0 $0 Extend Route 420 Peak to Cedar Grove 4 250 1000 $44.91 $44,910 0 $0 Saturday US 70 Service 5 52 260 $44.91 $11,677 1 $101,062 Subt $227,784 �h6 $202,124 ji Potenti n A Route Deviation Zones--Daily Service 10 304 3040 $44.91 $136,526 2 $202,124 Additional Demand-Response-Seniors 16 250 4000 $44.91 $179,640 2 $166,804 Subtota $316,166 4 $368,928 Total Potential Unfunded Operating Cost -- $543,950 $571,052 KFH NCDOT Orange County 59 Transit Assessment Study 76 Chapter 4: Planned Services Additional Demand-Response to Address Unmet Human Service Needs It is likely that basic demand-response services for seniors and disabled persons will also need to be expanded. Senior Needs The 2012-2017 Orange County Master Aging Plan includes a projection that Orange County's senior population (age 65+) will grow by 31% between 2012 and 2017, and double in size (as compared to today) by 203o, becoming 17.6% of the population as compared to 1o.6% currently. There is an expanded senior route planned for implementation in 2015, and it is anticipated that much of the ridership on the planned services will be seniors and persons with disabilities, so there is not a need to double the existing demand response services. The senior population will include persons who need door-to-door service, so we have included a limited expansion of demand response service. This suggests an additional vehicle which could produce 2,200 service hours per year, potentially an additional 6,600 senior trips. There are 11,752 current estimated annual senior nutrition and shopping trips, so this represents a potential senior trip capacity increase of 56%. Health Department Needs The Health Department has identified needs for additional transportation for county residents that it serves'. These include: • Free or affordable public transportation in rural areas, and nights and weekends in urban areas • Public transportation available to residents who are not Medicaid eligible, not seniors and not disabled • Additional capacity to allow more windows for scheduling health care appointments • Marketing and information about existing services that can be provided to clients • Availability of information for persons who do not speak English or English as a second language • Ability to bring children without having to pay separate fares for each The proposed implementation of more frequent mid-day fixed-route and route deviation services open to the general public will address some of the needs for access in rural 1 E-mail from Rebecca Crawford, Financial and Administrative Services Director, Orange County Health Department, October 6, 2015. KFH NCDOT Orange County 60 Transit Assessment Study 77 Chapter 4:Planned Services areas. There will be a fare and the service will not be available evenings and weekends (route deviation will not even be available every weekday initially). The adopted fare policy allows free rides for children age 0-5, with a reduced $i fare for children age 6-17 ($a for deviated trips); so that issue is partially addressed. Additional marketing and information is needed and is discussed as a staff function in Chapter 5. A key question is how much additional demand response capacity might be needed and what it would cost. If the Health Department has n,000 unduplicated clients and Z% of them need transportation, and each of them needs a monthly appointment (all assumptions), this would be an additional need for 5,28o one-way demand response trip. This number is close to the annual capacity of a demand response vehicle with limited grouping of trips (at 3 boardings per service hour).As noted above, this study includes two additional full- time demand response vehicles. Clearly, this need could be addressed by the additional hours one full-time vehicle could provide. Department of Social Services/Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) The other major human service program user of OPT services is the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) program managed by the Department of Social Services to provide medical trip transportation to Medicaid clients. The future of NEW demand for OPT services is not clear. The state's NEW program has been focusing on the lowest cost transportation options. The NEW program might want to consider purchasing fares for clients to use the expanded OPT services rather than contract for dedicated trips. In many counties, the use of coordinated transportation providers has been declining as more trips are addressed by providing gas vouchers to clients (or families). Finally, there is a possibility that changes in the overall state Medicaid program could move this entire program to regional or statewide brokerages, which would then contract with private providers and effectively eliminate this role for agencies like OPT. Therefore, no expansion capacity has been included for NEMT. SUMMARY COMMENTS To date, the county has not adopted any policies regarding expected ridership and performance for these services. In the future, if some of the planned services do not generate the expected ridership, there should be some criteria regarding the point at which it makes more sense to discontinue a service and shift the vehicles and funding to an alternative service that is more like to generate ridership. Some of these unfunded expansions might be funded in that way, and the selection of expansion options should depend to some extent on the performance of existing services. For example, one option would be adding service days to the route deviation service in the zones where people are using it more. KFH NCDOT Orange County 61 Transit Assessment Study 78 Chapter 4: Planned Services The point of this look at potential growth is to consider the near-term potential size of OPT operations and the possible impact on organizational requirements of potential growth and the ultimate size of the program. Could the current administrative staff manage the build-out system? Could it be maintained in the same manner as the current fleet? Table 4-4 presents the anticipated fleet size if all of these proposed expansions were to be implemented. It results in a fleet of 29, with a peals demand of 25 and 4 spares. At that level the basic administrative structure of OPT would need to include the current staff(including planning) plus a significant number of additional vehicle operators thus raising the potential need to consider it as a program in its own right rather than a sub- function of Planning and Inspections. Organizational options are discussed in Chapter 5. Table 4-4: Fleet Size Vehicles Baseline Fleet Size* 14 Expanded Fleet--Funded Services 25 With Potential Additional Unfunded Service 29 *19 vehicles listed in Chapter 1,less five inactive or awaiting disposal. KFH NCDOT Orange County 62 Transit Assessment Study 79 Chapter 5: Organizational Options Chapter 5 : Organizational Options TRANSIT ORGANIZATION One relatively unique aspect of Orange County's transit organization is the internal organization. Few systems have transit administration, management or operations included in a department of planning and inspections. It is not unusual for transit planning, grants management and contract oversight for a small urban or rural transit program to be located in a planning department. In most cases, the operations are managed and provided by another agency, often a contractor. In Orange County, the operations functions are not separate;they are under Planning and Inspections. More commonly, transit programs that involve county or city operations are located in a department that provides public services, with a transit management that oversees operational and short range planning. In this case long range and multimodal planning functions remain in a department of planning. There is no single correct model of transit organization that fits all cases. Transit programs (that are not independent authorities) are generally found in one of three departments: i)A public works and transportation department z) A department of community/citizen services 3) A separate department reporting to the executive level A factor in deciding whether the transit program reports directly to the executive as a department unto itself or through another department may be the scale of the program in relation to the other operational programs, as well as the degree to which the operational nature of transit fits with the other functions of its departmental home. The appropriate home for a transit program may also depend on the degree of interaction between it and other departments or programs,which can vary with the type of transit operation.A transit program that provides substantial service to human service agencies will have a significant amouont of interaction with the aging program, social services and health department;while a transit program that provides only fixed route general public service may have much less interaction with those departments. The appropriate home for transit may change over time. For example, in a recent reorganization of transportation in the Town of Cary, transit became an office in a new department of transportation and facilities, moving from its former home in planning. The transit division does operational and short range transportation planning, grants management KFH NCDOT Orange County 63 Transit Assessment Study 80 Chapter 5: Organizational Options and compliance, and marketing. All the operations are provided under a turnkey operating contract with a private provider. In some cases, transit's home is in a department of community services because the jurisdiction's initial transportation operating program was senior and/or other human service transportation. This was the case in Frederick County, Maryland, where the transit program was initially a division in a department of community services. Eventually the transit program came to have much more of a general public service orientation, and it became a separate department reporting to the County Manager. In that case it was both the growth of the transit system and its change in orientation to a general public service that led to the change. In terms of scale, even the potential expansion of the services presented earlier should not require major growth in the administrative staffing beyond that now envisioned for the near term. If OPT were to expand its services as shown above in the "unfunded"vision, there could be a need for additional road supervision, which could be addressed through the development of"lead driver" positions. Expanded administrative functions could potentially be addressed through further development of a transit planner position and redistribution of some functions between that and the Transit Administrator (see Option i below). REGIONAL CONTEXT, PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS Another factor that can affect the appropriate organizational model is the degree to which transit services and funding are regional in nature.A separate rural county system that has no regional services and is funded by the county (and with grants that are provided directly to the county) may need little participation in regional planning, and the services may not require much planning beyond a vehicle replacement plan. However, if a jurisdiction is located such that it is partly rural and partly urban, and a significant amount of its potential funding is allocated through regional planning organizations or through regional taxes, the role of planning is much more significant. As Orange County's transportation program now needs representation on two Metropolitan Planning Organizations and a rural planning organization in order to obtain transit funding, there is a substantial need for an expanded planning function to ensure that the system's needs are adequately considered in the on-going planning process. Grants management is more complex as well, and federal and state program compliance is significantly more complicated with multiple funding sources. The travel needs of county residents are regional in nature, and the county must participate in the regional transit planning process to ensure that these needs are met, whether through county provided services or other regional providers. KFH NCDOT Orange County 64 Transit Assessment Study 81 Chapter 5:Organizational Options Planning and administrative functions that need to be addressed include: • Operational planning (near-term—up to one year) • Short-term planning (1-5 years) • Long-term planning (5-25 years) • Funding grant identification, application, reporting to NCDOT, FTA and funding agencies • Policy planning and development, including support to policy bodies • Representation/liaison with regional planning bodies • Compliance monitoring—maintaining policies, records • Public involvement • Public information and marketing • Coordination with transit agencies in the region on services, information, marketing and fares Some of these tasks are administrative, but there are significant planning functions particularly in Orange County,which is now included in two Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO's) and a Rural Planning Organization (RPO). There are significant transit planning functions in addition to many other activities that are needed to support the broader transportation planning needs of the county, including all other modes. ORGANIZATIONAL OPTIONS FOR ORANGE COUNTY Chapter i of this report includes a description of the organizational structure of OPT at the current time. The staffing of the program is changing as this study progresses, so a recap of the current structure is in order. Figure 5-1 presents the current overall Orange County organizational structure and Figure 5-2 presents the staff structure of the Transportation Division of Planning and Inspections (OPT), along with the link to the Comprehensive Planner II position that supports OPT. The OPT