§ 73-G — Financial assistance for creation of coordinated rural public transportation services

§ 73-g. Financial assistance for creation of coordinated rural public\ntransportation services. 1. The commissioner may approve grants to any\nrural county having no coordinated public transportation service, for\nthe purpose of developing such a service, and such approval shall\nreflect on ongoing funding commitment to the extent necessary to develop\nand implement a county plan. Such grants shall be awarded in amounts up\nto a maximum of forty-five thousand dollars for up to three successive\nyears, subject to the amounts of an annual appropriation to be included\nin the state budget, and shall be utilized by such county solely to pay\nfor its eligible costs incurred in the development and implementation of\ncoordinated public transportation service plan for said county. No\ngrant shall be approved for a rural county until the commissioner has\ncertified to the director of the division of the budget that said county\nwill appropriate for the purpose of planning and implementation of such\ncoordinated public transportation service plan, county funds equivalent\nto at least ten percent of the grant to be awarded the first year,\ntwenty percent of the grant awarded the second year, and thirty percent\nof the grant to be awarded the third year.\n 2. Each grant shall be considered by the commissioner upon application\nby a county, signed by the chief executive officer of the county, if\nany, or the chairperson of the county legislative body, including but\nnot limited to, the general intent and purpose of the project; a general\nstatement of the expected benefits to derive therefrom; and an\norganizational statement, designating the person responsible for\nmanaging the grant, and the manner by which the county will maintain\noversight of the expenditure of grant funds. Such application shall also\nstate that the county will appropriate an amount equivalent to at least\nten percent of the grant to be awarded the first year, twenty percent of\nthe grant awarded the second year, and thirty percent of the grant to be\nawarded the third year.\n 3. Upon notification by the commissioner of the approval of an\napplication for funding under this section, the services coordinator\nshall prepare a countywide coordinated public transportation service\nplan in accordance with guidelines issued by the commissioner. No such\nfunds shall be used for purchase of capital equipment. In the event a\nplan is completed and approved within one year and funds awarded to a\nrural county for this purpose are not fully expended, the remaining\nunexpended funds may be utilized to implement such plan.\n a. The commissioner shall by rule issue program guidelines for\npreparing a countywide coordinated public transportation service plan.\nSuch guidelines may address, but not be limited to, the following\nelements of the plan:\n (1) provision for consultation with existing transportation providers\nand purchasers, the county executive, if any, the county legislature,\nthe general public and any other persons interested in the plan;\n (2) a description of the geographic area to be served;\n (3) a description of existing transportation services, facilities,\nequipment, and usage;\n (4) a description of the nature and levels of existing funding\nsources;\n (5) a description of any new funding sources that are proposed to be\nincluded in the coordinated public transportation service program;\n (6) provision for the retention of existing levels of human service\nagency funding for transportation services;\n (7) provision for the inclusion of federal and state public\ntransportation operating assistance;\n (8) provision for continuation of existing levels of service to agency\nclients and the general public currently receiving service;\n (9) specific provision of new services for persons in need of\ntransportation who are not currently served or sponsored by a human\nservice agency or program;\n (10) provision for the increased utilization of vehicles which\ncurrently provide transportation services;\n (11) procedures for the regular advertising and marketing of the\ncoordinated public transportation service indicating that such service\nis open to the general public, and publication of methods by which the\ngeneral public can access and utilize available coordinated public\ntransportation service;\n (12) performance, productivity and other measures that shall be used\nto measure accomplishment of coordinated public transportation service;\n (13) uniform definitions related to record-keeping in order to\nmaintain consistency among counties;\n (14) provision for equitable sharing of total coordinated public\ntransportation service operating costs among participating providers,\nagencies, and program sources;\n (15) provision for a centralized accounting service that provides\nprimary documentation for all revenues and expenses associated with\nadministering and coordinating rural public transportation service in\nthe county;\n (16) investment of one person or office with responsibility for\nmanaging the assets, operations and funding of coordinated rural public\ntransportation service in the county;\n (17) descriptions of how the coordinated service system will maintain\nits policies, routes, schedules, fare structures and budget in a manner\nthat encourages public review, responsiveness to user concerns, energy\nconservation and fiscal solvency;\n (18) a pre-established basis for determining success using a specified\nmeans of performance measurement; a detailed budget of the resources\navailable and the assistance necessary for implementation;\n (19) a demonstration of the potential for enhancement of services to\nbe derived from a coordinated public transportation service program, and\nthe manner in which the program will promote more economical,\ncomprehensive or efficient service to the general public and\ntransportation disadvantaged populations;\n (20) a description of the manner in which the elements of the\ncoordinated public transportation service program are to be consolidated\ninto a single management unit and the extent to which that unit will\ncoordinate with any remaining non-public transportation services;\n (21) a description of the manner in which the subsequent two-year\ngrants are to be utilized in the implementation of the plan, including\nan itemized preliminary budget as described in section seventy-three-j\nof this article.\n b. The services coordinator shall submit to the county legislature a\ndraft coordinated public transportation service plan in accordance with\nprogram guidelines promulgated by the commissioner.\n c. The county legislature shall, upon the giving of at least ten days\nnotice, hold a public hearing on the draft plan after which, it may make\nsuch modifications as it deems appropriate.\n d. As a condition of the submittal of the plan to the department, the\ncounty legislature shall adopt the plan, which it shall then submit to\nthe commissioner. After approval by the commissioner of the plan, the\ncounty legislature may make such organizational changes as may be\nnecessary for implementation of the plan.\n 5. A second year grant may be authorized by the commissioner upon\nacceptance of the plan, completed in accordance with paragraph a of\nsubdivision three of this section, and upon the appropriation by the\ncounty of an amount equivalent to at least twenty percent of such grant.\nThe second year grant shall be utilized for implementation of the plan,\nincluding management expenses, and the cost of expanded operational\nservices as well as for the purchase of equipment, other than vehicles,\nwhich will enhance delivery of a coordinated public transportation\nservice.\n 6. A third year grant may be authorized by the commissioner upon the\nappropriation by the county of an amount equivalent to at least thirty\npercent of the grant. The third year grant may be utilized for any\neligible costs necessary for the development and implementation of a\ncoordinated public transportation service other than operating expenses\nof services that were performed prior to the implementation of a\ncoordinated public transportation service; vehicles, other than those\nbeing purchased through other programs, may be purchased with a\nthird-year grant.\n 7. Any rural county or public transportation authority providing\ntransportation services in a rural county which has already established\nand operates a countywide public transportation system, but does not\noffer a coordinated public transportation service as defined in this\narticle, shall be eligible for not more than two years of financial aid,\nsubject to annual appropriation in the state budget, for the purpose of\ndeveloping and implementing a more fully coordinated public\ntransportation service.\n 8. Any rural county which has previously initiated and is currently\nundertaking activities leading to the development of a coordinated\npublic transportation services plan utilizing federal funds administered\nby, and pursuant to guidelines issued by the commissioner, shall be\neligible to receive a total of federal and state financial assistance up\nto the limit prescribed herein.\n