8D Consent Calendar 2018 1203 - Laserfiche WebLink

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File Number: 18-581 Budget Funding for LINKS comes from the BID, grants, the City of San Leandro and advertising. The BID funds approximately one-half of the LINKS service. The most significant impact to the FY 2018-19 and future year budgets will be higher transportation costs that are the result of negotiating a new contract and putting new vehicles into service. Over the last year, the service has been significantly impacted by ongoing vehicle problems associated with an aging fleet, so replacement of vehicles is critical to ensure the long term success of the program. The grant allocation process has also been uncertain over the last year. LINKS received a $1.02M Measure BB five-year grant. The first year funding for the Measure BB grant was later eliminated as a result of receiving a $204,532 Lifeline Grant. The SLTMO reapplied for the full Measure BB allocation after projecting higher transportation costs. Fortunately, the BB funds were reinstated as requested. The combination of the Lifeline Grant and reinstated Measure BB funds have stabilized the LINKS funding for the next several years, at which time the SLTMO can reapply for Measure BB funding. Other factors that have impacted the program operating budget include Kaiser Permanente’s decision to not extend the contract with the SLTMO to run the Kaiser Shuttle service, resulting in a $60,000 revenue loss. Kaiser did not provide a reason, but it appears that they were combining regional shuttle services under one contract. Marina Square continued its contract to provide advertising on the LINKS buses. The SLTMO continues to pursue a variety of additional grant funding opportunities. However, grant funding is always a challenge and is inherently unpredictable. For example, it was not until after SLTMO received the Lifeline grant that it was informed that the Measure BB grant would be reduced by that amount. Grant funds are also drawn on a reimbursement basis and can only be drawn as a percentage of the total expense for the reporting period. The reimbursement process also creates cash flow challenges, making it necessary for the program to maintain a strong reserve balance at all times. The LINKS budget can be found in Exhibit C. 2017-18 Activities In FY 2017-18, SLTMO focused on further enhancing the LINKS shuttle service through installation of Nextbus technology. Nextbus provides real time arrival and departure information to riders through the Nextbus mobile app. The technology also provides operational data such as passenger counts and on-time performance reports. Nextbus also allows riders to: ·Find real-time arrival predictions for nearby stops instantly ·Find stops and vehicles on a map ·Get walking directions ·Save favorites and set alerts for favorite stops and times Page 3 City of San Leandro Printed on 11/27/2018