staffing levels that are shown reflect the near-term changes that are planned, including the redefinition of the Administrative Assistant I position to a scheduler dispatcher, and the addition of three full-time and three part-time drivers to cover the expanded fixed route services that are being implemented. There are as OPT staff members who are not planners and are not doing planning but who are performing administrative, operating and customer service functions. This suggests that although the transit system needs the support of a transportation planner, most of the staff could be considered as providing a service function to the public, rather than a regulatory or planning function. It opens up the question of moving the transit program out of planning, and if so where? Should the transit program's planning function move with it?The recent changes in the overall county governmental structure are designed to combine units in functional groups to facilitate cooperation and coordination, which suggests that some options KFH NCDOT Orange County 65 Transit Assessment Study 82 Chapter 5:Organizational Options should be considered based on the linkage between the transit program and the more functional grouping. Given the regional context which affects both the service design and the funding, are there options for consolidating the county's transit program with other providers in the region. This chapter presents some potential options. KFH NCDOT Orange County 66 Transit Assessment Study 83 Chapter 5: Organizational Options Figure 5-1: Current Orange County Organizational Structure Orange County Government The People of Orange County I Register of Deeds Board of County Sheriff Commissioners CountyAttorney� CountyManager Clerk to the Board Deputy County Manager Asset Management Services Aging Animal Services Economic Elections Child Support Development (reports to Board of Elections) Enforcement Community Relations Finance and Health Emer enc Services Administrative Services (reports to Board of Health g y Environment,Agriculture, Parks and Recreation Housing,Human Rights and Information Technology Social Services Community Development (reports to Social Services Berard) Human Resources Depend Library Services Solid Waste Management Elected Officials Appointed by the Board of County commissioners Planning,Inspections&OPT Director Supervised hythe County Manager TaXAdminlstra tlOn Consultative supervision provided by County Manager's office KFH NCDOT Orange County 67 Transit Assessment Study 84 Chapter 5: Organizational Options Figure 5-2: Staff Structure of the Transportation Division of Planning and Inspections (OPT) Planning and Inspections Comprehensive Planning Division Transportation Division Comprehensive Transportation Planner II Administrator Transportation Assistant Dispatcher/Scheduler Office Assistant II Public Transportation Administrator Administrative Assistant I Drivers 8 Full-Time plus 3 Expansion Positions 8 Part-Time plus 3 Expansion Positions KFH NCDOT Orange County 68 Transit Assessment Study 85 Chapter 5: Organizational Options Option 1 : Maintain Existing Structure in Planning and Inspections, Redefine Planning Position Option i addresses the increased need for and role of the Planner II position that is currently providing substantial planning support to OPT in terms of service planning, representation at regional planning organizations, policy development, budgeting and compliance. These are all functions that will be continuing and likely increasing in importance. Option i calls for redefining the Comprehensive Planner II position with a revised job description that would reflect the actual work being performed, calling it a Transit Planner position and moving it to the Transportation Division of Planning and Inspections, as shown in Figure 5-3. The additional responsibilities associated with the transit program might well require a reclassification as well as a new job description. This planner would continue to have significant interaction with and mutual support for other transportation functions with the remaining Comprehensive Planner II. Appendix B presents a job description recently issued by Cary for a Transit Planner. It could be used as a basis for creating/redefining this position with some editing to reduce overlap with the Transit Administrator job description. These positions are not duplicative, but complementary. Cary operates its own transit system that is in many ways what OPT might grow into,with town-wide demand response service for special needs transportation, several fixed routes and operation of a route for GoTriangle. The service operations are provided turnkey by a contractor, and the staff consists of a Transit Director, Transit Planner and Marketing/Communication specialist. The purpose of the job advertisement is to add a second planning position. Currently, Cary's ridership is approximately 300,000 per year, and it has 29 vehicles in its fleet, so it is a larger system. The Transit Planner description addresses most of the duties now being addressed in Orange by the Comprehensive Planner II that are not included in its job description. A related option that Orange County might consider is creation of the Transit Planner position with the transit functions as a new position within the Transportation Division, leaving intact both of the Comprehensive Planner II positions to address the broader transportation planning needs of the county. Transit is a subset of the broader transportation planning issues faced by the county, albeit a significant one. KFH NCDOT Orange County 69 Transit Assessment Study 86 Chapter 5: Organizational Options Figure 5-3: Option 1, Redefined Comprehensive Planner II Position Planning and Inspections Transportation Division Transportation Administrator Transit Planner Transportation Assistant Dispatcher/Scheduler Office Assistant II Public Transportation Administrator Administrative Assistant I Drivers 8 Full-Time plus 3 Expansion Positions 8 Part-Time plus 3 Expansion Positions K F H NCDOT Orange County 70 EMOMM Transit Assessment Study 87 Chapter 5: Organizational Options Option 2: Move OPT into Asset Management Services Another potential home for OPT is to include it in Asset Management Services (AMS), which is in effect the public works department in Orange County. Figure 5-4 illustrates this organizational change. AMS maintains 41 County-owned facilities, provides custodial services for most County and Court buildings and grounds, provides fleet maintenance and operates a fueling station, and manages the County's facility construction projects. The rationale for moving OPT to AMS is the significant role that it plays in supporting OPT through the maintenance of the OPT fleet. Keeping a fleet of vehicles operational by providing scheduled preventive maintenance in a timely manner and making repairs as needed in order to meet scheduled ridership is a very important function, and continued close cooperation will be required. However, while AMS is very significant to OPT, OPT's ig vehicles are a small fraction of the over 300 vehicles and ioo pieces of equipment that it maintains. AMS is a critical support function for many County departments and programs, but it is not a provider of direct services to the public, and may not have the same kind of customer focus that is found in departments that provide human services. While there is a required public process in many of the facility construction projects, there has not been a need for AMS to market a service. In that sense it OPT may not be the best fit, as it expands services and addresses a need to increase its public outreach, coordination, regional planning, and marketing to the general public. KFH NCDOT Orange County 71 Transit Assessment Study 88 Chapter 5: Organizational Options Figure 5-4: Option z, OPT Combined with Asset Management Services Orange County Government Board of County Register of Deeds Sheriff Commissioners County Attorney County Mat aiwx � Clerk to the Board Deputy County Manager Asset Management Services and OPT Aging Animal Services Economic Elections Child Support Development (reports to Board of Elections) Enforcement Community Relations Finance and Health Emergency Services Administrative Services g Y Environment,Agriculture, (reports to Board of Health Parks and Recreation Housing,Human Rights and Information Technology Social Services Community Development Human Resources (reports to Social Services Berard) egend Lihrary Services Solid Waste Management Elected Officials Appointed by the Board of County Commissioners Planning and Inspections Director Supervised bythe County Manager Tax Adminl5trd tlOn Consultative supervision provided by County Manager's Office KFH NCDOT Orange County 72 EMOMM Transit Assessment Study 89 Chapter 5: Organizational Options Option 3: Transit as a Separate Department This option involves creating a separate Transit Department, Under the current OPT organization, it will soon have a staff of 16 not including any planners, it eventually could well become a staff of 25 or more to support the planned and potential services. This is a significant staff of non-planners to include in a department that is designed as a professional staff providing regulatory functions, and allowing OPT to become an operating department providing a public service could make sense for both departments. Figure 5-5 presents this organizational option. The transit program has significant interactions with finance related to its various grant funds, special taxes, user revenue, and potential for either receiving or paying funds to other providers:with Human Resources for staffing;with Information Technology for communication and software; and with Asset Management Services for vehicle maintenance, repair, fueling and storage services. Functionally, OPT coordinates more with human service programs (Aging, Health and Social Services). The customer for public transit is likely to be either a person who is dependent on transit for some or all of their mobility because of age, income, disability or client status; or a commuter who chooses transit because of cost, parking issues or convenience. To the extent that OPT's ridership is transit dependent, the ability to work directly with human service programs would make sense. The benefits of this move come from the alignment of transit with agencies providing services, potentially alike in their identification of needs, development of services and the actual delivery of services. This currently takes place between transit in Planning and Inspections and these other departments, but there is a possibility of improvement in communication and collaboration. The logic of having a separate Transportation Department that is not included as a sub-function of another department is that transit is unique in its dependence on support services, its need for coordination with human services, its customer focus, and its interactions with regional entities—and therefore needs to be outside a departmental structure that has other functions as its primary focus. Creation of a Mobility Management function in OPT would further develop this role as the Mobility Manager would need to be aware of all transportation services available to Orange County residents; participate in developing, provide information, and market these services; and link residents with the most appropriate service. Including a Mobility Manager in this separate transit department could justify a new title, such as "Department of Mobility Services", which would become the single go-to source for transportation. Currently, the Department on Aging has a Transportation Specialist who works to identify transportation options for persons needing mobility, which is the basic function of a Mobility Manager. This person maintains information on the transportation options available to county residents, including not only OPT, but also the other programs. The person in this position also manages the senior KFH NCDOT Orange County 73 Transit Assessment Study 90 Chapter 5: Organizational Options volunteer transportation program. Moving this position to the transit program would enable it to provide referral information in the event that OPT services did not meet the need and allow for direct input of transit needs. The expertise of this transportation program specialist would be available to a broader population as well. Figure 5-6 presents a revised departmental organization with the inclusion of the Mobility Manager. If Orange County were to implement this option it could go beyond transit to create a broader, separate Transportation Department including not only transit operations and planning, but all transportation planning for all modes. Such a move would likely require that both Comprehensive Planner II positions and functions be included in the broader Transportation Department, but would be a much more significant change. FH NCDOT Orange County 74 Transit Assessment Study 91 Chapter 5: Organizational Options Figure 5-5: Option 3, OPT as a Separate Department Orange County Government The People of Orange County Register of Deeds Board of County Sheriff J Conunissioners County Attorney County Manager—L-1 Clerk to the Board Deputy County Manager Asset Management Services Aging Animal Services Economic Elections Child Support Development (reports to Board of Elections) Enforcement Community Relations Finance and Health Administrative Services Emergency Services Environment,Agriculture, (reports to Board of Health ::I Parks and Recreation Housing,Human Rights and Information Technology Social Services Community Development (reports to Social Services Board) Human Resources egend Library Services Solid Waste Management Elected Officials Appointed by the Board of County Commissioners Planning and Inspections Director Supervised hythe County Manager Tax Administra lion OPT Consultative