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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: April 21, 2009 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~' ' ~' <br />SUBJECT: Unobligated 2006-2012 Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization (TARPO) <br />Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Funds <br />DEPARTMENT: Planning and Inspections PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Karen Lincoln, 245-2594 <br />Craig Benedict, 245-2592 <br />PURPOSE: To consider releasing Orange County's $33,558 unused portion of 2006 - 2012 <br />CMAQ funds from the Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization (TARPO) for use by Chatham <br />County. <br />BACKGROUND: Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grants are available to <br />jurisdictions in air quality non-attainment areas designated by the State and the Environmental <br />Protection Agency. The CMAQ Program requires a minimum 20% local match and reimburses <br />jurisdictions for project costs through conditions in a Memorandum of Agreement. Projects <br />must show quantifiable emissions reduction to benefit quality. <br />TARPO allocated $378,499 (approximately 60% of the total $639,141 in CMAQ funds allocated <br />to TARPO for 2006-2012) to Orange County and allocated the remainder to Chatham County. <br />Orange County has an approved project using $344,941 of its TARPO allocation for transit <br />amenities and for three years' operating assistance for a new intra-Hillsborough transit route to <br />provide primary service between the park-and-ride lot at the Durham Technical Community <br />College at Waterstone and the Justice Complex in downtown Hillsborough. That project, <br />Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) project number C-4932, is scheduled to begin this <br />year and has been approved for the 2009 fast-track process for 100 % funding. <br />Applications for using the remaining $33,558 of Orange County's 2006-2012 TARPO CMAQ <br />funds must be submitted to NCDOT by May 1, 2009. Planning staff and Orange Public <br />Transportation staff have conferred and do not have a project that would be a good match for <br />the $33,558. Staff does not recommend applying for the unused $33,558 CMAQ funds <br />because of the local match at a time when there is no pressing need for any proposed project. <br />The County already has an obligation of a minimum additional $67,320 a year for years 2010 <br />and 2011 for the existing CMAQ project. TARPO anticipates a yearly CMAQ allocation <br />