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Title:
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FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT – 1) Acceptance of a Grant through the Department of Transportation’s Bicycle Transportation Account Grant Program to Fund Bicycle Parking; and, 2) Approval of a Budget Amendment to Appropriate the Grant and Matching Funds.
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City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council (1) authorize acceptance of a grant
through the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans’) Bicycle
Transportation Account (BTA) grant program to fund bicycle parking and (2)
approve a related budget amendment to appropriate the grant and matching
funds.
A budget amendment requires a four-fifths vote.
BACKGROUND:
The BTA is a competitive annual grant program that funds projects intended to
improve the safety and convenience of bicycle commuters in California.
Jurisdictions with bicycle plans that meet specific state requirements, including
Culver City, are eligible to apply.
On April 2, 2012, the City Council adopted a resolution authorizing the City
Manager to submit a grant application to fund bicycle parking through the BTA
grant program. The resolution also approved the use of Gas Tax funds for the
grant matching requirement. The City Manager submitted the grant application in
late April 2012.
The City was recently notified that this project was one of 39 projects statewide
(out of 111 project applications) that was selected by Caltrans for funding.
Accordingly, staff is now returning to the City Council to request acceptance of
Meeting Date: 11/12/2012 Item Number: C-4
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM: FOUR-FIFTHS VOTE REQUIREMENT – 1)
Acceptance of a Grant through the Department of Transportation’s Bicycle
Transportation Account Grant Program to Fund Bicycle Parking; and, 2) Approval
of a Budget Amendment to Appropriate the Grant and Matching Funds.
Contact Person/Dept.: Helen Kerstein/PW Phone Number: (310) 253-5618
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [] Attachments: []
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date: ________________
Public Notification: (E-mail) Agenda and Meetings – City Council (11/08/12); (E-mail)
Culver City Bicycle Coalition (11/08/12); Bicycle and Pedestrian Listserv (11/08/12)
Department Approval:
Charles D. Herbertson (11/01/12)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Baker) (11/05/12)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Jeff Muir (by K. Marsden) (11/07/12)
City Manager Approval:
John M. Nachbar (11/08/12) City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
the grant award and approval of a related budget amendment to appropriate the
grant and matching funds.
DISCUSSION:
The project proposed to be funded through the grant and matching funds will
allow the City to purchase and install roughly 200 modern, U-shaped bicycle
racks at suitable locations throughout the City as well as associated signage and
up to two bicycle repair stations. This installation of bicycle racks will significantly
increase the supply of bicycle parking around the City, thus addressing a barrier
to increasing bicycle use.
Staff is exploring two ways to identify suitable locations for these bike racks. One
way is by creating a bicycle rack request program. Even without a formal
program, staff has received several requests for bicycle racks. If a formal
program were created and communicated to the public, staff believe there would
be interest. Currently, a number of cities including West Hollywood and Los
Angeles have similar rack request programs, and one is under development in
Beverly Hills.
Another way that staff suggests identifying appropriate locations is through staff
and consultant input. As part of their work on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master
Plan, Alta Planning and Design prepared an implementation memo
recommending locations for bicycle parking in the downtown area and in City
parks or near City facilities. Staff anticipates installing racks in some of these
recommended locations as well as near other priority locations that staff identifies
as key transit centers/hubs. It should be noted that some of the proposed racks
will likely replace existing outdated and substandard racks, but the majority will
be new installations. Staff is currently in the process of outlining and prioritizing
the specific proposed locations in an implementation plan.
Should the City Council approve this item this evening, both of these proposals
will be further explored by staff and presented to the City Council for
consideration at a future City Council meeting.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
The total cost of the project is $50,000. The grant amount is $45,000, which will
be matched by $5,000 in Gas Tax funds. There will also be staff time associated
with administering the grant, as well as some ongoing maintenance costs.
City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
MOTIONS:
That the City Council
1. Approve acceptance of the Bicycle Transportation Account grant; and,
2. Approve a budget amendment to appropriate $5,000 in Gas Tax funds for the
grant match; and,
3. Approve a budget amendment to appropriate $45,000 in grant funding.
A 4/5
th
vote is required to approve the budget amendments.