supervision provided by County Manager's Office K F H NCDOT Orange County 75 Transit Assessment Study 92 Chapter 5: Organizational Options Figure 5-6: New Transportation Specialist/Mobility Manager Position as Part of OPT Transportation Division Transit Administrator Transit Planner Transportation Assistant Transportation Specialist/ Dispatcher/Scheduler Office Assistant II Public Transportation Administrator Mobility Manager Administrative Assistant Drivers 8 Full-Time plus 3 Expansion Positions 8 Part-Time plus 3 Expansion Positions K F H NCDOT Orange County 76 Transit Assessment Study 93 Chapter 5: Organizational Options Option 4: Consolidation with Another System/Regional Coordination OPT fixed-route public services are complementary to scheduled services provided by GoTriangle Transit (the Orange-Durham Express and the Route 420), and Chapel Hill Transit (both in its role as the operator of the Route 42o and as provider of transit in Chapel Hill and Carrboro). Orange County is further linked with these providers through the MPO and the regional sales tax. Both of these providers also offer demand-response services (to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for complementary paratransit for eligible riders). They each have their own administrative and planning functions, and another option would be to consolidate OPT with one or the other.A much more detailed study of the feasibility of consolidating OPT with Chapel Hill Transit (CHT) was conducted three years ago, and it found that it was feasible in a general sense, but that it would require $400,000 to $500,000 in transition costs to incorporate OPT's scheduling and client database into the CHT ADA scheduling software, pave enough area at the CHT garage to park the OPT vehicles, and rebrand the services. There were also issues with potential confusion over fare policy, as CHT operated fare-free but the County services would have to charge fares.At the time Orange County perceived that it could provide these services more cost-effectively, and that is probably still the case though it is apparent that OPT costs are much higher than was understood at the time. Also, the CHT partners did not perceive much benefit to the Town, and were concerned about further adding to the capital replacement problems. Revisiting the potential for consolidation with CHT's Director, Brian Litchfield, in August of this year, he characterized the staff position toward consolidation as one of being open to proposals from the County, but he noted that CHT's policy boards would have to consider any such request. CHT has continued to run the Shuttle service, directed at seniors in Chapel Hill and serving the County's Senior Center, a service which complements OPT senior services elsewhere. At the staff level CHT is also open to collaborations on particular functions, which opens up the possibility of achieving many of the potential benefits of consolidation without having Orange County become the smallest partner, and potentially losing some control over services to its residents outside Chapel Hill and Carrboro. For example, some systems have created shared dispatch centers to take advantage of the scale economies in the deployment of transit technology. Also, collaborative marketing would make sense to let users know how these services work together—currently the 420 schedule information provided by CHT does not mention that there are mid-day services provided by OPT (nor does the GoTriangle timetable). Similarly, a conversation with John Talmadge, director of planning at Triangle Transit (branded as GoTriangle), reflected an openness at the staff level to a wide variety of collaborative possibilities. Triangle Transit manages the Durham transit system under contract, and such an arrangement is one possibility. During the previous consolidation FH NCDOT Orange County 77 Transit Assessment Study 94 Chapter 5: Organizational Options study one option briefly considered was combining OPT's demand-response services with those of Triangle Transit, but the OPT cost per service hour was significantly lower, there would be much higher deadhead, and the Triangle Transit paratransit service did not provide client transportation but only ADA, so this option was not pursued. Mr. Talmadge pointed out that there are potentially many joint efforts that could prove beneficial, ranging from production of joint schedules and information for the ODX, Route 42o and OPT fixed-route services, to leasing of storage space at the OPT facility to reduce GoTriangle deadhead miles, or even OPT operation of some services on behalf of GoTriangle (similar to Cary's operation of Saturday service from Cary to Raleigh on behalf of GoTriangle). So, both potential regional partners are open to working with Orange County on regional collaboration, and it is up to Orange County whether to initiate such conversations. OPT is not currently in any sort of crisis that requires consolidation or a partnership, and is working effectively on a regional level to obtain funding and implement appropriate services. Consolidation may have the effect of raising the operating costs of the least costly operator as wages and benefits are made uniform at the higher levels of the larger partners—and if this is not offset by administrative savings there may be no financial benefit. Combined with a potential loss of control, Orange County may want to focus collaboration efforts on particular functions. There may be several functional areas in which OPT could benefit from working with regional partners, one of which is marketing. OPT currently does not have any staff devoted to marketing, and does not participate in the regional GoSmart marketing and information program'.As OPT initiates fixed-route services that wrap around those provided by GoTriangle (and CHT), it would make sense to work with the region's joint transit marketing and information effort, GoSmart (formerly GoTriangle), to make sure that OPT's services are known to anybody looking for transit information in the region. More specific collaborative efforts with Triangle Transit (GoTriangle) and CHT might be useful as well to ensure that riders on those systems are aware of the complementary OPT services. Collaboration in other functional areas might also benefit OPT, and would be a good place to begin, considering major consolidation options later only if needed to maintain funding or spread costs. 'GoSmart is a partnership of public transportation agencies and organizations funded to promote commuter alternatives in the Triangle region,including transit, ridesharing, bicycling/walking,and teleworking. Participating transit systems include Cary Transit,Chapel Hill Transit, Duke Transit,GoDurham,GoRaleigh,GoTriangle, NCSU Wolfline,and Wake County's TRACS system—but not OPT.Services offered include employer outreach,emergency ride home, ridesharing incentives, regional marketing, regional passes,transit information,social media outreach, and a real-time arrival information system (GoLive). KFH NCDOT Orange County 78 Transit Assessment Study 95 Chapter 5: Organizational Options SUMMARY COMMENTS REGARDING ORGANIZATION There is no single correct transit organizational structure. The appropriate structure varies with the size of the system, its likely growth, funding, the mix of services, the structure of local government and often the perspective of the staff members involved. Many times changes take place in a situation of crisis (or opportunity) such as the resignation of a long-time transit manager or a major shift in funding. Orange County is fortunate that there is no current crisis with OPT, but rather it is at a transition point in which an expanded role adding general public, fixed route services is combining with new regional funding sources to provide opportunities for change.At the same time county government is being restructured to some extent with the goal of improving communication and reducing the possibility of"silo" management. This chapter is not intended to recommend any particular restructuring, but the notion of creating a transit planner position, adding it to the transportation organization chart and creating a separate transit (or transportation) program within the new functional area structure, is worthy of consideration. The transit program will continue to work with other county departments, including the human service programs, planning (site plan comments), finance and Asset Management (motor pool) across functional areas. This is not a change from the current situation. A separate department could become a broader center for mobility by integrating transit planning, administration, operations, bicycle and pedestrian planning and implementation, and mobility management (human service transportation coordination, marketing and information). Increasing the coordination of OPT with regional entities in functional areas that benefit OPT and its users makes sense, given that: • There are potential partners open to such actions • Many trip patterns are regional • Funding is regional. KFH NCDOT Orange County 79 Transit Assessment Study 96 97 Chapter 6:Summary and Conclusions Chapter 6 : Summary and Conclusions This report documents the finding that there have been significant improvements in the administration and management of OPT over the past several years. OPT management has been restructured and with significant planning assistance, a number of issues have been addressed. OPT now has written policies in place that address federal requirements, including an adopted Americans with Disabilities (ADA) policy and an adopted Title VI policy (covering equity in service provision). Other compliance issues identified as part of NCDOT oversight as part of OPT's Safety and Security Program Plan (SSPP) have been addressed, and the system is in compliance. Recordkeeping and reporting are now ridership and operations data appropriately. One effect has been the realization that actual ridership is significantly lower than what had previously been reported. OPT is now operating out of offices housed in a permanent structure, next to the fleet parking area,with sufficient space and appropriate conditions for scheduling and dispatch, administration and driver reports. The vehicle fleet is being updated to replace overage vehicles and right-sized to address near-term expansion. Earlier efforts to consider options for consolidation were hampered by widely varying estimates of the costs of OPT service. Staff efforts since then have provided data that supports much more solid estimates of operating costs,which are included in this report. Overall based on FY 2014 data, the combined operating and administrative cost of OPT service was $1,o88,112, or$66.6o per service hour. This number includes budgeted administrative and operating costs, allocated county indirect costs and staff time spent by Planning and Inspections Comprehensive Planning staff on OPT. Of that total, approximately$550,000 or 50% of the costs were covered by federal or state grants, fare revenue or contract income from human service agencies. In addition, there are capital costs primarily for vehicles, which vary year to year depending the number and type of vehicles. The overall cost per service hour is not the best estimate of the cost of additional services because the administrative expense base can be seen as fixed unless there is a large increase in service. For estimating the incremental operating cost of new services, administrative costs were removed from the overall budget and the resulting incremental cost per service hour for FY 2014 was $44.28• This information is useful as OPT makes a shift from being primarily demand response service for agency clients and special needs passengers (seniors and persons with disabilities) to a transit system that also provides service open to the general public on fixed routes or route deviation services. Application of a cost allocation model to the current services reveals that Orange County funds are subsidizing (to varying degrees) each of the programs utilizing OPT services. In the past OPT was not generally perceived KFH NCDOT Orange County 81 Transit Assessment Study 98 Chapter 6:Summary and Conclusions as open to the general public, though it has been for many years. Changes in funding now allow for a change in both reality and perception to a system that continues to serve its specialized population and is also a general public transit provider. Orange County is receiving funds from the 1/2-cent sales tax to provide new general public services.At the same time, larger portions of the county are now included in the Durham- Chapel Hill Urbanized Area and the Burlington-Graham Urbanized Areas, each of which receives direct FTA transit funding for urban areas. Orange County has developed plans for expanded services that complement existing regional commuter bus services (GoTriangle's ODX Orange -Durham Express and Route 42o Hillsborough-Chapel Hill services) and provide additional coverage in areas that potentially have the density and need to support such service. In the lower-density rural portions of the county, zoned route deviation services open to the general public are planned for near-term implementation. A review of county demographic data demonstrates that these are appropriate service types for the areas covered. As part of this study, additional service expansion is proposed and costed primarily to: • Provide more hours and days of service in the rural areas • Provide for more specialized demand response transportation to address the potential needs of aging baby-boomers and other unmet human service transportation need Specific information on unmet demand or need could result in a call for even more service to meet specific needs. These expanded services are included to assess the likely size of the OPT program over the next several