Agenda - 09-18-2012 - 7b - Laserfiche WebLink

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15 The following information was obtained from Matthew Day, Senior Planner with TARPO. TARPOstaff provided RPO funding information in arecent emailto Planning staff. He stated that over the years, the amount of RPO funding went up and down based on the total amount NC DOT had available to spend per RPOs that year, peaking at around $96,000 in 2007 (currently it is $89,951). The amount added or cut each year for each RPO was proportional to its total funding, so the relative change for each RPO stays proportional. So, as long as NC DOT keeps itssame procedure for calculating funding and just updates the population figures, it really shouldn’t matter where the MPOs place their boundaries because the RPOs’ funding will be based on the Census-designated boundary, not the MPO-designated boundary. The only thing that appears like it would make a major difference in TARPO’s funding would be if Orange County chose to withdraw from TARPO and go all-in with one of the MPOs. Regarding CMAQ funds, TARPO staffreported that with the most recent round of project submittalsNCDOT did not give TARPOan actual funding allocation but told itto assume that funding would be “aroundthe same levels” as it had been in the most recent previous round (which was around$215,000 to $220,000 per year for the years 2013-2015). So TARPO staff believes that the change in population due to DCHC’s boundary change probably did not havean impacton CMAQ funding – as yet. However, he felt that it is pretty safe to assume that since all the MPOs and RPOs around the state are in the process of reviewing and changing their boundaries right now (due to the new Census urbanized area boundaries) that the State will probably give everyone allocations based on those new population numbers for the next round of CMAQ). Between the changes in MPO/RPO boundaries statewide and the changes in the way CMAQ funding will be handled through the new federal legislation, a lot is currently up in the air. The non-MPO portion of Orange (based on the current DCHC and BG boundaries) has a 2010 population of 14,910, and the non-MPO portion of Chatham that is in the non- attainment area has a 2010 population of 14,936 - so it’s about a 50/50 split between the population in Orange and the population in Chatham. So with the current boundary, OrangeCountywould potentially be eligiblefor about half of whatever CMAQ funding TARPO does receive (assuming TARPO chooses to maintain a county-population- based split in terms of where that money gets spent). Right now, aside from CMAQ, the only other TARPO money that would be affected by the population within the RPO is the money TARPOreceivesfor conducting planning and administering the RPO. The population-based part of that formula is a relatively minor element, and the difference in population in Orange County is unlikely to have a major impact (if any). In the future, there is the potential that “transportation alternatives” funding (for things like bike/pedestrian) may end up being sub-allocated to MPOs and RPOs as a result of the new federal legislation, but it’s way too early to tell how (or if/when) that would end up happening.