Re: Metro Vancouver Board Decisions Relating to the Strategic Priorities Fund

Transcription

1 ~ 4... ~~.t.r..f:).y.~. ~.~.?~~.~. r... (:.'.:::lt.. :'.'.. ::.. :'.:... ~. ':\\'.. '1'.. 1.:... :..... ~.... ::"... :.. \..'.'.. ".".'.. ~. ':.. ~. '. "... f i... : :. ~.. I\.i.. l ~.Jr... ltr\ t',''''', - r'f...t t\1~l'o'v);){' ~ 4330 Kingsway, Burnaby, Be. Canada V5~ ~G8 OCT Mayor Bruce Banman and Council City of Abbotsford South Fraser Way Abbotsford, BC V2T 1W7_c. ~\2~ Dear Mayor Banm~uncil: Re: Metro Vancouver Board Decisions Relating to the Strategic Priorities Fund..:.. I Office of the Chair Fax I am pleased to share with you that at its meeting of October 12, 2012, the Board endorsed the 2012 list of projects that TransLink intends to forward to the Strategic Priorities Fund Management Committee for approval under the Strategic Priorities Fund agreement. Since 2005, Metro Vancouver's Board has endorsed that 100 percent of Federal gas tax funds allocated to the region through the Strategic Priorities Fund be directed to TransLink. The Board also approved a resolution encouraging municipalities and other local government authorities to write to their local Members of Parliament to include cycling infrastructure as an eligible project under the Strategic Priorities Fund. Currently, funding for local roads, bridges, tunnels, bicycling lanes, walking paths, and sidewalks are not eligible transportation projects under the Strategic Priorities Fund. Cycling is a rapidly growing transportation mode in the region and new infrastructure is required to support it. Encouraging cycling is consistent with reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore should be eligible for Federal gas tax funding. The Board also directed staff to investigate the future use of Federal gas tax funding for transit operating expenditures, as opposed to capital expenditures only, and to identify the process to make the necessary amendments to the Strategic Priorities Fund agreement between the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, Metro Vancouver, and TransLink and the overarching tri-partite agreement between the Federal government, Province of British Columbia, and the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. We encourage your municipality to write to your local Members of Parliament to include bike lane funding as an eligible project under the SPF. We look forward to your support. Yours truly, Greg Moore Chair, Metro Vancouver Board GM/GR/rk Ene!: Report - dated October 5, 2012, "2012 Board Approval of TransLink Strategic Priorities Fund Application" (orbit # ) Oy.,.,

2 GVRD Cover Report Item E 3.2,,~.-~ metrovancouver... (jrc<ltervallcoljverre<]ionajdistri<t GlcdterVal1couvcr WatcrDistrict... '1'''-... ~... GreatC'r V,lnrOllVl~r S'~we r,lqe,lild fjr.jin;".ic Distrrct Mvtro V.\IKOUVer Housing Corpor,llinl Kingsway, Burnaby, BC, Canada VSH 4GB GVRD Board Meeting Date: October 12, 2012 To: From: Board of Directors Regional Planning and Agriculture Committee Date: October 5, 2012 Subject: 2012 Board Approval of TransLink Strategic Priorities Fund Application Regional Planning and Agriculture Committee Recommendation: That the Board: a) endorse the 2012 list of projects that TransLink intends to forward to the Strategic Priorities Fund Management Committee for approval as Approved Eligible Projects under the Strategic Priorities Fund agreement; and b) encourage municipalities to write to their local Members of Parliament to include bike lane funding as an eligible project under the Strategic Priorities Fund. At its October 5,2012 meeting, the Regional Planning and Agriculture Committee considered the attached report titled "2012 Board Approval of TransLink Strategic Priorities Fund Application", dated October 1,2012. The Committee subsequently amended the recommendation as presented above in underline style. Attachment: Report titled "2012 Board Approval of TransLink Strategic Priorities Fund Application", dated October 1,

3 . ~. I '" metro vancouver (1:I'ol~('r 'J.v" :!ll,/i'\' P.'1.qiOf',;;t Dic,tdn.. (ht;\fpt 1,/ intoi.'.'pt \V'l1.f-f n!\~'k!...., '"...",,'..,... ~ 4330 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC. Canada VSH 4GB Section E 3.2 Regional Planning and Agriculture Committee Meeting Date: October 5,2012 Finance Committee Meeting Date: October 11, 2012 To: From: Regional Planning and Agriculture Committee Finance Committee Gaetan Royer, Manager Metropolitan Planning, Environment and Parks Department Date: October 1, 2012 Subject: 2012 Board Approval of TransLink Strategic Priorities Fund Application Regional Planning and Agriculture Committee Recommendation: That the Board endorse the 2012 list of projects that TransLink intends to forward to the Strategic Priorities Fund Management Committee for approval as Approved Eligible Projects under the Strategic Priorities Fund agreement. Finance Committee Recommendation: That the Finance Committee receive for information the report dated September 26,2012, titled "2012 Board Approval of TransLink Strategic Priorities Fund Application". 1. PURPOSE This report provides comments and recommendations on the projects TransLink intends to forward to the Strategic Priorities Fund Management Committee for approval. 2. CONTEXT New Metro Vancouver Approval Procedure The Metro Vancouver Board endorsed a new procedure in early 2012 that requires the Board to first approve the projects which TransLink intends to forward to the Strategic Priorities Fund Management Committee for approval as "Approved Eligible Projects" under the Strategic Priorities Fund agreement. Eligible Projects Under the Strategic Priorities Fund Agreement, TransLink can use the funds only for eligible regional transportation projects. Local roads, bridges, tunnels, bike lanes, walking paths, and sidewalks are not eligible transportation projects. Proposed Projects for 2012 Application At the September 20,2012 Finance Committee meeting, TransLink presented an overview of the Strategic Priorities Fund; the amount of money received to date; the investments made, committed, or revised; and the proposed projects for 2012 and assumed in the period of the 2013 Base Plan and Outlook (Attachment 1). Greater Vancouver Regional District - 154