years, which influences the options for organizing the expanded program. This study calls for adoption of more detailed performance guidelines and monitoring to make sure that expanded service is cost- effective. It also calls for expanded marketing and information so that the public and other stakeholders are aware of the new services and their mobility options, potentially joining the regional GoSmart transit information system. The change in roles and the near-term expansion led to an examination of options for OPT's organization. As the system expands its operational aspects become significant, and it may make sense to move the operations out of Planning and Inspections. There are several options for creating a separate Transit Department, located with programs that have a similar functional area focus of providing services to the public. In addition to OPT's operations, there is a significant ongoing need for transit planning staff time to: • Develop and maintain policies • oversee implementation of new services • seek and apply for grant funding • work with the two Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and Rural Planning Organization (RPO) on transit plans - KFH NCDOT Orange County 82 Transit Assessment Study 99 Chapter 6:Summary and Conclusions • Coordinate with other regional transit providers • Do the required reporting Currently there is no position in Orange County with a job description that addresses transit planning activities. There are several options for addressing the need for transit planning. One is to add transit planning functions to one of the Comprehensive Planning position descriptions and upgrade it to reflect the additional responsibilities. Another option is to create a new transit planning position, which could either remain in Planning and Inspections (if a separate transit department is created), or be included in a separate department. This would allow the two Comprehensive Planning staff members to fully address the non-transit transportation functions in their job description. There is also the option of moving all transportation planning functions and the transit operation into a separate transportation department that would address all modes. Consolidating with either Chapel Hill Transit or GoTriangle is a possibility at some point. However, at the moment increased coordination and joint activities (including marketing) are appropriate first steps. These and other options for organization are discussed in Chapter 5. There is no single correct model for transit organization. Orange County will need to consider the options and the needs of its expanding system before making any changes in the current structure. KFH NCDOT Orange County 83 Transit Assessment Study 100 101 Appendix A Appendix A: Orange Unified Transportation Board BOARD MEMBERSHIP Member Special Representation First Term Number Appointed Expiration of Terms Alexander Castro Bingham Township 11/8/2012 9/30/2015 1 Amy Cole Public Transit Advocate 5/19/2009 9/30/2016 2 Art Menius Economic Development Advocate 10/21/2014 9/30/2017 1 Brantley Wells Hillsborough Township 10/15/2013 9/30/2017 1 Ed Vaughn Cedar Grove Township 10/21/2014 9/30/2017 1 Gary Saunders Environmental Advocate 6/18/2013 9/30/2015 1 Heidi Perry Bicycle Transportation Advocate 10/21/2014 9/30/2017 1 Paul Guthrie, Chair Chapel Hill Township 11/5/2007 9/30/2015 2 Theodore W.Triebel Little River Township 11/8/2012 9/30/2015 1 Tom Magnuson Pedestrian Access Advocate 10/21/2014 9/30/2015 1 Vacant Public Health Advocate Vacant Planning Advocate Vacant Eno Township Vacant Cheeks Township NCDOT Orange County KFH Transit Assessment Study A-1 102 103 Appendix B Appendix B : Organizational Charts ORANGE COUNTY TRANSIT ORGANIZATION Orange County Government The People of Orange County Registerof Deeds Board of County She Conunissioners I CtiuntyAtta unt Coy Manager Clerk to the Board Deputy Cou n ty Manager AssetManagement Services Aging Animal Services Economic Elections Child Support Development (reports to Board of Elections) Enforcement Community Relations Finance and Health Emergency Services Administrative Services g y Environment,Agriculture, (reports to Board of Health Parks and Recreation Housing,Human Rights and Information Technology Social Services Community Development (reports to Social Services Board) Human Resources L g— Library Services Solid Waste Management Eluted of d.k Appointed 6y the Board of County Commissioners Planning,Inspections&OPT Director Supervised by the County Manager Tax Administration Consultative supervision provided by County Manager's O fice NCDOT Orange County B-1 KFH Transit Assessment Study 104 Appendix 8 PLANNING & INSPECTIONS / OPT Phrntg 6lmpemnin dreaor (1} Admrtatrmoa Acrma•alr,e Pxrulard III Par+s:�rl II 3111 ['109; AAmrirtrrivc CUMPTI-lmk CjTrl Plarnrg IuMu* -ransVdalial elerl,5 AGIs Flannl•g d2Cll i•c Ovsoli Cr,rer:1 ]vscr 34aw I DUWn r. .- �l =1r.r,.,III 'la,x,III PIMIM III E,.j,—g 1..in—le. '..I.,I'll:.. Ir,asrr,an Pknnnl SV7.r rwm Cann afannrq S.prw sr Cuwl PITrq Supwomr Supervisor ..�.. Anini irJr- {1j 1197! S87F! 47'�� 12WI W7i [195} Rama 11 Pl 11 P II Sf EnI#rmr Odetln�pe= Tr4w laden spew pn*nde {2y [1} {1] APpmEminar A1rt AdmWatretar 111 i1962m2} (671) 18121 {>!16J I GIs P o.eG Pgterrrl Erurim Cndrnl hddnehe6aa P {iy ariswml Coedrelo�l ht vBkarll Cad+CempleneeUR+rlll nh{�} ti919i Ri6CVSSWTranrl Goodraloor INYI [&T9,939,49&y 3dedJer.�depmrfie� F1e„rngierlrtvl Eratidvc�lyd GdeT n.pecGx LYYw Abeelar 11 +l 011—l 3 P�a Fxe river } n%4 :11 (i} i1154� ;2;thT rti,y Pidk ttargmWtbn Other Cads Canplaitee filar l 11 19'1 {1I Fp96.699O?= (D06,219,863,915} 0,71&999.1169y Prcperry Oeslapmenl Spe�at I [1} td961 Rap�e+ly Oevelopmenl Techikian n} L9} Prupeny Dmkpnenr spmygel 1 is-sr-Grad NM tnaetrs 1rnz1 NCDOT Orange County B-2 KFH Transit Assessment Study 105 Appendix C Appendix C : Position Descriptions NCDOT Orange County �� Transit Assessment Study 106 5/13/2015 Orange County Government-Class Specification Bulletin 107 U �t a� Transportation Administrator* Class Code: 2227 j�#tX, ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT Revision Date: Sep 17, 2012 SALARY RANGE $53,764.00-$88,099.00 Annually DESCRIPTION: Under limited supervision, performs administrative and supervisory work in planning and directing the transportation operations by overseeing transportation staffing, scheduling, services and fleet management. Work involves developing, monitoring, and implementing programs/policies for County transit system operations; establishing priorities and policy standards to measure all activities; coordinating data gathering for system improvement and developing and participating in educational development and training of staff; monitoring and ensuring compliance of local, State, and Federal laws, ordinances, and regulations; preparing Community transportation Plan grant application, Community Transportation Improvement Plan five year development plan, Rural Operating Assistance Program grant application, operational statistic report, vehicle utilization report, and other statistical reports to track system performance; interacting and communicating with contractors, local governments, State governments, Federal governments, elected boards, and public boards; monitoring and establishing guidelines to ensure operations are efficient/effective and within budgetary guidelines; establishing, implementing, and monitoring systems for marketing transit operations; and handling the responsibility for maintenance, safety and procurement of transit vehicle fleet. Reports to the Director. * This is a safety sensitive position and participation in the Drug and Alcohol Program is required. EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS Supervises department employees which involves such duties as instructing, assigning and reviewing work, maintaining standards, acting on employee problems, selecting new employees, appraising employee performance, recommending promotions, discipline, termination and salary increases. Manages, administers, and oversees transit operations for the County's public transportation services including fixed routes, demand response routes, contractual routes, and flex routes. Develops, implements, and manages principles and practice of transit planning and operations; researches, compiles, and summarizes a variety of informational and statistical data and materials. Prepares Community Transportation Plan, Community Transportation Improvement Plan, and Rural Operating Assistance Plan grant applications for allocation of State and Federal funding, which require local, State, and Federal signatures for acceptance. Administers the implementation, public relations, and monitoring of all new/existing services and contracts related to operations; provides a development plan and tracking mechanism for all services to ensure efficiency; monitors results of all services; provides County with information to develop additional services. Evaluates contractor's performance in the areas of operations, customer service, training, and client safety; develops training programs for contractors, staff, and clients to ensure compliance with all local, State, and Federal regulations. http:llagency.gover rim entj obs.corn/or angecountyncldefault.cfm?action=specbulletin&ClassSpeclD=878124&headerfooter=0 1/3 5/13/2015 Orange County Government-Class Specification Bulletin 108 Monitors and complies with all local, State, and Federal laws, ordinances, and regulations underlying Public transit operations. Prepares and monitors fiscal year budget; provides systems to ensure operations are efficient and within budgetary guidelines including collection of revenue, client billing, contractual fees, and expenditures. Manages the maintenance, safety, and improvements of all transit facilities and equipment; develops and monitors mechanisms for tracking results concerning maintenance, safety, and improvements of services. Interacts and communicates with private contractors, municipalities, Federal and State officials, elected officials, Boards, and general public; provides statistical and informational data to the agencies, individuals, or Boards. Develops procedures, documentation, reports, and policy recommendations relating to operations, safety, and maintenance. Provides information and support to consulting firms for researching possibilities of expansion, coordination, and/or consolidations of transit systems; prepares reports and information regarding the results of consulting firm findings; presents to Boards, elected officials, and State officials. Provides County with information regarding capital expenditures for future growth including expenditures such as buildings, vehicles, and equipment. Develops, implements, and manages a County transit system that is in compliance with the American Disabilities Act standards and regulations, and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act standards and regulations; provides staff training in all areas regarding issues. Develops written standards to measure daily activities of transit system; prepares reports from measurements; provides information to Boards, elected officials, and State officials. Attends meetings. Interacts with local towns and municipalities to promote efficient transit services. Receives and/or reviews various records and reports such as North Carolina Department of Transportation regulations and policies, system statistics, vehicle fleet maintenance, American Disabilities Act/ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and contracts. Prepares and/or processes various records and reports such as Federal and State grant applications, operational statistics, American Disabilities Act/ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance, fiscal year budget preparation, and planning and development. Refers to North Carolina Department of Transportation regulations and policies, American Disabilities Act/ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Federal policies, previous fiscal year budget, other State transit systems statistics, operational statistics, policy and procedure manuals, codes / laws / regulations, publications and reference texts, etc. Operates a variety of vehicle, equipment, and machinery such as passenger bus with hydraulics, passenger van with hydraulics, passenger van, mini-van, computer, etc. Uses a variety of tool such as standard office tools, etc.; a variety of supplies such as general office supplies, etc.; and a variety of computer software such as Community Transportation System, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, etc. Interacts and communicates with various groups and individuals such as Director, North Carolina Department of Transportation, Board of County Commissioners, Assistant County Manager, Transportation Services Board, County Attorney, and the general public. ADDITIONAL JOB FUNCTIONS Plans and provides transportation for special functions, community events, and State events. http:llagency.gover rim entj obs.corn/or angecountyncldefault.cfm?action=specbulietin&CiassSpeclD=8789 24&headerfooter=0 20 5/13/2015 Orange County Government-Class Specification Bulletin 109 Provides input for reports not directly related to transportation but may involve the planning of future public transit services. Plans and provides transit services for inclement weather condition; coordinates with other County departments to ensure all County residents are offered services during extreme weather conditions. Assists with Department on Aging projects as needed. Performs routine administrative/office tasks as required, including but not limited to preparing reports and correspondence, copying and filing documents, answering the telephone, entering and retrieving computer data, etc. Performs related duties as required. TYPICAL QUALIFICATIONS: Requires any combination of education and experience equivalent to an Associate's degree and two to four years of experience. Possession of or ability to readily obtain a valid driver's license issued by the State of North Carolina for the type of vehicle or equipment operated. