Agenda - 03-17-2015 - 7c - Laserfiche WebLink

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The draft Orange Public Transportation Title VI plan contains the following federally required components: 1) Draft of notice to the public indicating that the agency complies with Title VI and informs the public of the protections against discrimination afforded to them by Title VI; 2) The agency's instructions to the public regarding how to file a Title VI discrimination complaint, including a copy of the complaint form; 3) Any public transportation- related Title VI investigations, complaints, or lawsuits filed with the agency; 4) A public participation plan that includes an outreach plan to engage minority and limited English proficient populations, as well as a summary of recent outreach efforts; 5) The agency's plan for providing language assistance to persons with limited English proficiency; and 6) A table depicting the racial breakdown of the membership of the OUTBoard, which serves as Orange Public Transportation's non - elected advisory board, and a description of efforts made to encourage the participation of minorities on the OUTBoard. Next Steps: Following the BOCC's consideration of approval of the draft Title VI plan, the plan will then be forwarded for review and approval to agencies that require the plan for grant eligibility, such as NCDOT and the Federal Transit Administration. Once approved by those agencies, the plan will be published as OPT's official Title VI plan /program and implemented accordingly before expansion services begin this spring. To ensure continued compliance with federal regulations, the plan /program will be updated and reconsidered for adoption every three (3) years. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The only financial impact associated with this item is the consequence of being ineligible for transit grant funding in the absence of an adopted Title VI plan /program. For FY 2014, OPT received a total of $235,493 from federal sources, which covered approximately 28.8 percent of OPT's budget expenditures. Orange County transportation planning staff has worked to secure additional federal funding for OPT in future years that would range between an additional $250,000 - $432,000 per year. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board: 1) Consider approval of the attached resolution (Attachment 2) approving and authorizing the plan; and 2) Authorize the Orange County Transportation Planning staff to submit the plan to the North Carolina Department of Transportation and Federal Transit Administration.