4 2012 Board Approval of TransLink Strategic Priorities Fund Application Regional Planning and Agriculture Committee Meeting Date: October 5, 2012 Finance Committee Meeting Date: October 11, 2012 P<lge 2 of 4 For 2012 (year 8 of the Strategic Priorities Fund agreement), TransLink has identified the following projects to be considered for funding under the Strategic Priorities Fund. The total cost is $136 million, of which $123 million is being sought from the Strategic Priorities Fund. TransLink's contribution is $13 million. FY2012 8) Vehicle # of Anticipated Total Cost SPF Funding TransLink Type Vehicles In-Service ($ millions) ($ millions) Contribution ($ millions) HandyDART Fleet (155 veh icles) Community Shuttle Fleet (50 vehicles) 40-ft Bus Fleet ft Bus Fleet TOTAL These are practical investments that are consistent with TransLink's "fix it first" principle. According to TransLink, all of the new vehicles will replace existing fleet vehicles nearing the end of their useful lives. None of the new vehicles will be allocated to expand the spare fleet. In fact, according to the draft 2012 Base Plan and Outlook, the spare fleet will be reduced as one out of a menu of cost-efficiency measures. Proposed Projects in 2013 Base Plan and Outlook Because TransLink assumes continued receipt of Federal gas tax funding, this source of funding is assumed as an established funding source in each and every base plan, including the draft 2013 Base Plan and Outlook. However, the current Strategic Priorities Fund Agreement expires in March If no new agreement is struck then the last year of funding will be 2014 (fiscal year 2014 ends in March 2015). TransLink has prepared the anticipated project list using these funds for the period. The flavour is the same as in the focus in on keeping assets in a state of good repair by replacing aging rolling stock. Information about TransLink's current fleet of bus, rail, and marine fleet (active and spare) is included also. Greater Vancouver Regional District - 155

5 2012 Board Approval of TransLink Strategic Priorities Fund Application Regional Planning and Agriculture Committee Meeting Date: October 5, 2012 Finance Committee Meeting Date: October ii, 2012 Page 3 of 4 Vehicle Type HandyOART Fleet (164 vehicles) 40-ft Bus Fleet (138 vehicles) TOTAL FY2013 9) #of Anticipated Total Cost SPF Funding TransLink Vehicles In-Service ($ millions) ($ millions) Contribution ($ millionsl Vehicle Type Community Shuttle Fleet (66 vehicles) 40-ft Bus Fleet 60-ft Bus Fleet TOTAL FY2014 ( 10) #of Anticipated Total Cost SPF Funding TransLink Vehicles In-Service ($ millions) ($ millions) Contribution ($ millions) Vehicle Type HandyOART Fleet (186 vehicles) Community Shuttle Fleet (160 vehicles) TOTAL FY2015 ( 11) # of Anticipated Total Cost SPF Funding TransLink Vehicles In-Service ($ millions) ($ millions) Contribution ($ millions) Greater Vancouver Regional District - 156

6 2012 Board Approval of TransLink Strategic Priorities Fund Application Regional Planning and Agriculture Committee Meeting Date: October 5,2012 Finance Committee Meeting Date: October 11, 2012 Page 4 of 4 Current Fleet Vehicle Type Units (Active and Spares) HandyDART 332 Community Shuttles 173 1, ft and 60-ft Buses SeaBus 3 SkyTrain Mark SkyTrain Mark Canada Line 20 sets of 2-car consists West Coast Express 6 locomotives and 44 double-deck commuter rail cars 3. ALTERNATIVES That the Board may: a) Endorse the recommendation as listed in this report. Or b) Identify alternative directions for staff or TransLink. 4. CONCLUSION Metro Vancouver received a list of projects that TransLink intends to submit to the Strategic Priorities Fund Management Committee for approval as Approved Eligible Projects under the Strategic Priorities Fund agreement. Staff finds the list of projects for 2012 to be acceptable, and recommends that the Metro Vancouver Board approve the list in order to authorize the transfer of funds to TransLink for these specific expenditures. ATTACHMENT Gas Tax Fund (TransLink presentation to Finance Committee, September 20, 2012) (Doc. # ) Greater Vancouver Regional District - 157

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