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: http:llagency.gover rim entj obs.corn lorangecountyncldefault.cfm?action=specbulIetin&CIassSpeclD=878124&headerfooter=0 3/3 5/13/2015 Orange County Government-Class Specification Bulletin 110 Transportation Assistant Class Code: Administrator* 1816 ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT Revision Date: Sep 17, 2012 SALARY RANGE $44,126.00-$72,307.00 Annually DESCRIPTION: Under limited supervision, performs administrative and supervisory work in assisting with the planning and directing of the transportation operations by overseeing transportation staffing, scheduling, services, and fleet management. Work involves supervising assigned staff; preparing daily schedules for all activities within the department; planning and contracting all transportation services with area Human Service Agencies and private organizations in Orange County; preparing daily, weekly, and monthly reports and attending departmental/divisional/board meetings reporting monthly to active members; assisting with the completion of Community Transportation Plan grant application, Rural Operating Assistance Program grant applications, and the Capitol Improvement Plan; assisting with development of new/expansion routes and long-range planning; serving as the network administrator for the Computerized Transportation System; and representing Orange Public Transportation at local, State, and Federal levels. Reports to the Transportation Manager. * This is a safety sensitive position and participation in the Drug and Alcohol Program is required. EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS Supervises department employees which involves such duties as instructing, assigning and reviewing work, maintaining standards, acting on employee problems, selecting new employees, appraising employee performance, recommending promotions, discipline, termination and salary increases. Plans and coordinates daily transportation for citizens of Orange County; compiles, reviews, and verifies all transit services provided to agencies, Department of Social Service clients, Department on Aging clients, Health Department clients, private non-profit agencies, and private citizens; prepares contracts for agencies for Orange Public Transportation services. Prepares daily schedule and drivers' manifests to ensure all transportation requests are met; verifies the daily activity of all drivers and Administrative Assistant. Supervises, schedules, and directs all drivers throughout their daily assignments; provides guidance and information on client's addresses and destinations to various medical facilities, educational facilities, businesses, and other locations in Orange, Durham, Caswell, and Alamance counties. Serves as Vehicle Maintenance Administrator for the department; administers up-to-date and precise maintenance and inspections records on the entire fleet of vehicles; schedules routine and emergency maintenance on a weekly basis to ensure all vehicles are operating in a safe manner. Performs manual compilation of monthly service contracts which are billed based on vehicle mileage and/or vehicle driver hours, vehicle maintenance and fuel consumption; assigns invoices for purchases, maintenance, and repairs; prepares monthly and yearly spreadsheet on accounts receivable; prepares financial reports for local and State governments, boards, and agencies. http:llagency.gover rim entj obs.corn/or angecountyncldefault.cfm?action=specbulietin&ClassSpeclD=8789 25&headerfooter=0 112 5/13/2015 Orange County Government-Class Specification Bulletin Serves as the network administrator configuring and installing computer programs and printers online 1nd troubleshooting software; performs general maintenance of all office equipment. Responds to all transportation inquiries/calls of emergency situations via two-way radio; equips drivers with pertinent information needed to properly assist special needs clients, disabled clients, and/or clients with additional care providers. Implements all backup procedures in the event of staff illness or emergency; reschedules alternate drivers and vehicles to cover each route; responds to accidents; completes necessary paperwork. Maintains records; schedules new radio installation and replacements for the transportation fleet; schedules maintenance and repairs for two-way radios and fire extinguishers. Remains available for driver emergency backup; ensures all clients and agency needs are met. Receives and/or reviews various records and reports such as North Carolina Department of Transportation regulations and policies, system statistics, vehicle fleet maintenance, American Disabilities Act/ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and contracts. Prepares and/or processes various records and reports such as Federal and State grant applications, operational statistics, American Disabilities Act/Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance, fiscal year budget preparation, and vehicle fleet maintenance. Refers to North Carolina Department of Transportation regulations and policies, American Disabilities Act/ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Federal policies, previous fiscal year budget, other State transit systems statistics, operational statistics, policy and procedure manuals, codes / laws / regulations, publications and reference texts, etc. Operates a variety of vehicle, equipment, and machinery such as passenger bus with hydraulics, bus with hydraulics, passenger van with hydraulics, passenger van, mini-van, computer, etc. Uses a variety of tool such as standard office tools, etc.; a variety of supplies such as general office supplies, etc.; and a variety of computer software such as Community Transportation System, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, etc. Interacts and communicates with various groups and individuals such as Transportation Manager, Assistant County Manager, Transportation Services Board, County agencies, non-profit agencies, Transportation Drivers, and the general public. ADDITIONAL JOB FUNCTIONS Assists with planning transportation for community events, special functions, and State events. Assists with transportation during inclement weather conditions; assists with coordination with other County departments to ensure all County residents are offered services during extreme weather conditions. Assists with Department on Aging projects. Performs routine administrative/office tasks as required, including but not limited to preparing reports and correspondence, copying and filing documents, answering the telephone, entering and retrieving computer data, etc. Performs related duties as required. TYPICAL QUALIFICATIONS: Requires any combination of education and experience equivalent to a high school degree and two to four years of related administrative experience. Possession of or ability to readily obtain a valid driver's license issued by the State of North Carolina for the type of vehicle or equipment operated. http:llagency.gover rim entj obs.corn lorangecountyncldefault.cfm?action=specbulIetin&CIassSpeclD=878125&headerfooter=0 212 5/13/2015 Orange County Government-Class Specification Bulletin 112 Planner II Class Code: 1923 ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT Established Date: Jan 26, 2012 Revision Date: Jan 26, 2012 SALARY RANGE $46,362.00-$75,968.00 Annually DESCRIPTION: Responsible for planning activities in the areas of transportation, zoning, and GIS support. EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: A position may not include all the work examples given, nor does the list include all that may be assigned. Conduct research, analysis, and summarize possible effects of proposed policy initiatives, including implementation measures related to small area plans. Work with other jurisdictions as needed to provide review and comments on potential planning. Coordinate County transportation planning activities with regional agencies. Process petitions for addition of roads to State Maintenance System. Provide recommendations on application and implementation of multi- modal transportation tools and techniques. Assist with the development and oversight of department projects such as the Unified Development Ordinance, the Comprehensive Plan, Master Telecommunication Plan Planning, and the requirements related to floodplain administration. Provide Board support as required. Review, process, comment and/or approve submitted development proposals, zoning complaints, subdivision proposals. Conduct field inspections of building permits awaiting certificates of occupancy. Distinguishing Factors This classification is distinguished from the Planner I classification based on the complexity of the planning projects and responsibilities. TYPICAL QUALIFICATIONS: Knowledge, Skills. Abilities • Knowledge of modern office practices and procedures, including modern office technology. • Knowledge of the principles and practices of planning, zoning, land use, and inspection. • Knowledge of the County's Zoning Ordinance, development ordinance and land use regulations. • Knowledge of relevant state and federal laws and regulations. • Knowledge of the principles and practices of cartography and geography. • Knowledge of geographic information systems and applications. • Knowledge of water conservation issues, hydrology, and geomorphology. • Knowledge of database management systems and structures. • Skill in performing planning functions. • Skill in preparing and presenting public presentations. • Skill in the use of a personal computer and word processing, spreadsheet, graphics design, geographic information system, and database software packages. • Skill in planning and prioritizing work. • Skill in collecting and analyzing data. • Skill in reading and interpreting maps, blueprints, and site plans. • Skill in using a camera and related equipment. • Skill in the use of engineering and architect scales, measurement equipment, and drafting tools. http:llagency.gover rim entjobs.corn/or angecountyncldefault.cfm?acti on=specbulIet rl&CIassSpeclD=842621&header footer=0 112 5/13/2015 Orange County Government-Class Specification Bulletin • Skill in public and interpersonal relations. 113 • Skill in oral and written communication. Supervision Assignments are provided by indicating generally what is to be done. Quality and quantity expectations are provided. Additional details are provided for new, difficult, or unusual problems. Classification typically does not supervise. Minimum Qualifications • Requires any combination of education and experience equivalent to a Master's degree in a course of study related to the occupational field and one year of related experience. • Possession of or ability to readily obtain a valid driver's license issued by the State of North Carolina for the type of vehicle or equipment operated. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Physical Activities N = Never; R = Rarely (Less than 25%); O = Often (25% - 75%); A = Always (More than 75%) Standing O Sitting O Walking O Bending R Stooping R Kneeling R Crawling N Climbing R Typing O Grasping O Talking O Hearing O Repetitive motions of hands/wrists O Handing O Repetitive motions of feet O Reaching O Average number of pounds through a normal day that are pushed, pulled, etc. and the distance over which the weight is moved: Activity Average Number of Pounds Distance Weight is Moved Pushing 10 200 ft Pulling 10 200 ft Lifting 10 200 ft Carrying 10 200 ft Examples of physical activities required in this position: Sitting at a computer for many hours per day Filing papers Walking to work station Driving a motor vehicle Possible Hazards (chemicals, dangerous machinery, etc.) None Known http:llagency.gover rim entj obs.corn lorangecountyncldefault.cfm?action=specbulIetin&CIassSpeclD=842521 Meader footer=0 212 5/13/2015 Orange County Government-Class Specification Bulletin 114 U 1t a� Public Transportation Driver* Class OCPI-1 ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT Established Date: Jan 1, 2012 Revision Date: Apr 3, 2012 SALARY RANGE $12.76-$14.29 Hourly DESCRIPTION: Performs a variety of routine and complex transportation work in driving a bus to transport passengers over specified routes to local or distant points according to a time schedule. Worts involves providing a safe, reliable, efficient, and customer friendly transit service to all resident of Orange County; completes a manifest, Council of Government's reports, mileage reports, and fuel log reports; maintaining knowledge of Orange County road systems; and providing administrative support by assisting in the Orange Public Transportation office as needed. *This is a safety sensitive position and participation in the Drug and Alcohol Program is required. EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Operating a variety of multi-passenger vehicles requiring a commercial driver's license to transport Orange County residents. Operating safety equipment including hydraulic lift, wheelchairs, and mobility security devices to ensure passenger safety and well-being; assists passengers on and off vehicle. Operating open-air radios while protecting client confidentiality. Maintaining daily vehicle inspection reports, driver's manifest, supervisory notification, and Motor Pool notification. Contacting emergency service providers when medical issues arise. Collecting passenger fees; documents and receipts; forwards for deposit. Picking up and transporting animals during inclement weather. Performing light office duties such as data entry tasks, justification of manifests, and answering the telephone. Assisting administrative staff by acting as dispatcher as needed. Receiving and/or reviewing various records and reports such as driver's manifest, Council of Government's report, American Disabilities Act/ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, North Carolina Department of Transportation regulations, and geographical information system mapping book. TYPICAL QUALIFICATIONS: • Knowledge of the methods, procedures and policies on Transportation as they pertain to the performance of duties of the Public Transportation Driver. • Knowledge of the laws, ordinances, standards, and regulations pertaining to the specific duties and http:llagency.gover rim entjobs.corn/or angecountyncldefault.cfm?acti on=specbulIet r1&CIassSpeclD=851840&header footer=0 112 5/13/2015 Orange County Government-Class Specification Bulletin responsibilities of the position. 115 • Knowledge of relevant State and Federal laws and regulations governing rural transit systems. • Knowledge of vehicle fleet maintenance procedures. • Knowledge of drug and alcohol testing procedures for Federal, State, and local governments. • Knowledge of first-aid and CPR principles and practices • Skilled in defensive driving techniques. • Skilled in operating multi-passenger vehicles, hydraulic lift equipment, and mobility equipment for handicapped passengers. • Able to communicate effectively orally. • Able exhibit positive customer relations skills, including exhibiting a positive attitude towards customers. • Able to take the initiative to complete the duties of the position without the need of direct supervision. • Able to plan, organize, and prioritize daily assignments and work activities. MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE Requires the ability the read, write and perform mathematical skills. Requires one to two years of experience. Requires possession of or ability to readily obtain a valid driver's license issued by the State of North Carolina for the type of vehicle or equipment operated. Commercial Driver's License (CDL) required. http:llagency.gover rim entj obs.corn lorangecountyncldefault.cfm?action=specbulIetin&CIassSpeclD=851840&header footer=0 212 5/13/2015 Orange County Government-Class Specification Bulletin 116 U 1t a� Public Transportation Driver* Class Code: 1009 i�#tX, ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT Established Date: Mar 9, 2012 Revision Date: Jan 19, 2012 SALARY RANGE $29,725.00-$48,708.00 Annually DESCRIPTION: Performs a variety of routine and complex transportation work in driving a bus to transport passengers over specified routes to local or distant points according to a time schedule. Worts involves providing a safe, reliable, efficient, and customer friendly transit service to all resident of Orange County; completes a manifest, Council of Government's reports, mileage reports, and fuel log reports; maintaining knowledge of Orange County road systems; and providing administrative support by assisting in the Orange Public Transportation office as needed. *This is a safety sensitive position and participation in the Drug and Alcohol Program is required. EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: • Operates a variety of multi-passenger vehicles requiring a commercial driver's license to transport Orange County residents. • Operates safety equipment including hydraulic lift, wheelchairs, and mobility security devices to ensure passenger safety and well-being; assists passengers on and off vehicle. • Operates open-air radios while protecting client confidentiality. • Maintains daily vehicle inspection reports, driver's manifest, supervisory notification, and Motor Pool notification. • Contacts emergency service providers when medical issues arise. • Collects passenger fees; documents and receipts; forwards for deposit. • Picks up and transports animals during inclement weather. • Performs light office duties such as data entry tasks, justification of manifests, and answering the telephone. • Assists administrative staff by acting as dispatcher as needed. • Receives and/or reviews various records and reports such as driver's manifest, Council of Government's report, American Disabilities Act/ Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, North Carolina Department of Transportation regulations, and geographical information system mapping book. TYPICAL QUALIFICATIONS: Knowledge. Skills and Abilities • Knowledge of the methods, procedures and policies on Transportation as they pertain to the performance of duties of the Public Transportation Driver. • Knowledge of the laws, ordinances, standards, and regulations pertaining to the specific duties and responsibilities of the position. • Knowledge of relevant State and Federal laws and regulations governing rural transit systems. • Knowledge of vehicle fleet maintenance procedures. • Knowledge of drug and alcohol testing procedures for Federal, State, and local governments. • Knowledge of first-aid and CPR principles and practices http:llagency.gover rim entj obs.corn/or angecountyncldefault.cfm?action=specbulIetin&CIassSpeclD=841933&headerfooter=0 112 5/13/2015 Orange County Government-Class Specification Bulletin • Skilled in defensive driving techniques. 117 • Skilled in operating multi-passenger vehicles, hydraulic lift equipment, and mobility equipment for handicapped passengers. • Able to communicate effectively orally. • Able exhibit positive customer relations skills, including exhibiting a positive attitude towards customers. • Able to take the initiative to complete the duties of the position without the need of direct supervision. Is able to plan, organize, and prioritize daily assignments and work activities. Minimum Training and Experience • Requires the ability the read, write and perform mathematical skills and one to two years of experience. • Possession of or ability to readily obtain a valid driver's license issued by the State of North Carolina for the type of vehicle or equipment operated. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Physical Requirements Requires light-to-medium work that involves walking, driving or standing much of the time and also involves exerting between 20 and 50 pounds of force on a recurring basis, or considerable skill, adeptness and speed in the use of fingers, hands or limbs in tasks involving close tolerances or limits of accuracy. http:llagency.gover rim entj obs.corn lorangecountyncldefault.cfm?action=specbulIetin&CIassSpeclD=841933&headerfooter=0 2I2 118 Appendix D Appendix D : Demographic Needs Analysis Excerpt from: Community Transportation Service Plan (CTSP), Technical Memorandum #i: Inventory of the transit Systems'Current Organizational Direction and Service Delivery, April 2012 NCDOT Orange County Transit Assessment Study 119 120 Technical Memorandum #1: Inventory of Current Organizational Direction and Service Delivery COUNTY AND REGIONAL DEMOGRAPHICS AND GEOGRAPHY This section provides an assessment of transit needs based on demographic analysis, land use patterns, and major transit origins and destinations. This evaluation includes the identification of transit-dependent populations to determine areas that have higher relative need for transit service. All this information is analyzed to determine whether the current transit services are meeting the needs of the community. The results, along with public input obtained through surveys and meetings later in the study, will be used to develop recommendations to enhance public transportation service in Orange County. General Demographic Background In 2010, the United States Census Bureau reported that the population of Orange County was 133,801. This figure was an increase of 13.2% from the 2000 population of 118,227. In 2010, the racial makeup of the County included 74.4% who identified as White alone, 11.9% as Black alone, 6.7% as Asian alone, and 8.2% as Hispanic or Latino of any race.' Nearly 21% of the total population was under 18 years old and an additional 9.6% were 65 years or older. Compared with 2000 Census data, Orange County has seen decreases in those identifying as White alone and increases in the Hispanic or Latino and Asian populations. (Further data on minority populations is provided below in the Title VI analysis.) The population under 18 years of age increased slightly, and the population aged 65 and older increased by almost 30% between 2000 and 2010.2 The growing minority and elderly populations signify an increase in potentially transit-dependent populations. The following section will elaborate further on segments of the population that may frequently rely on public transportation. Transit-Dependent Populations A critical component of analyzing transit needs is to examine segments of the population who may have higher relative need for transportation and may be more likely to use public transportation for various reasons. These population segments include those who may not have access to a personal vehicle or are unable to drive themselves due to age, disability, or income status. Identifying the locations where transit-dependent populations reside, along with the key destinations to which they 1 United States Census Bureau.DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics:2010. 2 United States Census Bureau.DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics:2000. OPT/CHT CTSP KFH and Consolidation Plan 1-9 121 Technical Memorandum #1: Inventory of Current Organizational Direction and Service Delivery travel, is an important step in assessing the effectiveness of existing transit services and recommending improvements. Transit Dependence Index (TDI): Methodology The TDI is an aggregate measure that helps determine relative concentrations of potentially transit-dependent populations within a study area. The TDI utilizes data primarily from the 2005 - 2009 American Community Survey (ACS) five-year estimates because the ACS provides more detailed demographic data at the block group level (compared to the 2010 Census). The data collected from the ACS to incorporate into the TDI are described below. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping software, the TDI data for block groups in Orange County were mapped to display the location of transit-dependent populations. These locations were then overlaid with existing transit routes to identify geographic areas where transit service may be introduced or expanded to better serve transit-dependent populations. It should be noted that this analysis only portrayed existing fixed-route services in the demographic maps, and OPT and CHT also provide demand response and ADA paratransit services. While this analysis primarily identified gaps in fixed-route services, transit needs related to other types of service will also be evaluated through surveys, public input, and operating statistics. The TDI incorporated five population categories representing potentially transit- dependent persons to determine relative levels of transit need within Orange County: • No Vehicle Households (NV) - The number of households without an automobile. Lack of access to an automobile is one of the most significant factors in determining transit needs. • Elderly Population (E) - The number of people age 65 years and over. This group may include those who choose not to drive,have previously relied on a spouse for mobility, or face other factors associated with age that prohibits them from driving. • Youth Population (Y) - The number of people ages 10 to 17 years old. This group includes a significant number of persons who are old enough to travel on their own, but are not old enough to drive themselves or do not have a car available. • Persons with Disabilities Population3 (D) - The number of people age 16 and over who have a disability lasting six or more months, which makes it 3 Data on persons with disabilities is not collected from the 2005-2009 ACS because of an alteration to the question in the ACS that resulted in a disruption in reporting consistency. Therefore,recent 2010 OPT/CHT CTSP KFH and Consolidation Plan 1-10 122 Technical Memorandum #1: Inventory of Current Organizational Direction and Service Delivery difficult for them to go outside the home alone for activities such as shopping or visiting a doctor's office. Often, transit service is their only option to reach critical destinations. • Below-Poverty Population (BP) - The number of individuals who have lived below the poverty level in the past 12 months. This group may not have the economic means to purchase or maintain a personal automobile. In addition to the five transit-dependent populations, data on the Population Density (PD) for each block group was also collected. Population density helps determine the type of transit service that may be most effective in a given area (i.e., frequent fixed-route service is more feasible in a high density area, whereas demand- response or scheduled services may be more practical in a low density area). Each block group in Orange County was assigned a score in the five transit- dependent categories,based on whether it was above or below the County average, and also for population density based on thresholds related to different types of transit service. The following formula then used the individual scores to calculate the overall TDI score per block group in Orange County: TDI = PDx [NV + E + Y + D + BP] Scores ranged from 0 to 100,with higher TDI scores indicating areas with a larger number of transit-dependent persons and a higher population density. The TDI score for each block group was compared to the average score for the County and then designated as one of five categories for relative transit need: "very high," "high;' "moderate," "low," or"very low." Where service gaps exist, this study will target areas with moderate to very high relative transit needs in developing recommendations to improve transit services. Transit Dependence Index Percentage (TDIP):Methodology The TDIP was used to determine higher relative transit needs that exist outside of the County's high density areas. This analysis was important since OPT primarily serves County residents that live outside of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, which are more urban and have the highest population densities within the County. The TDIP was similar to the TDI in data composition and function. However, the TDIP measured the degree of vulnerability for transportation needs, or the percentage of vulnerable persons United States Census data is used to calculate ten-year,percent change population shifts per block group, with this total population percent change being factored to the 2000 Census data for persons with disabilities to determine current estimates of persons with disabilities. OPT/CHT CTSP KFH and Consolidation Plan 1-11 123 Technical Memorandum #1: Inventory of Current Organizational Direction and Service Delivery or households per block group that may rely on alternative transportation, whereas the TDI measured the amount of vulnerability, or the number of vulnerable persons or households per block group in conjunction with population density. In terms of final output, the TDIP also differed in that scores ranged from 0 to 25 (due to the exclusion of the PD factor), whereas TDI scores ranged from 0 to 100. Comparable to the TDI, a higher TDIP score represented an area where a larger proportion of transit-dependent persons are present. A similar formula to TDI was used to calculate the TDIP, except population density was excluded and the percentages of the transit-dependent populations were used instead of the numbers: TDIP = NVP + EP + YP + DP + BPP, where the 'P' after each category indicates the percentage (rather than the number) of that transit-dependent population per block group. Transit-Dependent Populations Results The results of the TDI and TDIP analyses are described below, as well as the results for potential transit needs based on population density and households with no vehicles. These two demographic factors were also mapped individually because the general population density map provides a good point of reference for the TDI map, which includes population density as well as the five transit-dependent populations; and the map of households with no cars highlights areas that may have the most dire need for transit service, since the residents do not have access to a personal vehicle. TDI Figure 1-1 displays the results of the TDI analysis for Orange County. The maroon and darker orange areas represent those with the highest levels of transit- dependent populations. The areas with the greatest potential transit need are located in and around Chapel Hill, particularly south of the Interstate 40 corridor and along the Route 15/501 corridor. Currently,both Triangle Transit and Chapel Hill Transit provide relatively frequent service to this area. Hillsborough is the only other part of the County where the TDI analysis, incorporating population density, indicated potential transit needs. The southern part of Hillsborough has moderate transit need, most likely concentrated around several multi-unit housing complexes, including apartments and a mobile home park, located OPT/CHT CTSP KFH and Consolidation Plan 1-12 124 Technical Memorandum #1: Inventory of Current Organizational Direction and Service Delivery south of I-85 and north of Oakdale Drive. This area has relatively high numbers of youth and persons living below the poverty level, as well as moderate numbers of elderly persons and persons with disabilities. The new Hillsborough Circulator Bus serves this southern part of Hillsborough, though residents do not have direct access to Triangle Transit Route 420 and must transfer from the Hillsborough Circulator Bus at Durham Tech's Orange County Campus. TDIP In contrast to the TDI, the TDIP determines relative transit need based on the percentage of the population in each block group that falls within one or more of the transit-dependence categories. The TDIP does not consider population density when determining potential transit needs, and therefore highlights transit needs outside of the urbanized areas. Shown in Figure 1-2, the results of the TDIP analysis indicated higher relative transit needs in Hillsborough as well as in rural locations at the outskirts of the County. The highest relative needs based on percentage of transit-dependent populations were located in central Hillsborough, in a western stretch along the Interstate 40 corridor near Mebane, and in the northwestern corner of the County. While central Hillsborough is served by the new Hillsborough Circulator Bus and Triangle Transit Route 420, the rural sections are served through demand response transit. Population Density by Age Group A concern with both the TDI and TDIP analyses is that combining poverty measures, youth and senior age populations in one index may obscure significant differences between the large university student population and other population groups that may also be transit dependents but have different needs, such as low- income seniors. Because the TDI/TRIP methodology is a ranking of a single index, it is difficult to break it apart to show the impact of the individual factors. However, it is possible to display the underlying data separately to look for possible differences, so Figure 1-3 presents a map of the population density of young adults, 18-24 years of age (presumably this includes most of the student population), and Figure 14 presents a map of the population density of senior adults, 65 and over. There are differences, as it becomes clear that much of the young adult population is in much higher density areas in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. These same areas also have a moderate density of seniors, so both groups are present. Hillsborough shows a higher density of seniors than young adults (but even the senior density is low, between 100 and 250 persons per square mile). The northeast/east of Chapel Hill has only a moderate density of young adults, but a higher density of seniors. These differences may suggest different service types are required, though in areas populated by both groups it may be that the overall population density is really the determinant of the appropriate service types. OPT/CHT CTSP KFH and Consolidation Plan 1-13 125 Technical Memorandum #1: Inventory of Current Organizational Direction and Service Delivery Population Density General population density was mapped to determine appropriate levels of transit service, such as fixed-route, deviated fixed-route, and demand-response. A generally accepted guideline recommends a population density of at least 2,000 persons per square mile to support regular, fixed-route transit. However, if an area has an exceptionally large transit-dependent population, lower densities can also support this type of service. Figure 1-5 portrays Orange County's population density by block group. The block groups that have a population density greater than 2,000 persons per square mile were clustered in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Hillsborough also had areas with relatively high population densities. This analysis indicated that the existing fixed-route services already operates in the parts of Orange County that have sufficient population densities to support this type of regular service. Autoless Households Figure 1-6 displays the number of autoless households per block group in the County. The greatest numbers of autoless households appear in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and are already served by frequent fixed-route service. The northern part of Hillsborough also has high numbers of households without a car, which are likely concentrated in residential areas near the intersection of US-70/Cornelius Street and NC-86/North Churton Street. These areas are already served by the Hillsborough Circulator Bus. Autoless households are further dispersed across the County, shown in shades of orange on the map, though these rural block groups are so large that the autoless households are unlikely to be concentrated in specific areas that may be practically served by fixed-route or scheduled transit service. With the possible exception of Mebane, demand-response transit may be the most feasible type of service in these areas. OPT/CHT CTSP KFH and Consolidation Plan 1-14 126 Figure 1-1: Relative Concentration of Transit-Dependent Persons by Block Group Legend Hillsborough Circulator OPT Mid-Day Shuttle/ Triangle Transit 420 Chapel Hill Transit Interstate Major Highway QOrange County 0 Surrounding County 57 Census Block Groups 0 Very Low(<County Avg.) Low(100-133% County Avg.) 86 Moderate(134-166% County Avg.) High(167-199% County Avg.) Very High(>=200% County Avg.) Mebane - - _ 70 Hillsborough 0 ¢ 41 -� I xx 86 x t y Durham,. v 0 1 2 3 i5 —� Miles 41 t 5 C•arrboro Chapel Hill 54 15 501 VM kources'. RI,2005-2009 American Community Survey,2010 Census,GoTrian�le data warehouse.es: Triangle ransit(TTA)hosts the GoTriangle data arehouse. This map is pot sponsored by or affiliated with TTA.CHT routes ere updated in January 2010,while the TTA routes were updated in January 2011. �� 1-15 127 Figure 1-2: Relative Percentage of Transit-Dependent Persons by Block Group Legend Hillsborough Circulator OPT Mid-Day Shuttle/ Triangle Transit 420 Chapel Hill Transit Interstate Major Highway QOrange County - Surrounding County 57 Census Block Groups 0 Very Low(<County Avg.) 0 Low(100-133% County Avg.) 86 Moderate(134-166% County Avg.) High(167-199% County Avg.) Very High(>=200% County Avg.) Mebane 70 Hillsborough ff Y 86 5 Durham 4 0 1 2 3 Miles Carrbo'ro Chapel Hill 5 54 5 15 5011 ources: SRI,2005-2009 American Community Survey,2010 Census,GoTrian le data warehouse. tes: Triang ransit(TTA)hosts the GoTriangle data arehouse. This map is t sponsored by or affiliated with TTA. KFH1 T e CHT routes ere updated in January 2010,while the TTA routes were upd ed in January 2011. 1-16 128 Figure 1-3: 2010 Population Density of Young Adults (18-24 year olds) Legend Hillsborough Circulator OPT Mid-Day Shuttle/ Triangle Transit 420 Chapel Hill Transit Interstate Major Highway QOrange County _ Surrounding County Census Block Groups 57 18-24 yr olds/Square Mile - 2,000+ 1,001-2,000 86 501-1,000 EM 251-500 0 101-2,50 Woodlawn 0 1-100 Mebane 70 Hillsborough 4 86 54 Carrboro Chapel Hill } f+ 15 0 2 3 es 501 F H Sources: E RI,2010 us,GoTriangle data warehouse. o Notes: Trian le Transit(TT )hosts the GoTriangle data arehouse. This map is not sponred by or affiliated with TTA. I n, u w u ed in January 2010,while the TTA routes were updated in Ja uary 2011. ®' 1-17 129 Figure 1-4: 2010 Population Density of Senior Adults (65+) Legend Hillsborough Circulator OPT Mid-Day Shuttle/ Triangle Transit 420 Chapel Hill Transit Interstate Major Highway QOrange County _ Surrounding County Census Block Groups 57 65+yr olds/Square Mile 251-500 0 101-250 86 0 1-100 T Woodlawn Mebane 70 Hillsborough .ti 86 �5• 4 I l M1� J I t Carrboro Chapel Hill 54 15 0 2 3 les 501 Sources E RI,2010 us,GoTriangle data warehouse. Notes: Trian e Transit(TT )hosts the GoTriangle data arehouse. This map is not spon red by or affiliated with TTA. KFH I n, u w u ed in January 2010,while the TTA routes were updated in Ja uary 2011. 1-18 130 Figure 1-5: 2010 Population Density by Census Block Group 7"4 Legend Hillsborough Circulator OPT Mid-Day Shuttle/ Triangle Transit 420 Chapel Hill Transit Interstate Major Highway QOrange County _ Surrounding County Census Block Groups 57 Persons/Square Mile 2,001+ 1,001-2,000 86 501-1,000 - 251-500 0 101-250 0 1-100 Woodlawn Mebane 70 r Hillsborough 86 54 C•arrboro Chapel Hill Q y ti *7 4 15 0 2 3 iles 501 Source ESRI,20 0 Census,GoTriangle data warehouse. FH Notes: ngle Tra ' TTA)hosts the GoTriangle data arehouse. This map is not sponsored by or affiliated with TTA. The CHT r utes were up ted in January 2010,while the TTA routes were updated in Jarydary 2011. 1-19 131 Figure 1-6: Relative Number of Autoless Households by Block Group Legend Hillsborough Circulator OPT Mid-Day Shuttle/ Triangle Transit 420 Chapel Hill Transit Interstate Major Highway QOrange County Surrounding County Census Block Groups 57 Autoless Households 0 Very Low(<65) Low(66-88) 86 Moderate(89-110) High(111-132) Very High(>133) Woodlawn Mebane 70 ~~" Hillsborough 1. 86 N 0 1 2 3 Miles Carrbor`o Chapel Hill y 54 � 15 501 FHSource � ESRI,20 5-2009 American Community Survey,2010 Census,GoTriangle data wa ouse. Notes: ngle Tra ' TTA)hosts the GoTriangle data arehouse. This map is not sponsored by or affiliated with TTA. The CHT r utes were up ted in January 2010,while the TTA routes were updated in Jap6ary 2011. 1-20 132 Technical Memorandum #1: Inventory of Current Organizational Direction and Service Delivery Title VI Analysis As part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs and activities receiving Federal subsidies. A Title VI analysis was included as part of the needs assessment to ensure that OPT and CHT are providing nondiscriminatory transportation and that services are equitably distributed. An Environmental Justice Index was developed to locate concentrations of minority and low-income populations for the purposes of determining whether existing transit services are equitably distributed. A similar analysis will be performed for any recommended new services or service changes later in this study. Environmental Justice Inde (EJI):Methodology The EJI is similar to the TDI and TDIP in that it is an aggregate measure that may be employed with mapping software to capture specific demographic data, and it uses ACS data at the block group level. The EJI determined relative concentrations of racial and/or ethnic minorities and low-income populations within Orange County.4 Monitoring this demographic data helps ensure a high standard of social and economic equality, outlined by Title VI, when evaluating any modification to existing public transit services. As with the TDI, the EJI incorporated population density in its scoring process. Again, each block group was scored based on its numbers of minorities and low-income persons compared to the County averages. These individual scores were used in the following formula to determine an overall EJI score: EJI = PD x M x BP,where: • PD = Population Density, or persons per square mile • M = Number of persons who are racial and/or ethnic minorities • BP = Number of persons living below the poverty level The overall EJI scores ranged from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating an area with a larger number of racial and/or ethnic minority residents and/or low- income persons, as well as a higher population density. The block groups were then compared to the average EJI score for the County and designated as one of five 4 The framework for the EJI was introduced in a 2004 National Cooperative Highway Research Program report in order to offer"practitioners an analytical framework to facilitate comprehensive assessments of a proposed transportation project's impacts on affected populations and communities." OPT/CHT CTSP KFH and Consolidation Plan 1-21 133 Technical Memorandum #1: Inventory of Current Organizational Direction and Service Delivery categories for relative transit need: "very high," "high," "moderate," "low," or "very low." EJI Results The EJI mapped in Figure 1-7 closely resembles that of the TDI. The areas with the highest numbers of minority residents and low-income residents were located in and around Chapel Hill, especially along the I-40 corridor and the Route 15/501 corridors. Another area that scored highly was south Hillsborough, likely due to the residential areas south of I-85 and north of I-40. These areas have some fixed-route service through the new Hillsborough Circulator Bus, but riders must transfer to Triangle Transit Route 420 at Durham Tech to access Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Any new services or service changes developed as part of this study will include additional Title VI analysis to ensure fair and equitable levels of transit service in Orange County. OPT/CHT CTSP KFH and Consolidation Plan 1-22 Figure 1-7: Environmental Justice Index: 134 Relative Concentrations of Minority and Low-Income Persons by Block Group Legend Hillsborough Circulator OPT Mid-Day Shuttle/ Triangle Transit 420 Chapel Hill Transit Interstate Major Highway QOrange County - Surrounding County 57 Census Block Groups 0 Very Low(<County Avg.) 0 Low(100-133% County Avg.) 86 Moderate(134-166% County Avg.) =High(167-199% County Avg.) Very High(>=200% County Avg.) Mebane 70 Hillsborough .. 86 t Durham- 0 N 1 2 3 .4 iles 5 C•arrboro Chapel Hill 5 54 x L x 15 501 KFH rtes: ES I,2005-2009 American Community Survey,2010 Census,GoTriangle,data warehouse. Not s: Triangle nsit(TTA)hosts the GoTriangle data arehouse. This map is noponsored by or affiliated with TTA. The HT routes w re updated in January 2010,while the TTA routes were updated in January 2011. 1-23 135 Appendix E PP Transit Planner Job Description NCDOT Orange County E-1 Transit Assessment Study 136 702302015 Job Bulietin 137 TOWN OF CARY invites applications foir the position of: TRANSIT PLANNER An Equal Opportunity Employer SALARY: $23.64 _ $39.01 Hourly $49,171.20 - $81,140..80 Annually OPENING DATE: 07/15/15 CLOSING DATE: 08/05/15 11:59 PM DESCRIPTION: Performs difficult administrative and planning work in the administration of the transit system. 'Mork is performed under the general supervision of the Transit Services Administrator. TYPICAL 'TASKS: Assists in the management of federal and state public transit grants to include but not limited to: grant preparation, reviewing applications; preparing submittals and preparing quarterly financial and statistical reports for grants and grant reimbursements on the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) TEAM web site, and completes all National Transit Database requirements in coordination and consultation with other transit section staff, and coordinates FTA and NCDCT reimbursements with Finance Department staff; Ensures the transit system is in full compliance with all FTA requirements and laws, assists preparing FTA materials related to required pllans, audits, reviews or questions (such as Title VI Plan updates and DBE program plan updates); Identifies areas of non-compliance and takes swift and decisive action to correct these deficiencies; prepares all necessary documentation for FTA Triennial Reviews while meeting established deadlines; Prepares draft fiscal year budget for all capital and operating expenses for Transit Fund in consultation and coordination with Transit Services Administrator and other transit staff; works closely with Budget staff to ensure all budget proposal information is clear, concise and justified; Reviews system revenues and expenditures monthly and makes budgetary or financial recommendations based on consultation with supervisor and Finance Department staff, and also oversees ticket and pass supplies; Provides monthly Transit Fund operating summary report to supervisor on a monthly basis and identifies an areas of needing attention; Gathers all necessary quotes and prepares requests for products and services utilizing department forms and procedures, ensures adequate funding is available, and enters all request information into the Town's accounting software system; Develops formal requests for proposals and agreements for large projects in adherence with Town and FTA requirements, as well as a comprehensive process for proposal evaluations examples: contract services, Architectural and Engineering services for facility construction, http:i tagency.governmentjobs.com/townofcaryljob_bul8etin.cfrn?Jobs©=1188740 114 7/2312015 Job Bulletin 138 etc.; Maintains up-to-date inventory of all existing capital resources such as passenger shelters, benches and transit technologies like automated passenger counters, electronic fare boxes and automated vehicle locator systems; ensures capital assets are insured under Town insurance policy and receive routine maintenance and are in good working order; Understands all areas of CAMPO's LAPP program, NCDOT STIP and Strategic Transportation Investment (STI) processes and requirements to ensure Town is in best possible position to secure State matching money on projects; Provides monthly oversight of prime turn-key contract services through routine review of performance reports to ensure FTA compliance in all areas of operations, discussions with contract staff and on-the-road supervision —documents findings and corrective actions; Reviews the contractual rate adjustment proposal from prime service contractor annually, ensures accuracy and compliance with service contract, and provides recommendation to supervisor on contractual hourly rate adjustments; Represents the Town with regional metropolitan planning organizations and at meetings pertaining to regional transit as needed; Analyzes system data, prepares quarterly reports and recommends methods and strategies to decrease system costs while increasing productivity and passenger revenues; Reviews prime contractor's monthly invoices and other vendors invoices; prepares internal invoices for review and approval; Monitors contractor to ensure that they meet all C-Tran system operational guidelines, policies and contractual requirements; Prepares and presents staff reports on issues or recommendations requiring Town Council approval; Develops and maintains the Passenger Amenities Plan and Program depicting inventory of all existing passenger amenities and future planned facilities; Provides drafts of needed revised or new standards/procedures/policies to the Transit Services Administrator to ensure that the Town's C-Trap policies and procedures encompass all areas of the system's current management and operations; prepares necessary staff reports on those recommendations and presents to Council; Responds to passenger inquiries within twenty-four hours or next business day of receiving complaints, suggestions, or commendations from passenger or citizens at a minimum to acknowledge receipt of the issue; ensures that complaints and corrective actions are documented on all items and closed out in a timely manner; Communicates with Town staff, private sector firms, and regional transit partners in a timely, respectful, and professional manner; Assists with special tasks and projects such as annual passenger surveys, special events shuttles, and marketing events as needed. Performs other job-related tasks as required. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES: General knowledge of transit operations, FTA compliance and grants; considerable knowledge of data collection and analysis; general knowledge of municipal planning and urban design; http:/lagency.governf-nentjobs.com/townofcaryfjob—bU[Ietin.cfm?JoblD=l 188740 2/4 7/23/2015 Job Bulletin 139 general knowledge of the Unified Development Ordinance and its applications; general knowledge of the use of personal computers; general knowledge of the use of personal computer software; ability to handle difficult customer service issues; ability to prepare and analyze complex reports; ability to present the results of research effectively in oral, written, and graphic form; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates, municipal officials, representatives of other agencies, and members of the general public. Must be able to walk or move freely in order to observe issues or activities in the field. Occasional field work is required in which employee may have to drive to sites to observe activities or collect data. MINIMUM AND PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Any combination of education and experience equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in urban planning, transportation planning, business or a closely related field and a minimum of two years experience in the transit field. A graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for years of experience. Strongly prefer candidates that have a general knowledge of Federal Transit Administration (FrA) requirements and laws as well as state, local statutes, rules and regulations related to transit operation. Preference will be given to candidates that have at least two years experience working with an urban transit system that receives FTA funding. Project management experience is highly desired. Experience working with contracts, grants, financial reports and developing a budget is highly desired. Preference will also be given to candidates that have experience with financial or accounting related software. Must have excellent oral and written presentation skills and a valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record. Requires drug testing and background check (which may include criminal check, education verification and credit history review) prior to employment. APPLICATIONS MAY BE FILED ONLINE AT: Job #16-00210 r1 tp; (vuvu�v.trn i�pfcry ark TRANSIT PLANNER RH OUR OFFICE IS LOCATED AT: 316 N. Academy Street, Human Resources Cary, NC 27513 919-469-4070 kirn,berthiaum V ca . .. ILCU9...D-OL-EY-1.20 An Equal Opportunity Employer TRANSIT PLANNER Supplemental Questionnaire * 1. Which best describes your level of education? I High School Graduate J Associate's Degree J Bachelor's Degree J Master's Degree * 2. How many years of experience do you have in transit system related work? J I year or less J 2 years J 3 years J 4 years J 5 years hftp:l/agency.governmentjobs.com/townofcary!ob—bulletin.c"?JoblD=1188740 314 7/23t201 5 Job Bulletin 140 J 6 years or more * 3. Do you have a degree in urban planning, transportation: planning, business or a closely related field? J Yes I No * 4. Do you have knowledge of Federal Transit Administration requirements and laws as well as state, local statutes, rules and regulations that are related to transit operation? If yes, details must be included in the work experience section of your application. I Yes J No * 5. Have you worked for or with an urban transit system that received FTA funds? If yes, details must be included in the work experience section of your application. J Yes I No * 6. Do you have project management experience? If yes, details must be included in the work experience section of your application. Yes No * 7. Do you have contract management experience? If yes, details must be included in the work experience section of your application. J Yes J No * 8. Do you have experience working with federal and state grants? If yes, details must be included in the work experience section of your application. J Yes J No * 9. Do you have experience developing a budget and using financial or accounting-related software? If yes, details must be included in the work experience section of your application. J Yes J No * 10. Do you have experience writing complex reports? If yes, details must be included in the work experience section of your application? J Yes J No * 11. Do you have experience making presentations to elected officials and citizen groups? If yes, details must be included in the work experience section of your application. _1 Yes J No * 12. Do you possess a valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record? J Yes J No Required Question hftp://agency.governmentjobs.com/townofcary/iob—bulletin.cfm?JoblD=l 188740 4/4 141 TOWN OF CARP ORGANIZATION CHANT CITIZENS CDF CARY Mayor and Council Citizen Advisory Boards and Commissions Mown Clerk's Town Town Attorney's Office Manager's Office Office LT,a,sportation lities Design Ses vices Finance Fire Human Resources Inspections roc Permits Parks,Recreation& I'ianning Police Cultural Resources =W,,k, 'I"cchnology Services 'Water Resources Utilities