Santa Cruz Metropolitan

Transit District

 

METRO Use of Measure D Funding in Fiscal Year FY19/20

 

Measure D funding in the amount of $3,235,449 was received by METRO in FY19/20. Interest earned was $79,948 for total available funding of $3,315,397. These funds were used to support operations by sustaining Fixed-Route service, sustaining ParaCruz service, and maintaining service reliability. Funds were also used to leverage grant opportunities to fund capital vehicle replacements along with bus mid-life overhauls, bus repaints and a renewed capitalized lease.

Details include:

  • Measure D revenues in the amount of $1,312,258 were used in FY19/20 to fund the nine Fixed-route Bus Operator positions and the one Paracruz operator position detailed below:
    • As part of the annual budget for FY19/20 (adopted in June 2019) METRO funded 4 Fixed-route Bus Operator positions using Measure D funds.  These Operator positions maintained frequency and span of service across 10 routes.
    • Measure D funds were used to maintain funding for one Fixed-route Bus Operator position and the associated operating costs to maintain 30 minute frequency bi-directionally for an 8 hour daily span.
    • Measure D funds also maintained 4 Fixed-route Bus Operators for the Extra Board to ensure service reliability across the system.
    • Sustaining adequate Operator staffing has been difficult since the staffing reduction that resulted from the cost savings measures implemented with the FY16/17 budget. As METRO continued to struggle to attract new operators in FY19/20, the agency was unable to add new service in the San Lorenzo Valley/Scotts Valley area.  The level of Operator staffing in FY19/20 was only sufficient to maintain the reliability of present service levels.
    • In addition to maintaining Fixed-route services, Measure D funds allowed METRO to fund one Paracruz operator to sustain its current level of service, which actually exceeds the service level required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 
  • The Measure D funds also allowed METRO to contribute to the “Bus Replacement Fund”, which is an established fund that receives consistent annual transfers of Measure D and other funds from the Operating budget to the Capital budget.  This fund allows METRO to provide local match to pursue grant opportunities for Fixed-Route buses and ParaCruz van replacements along with bus mid-life overhauls, bus repaints, and lease-to-own Fixed-Route buses. The new vehicles increase service reliability while the mid-life overhauls and bus repaints decrease maintenance costs.
    • In FY19/20, the Measure D funds helped leverage a variety of capital grants by providing the local match. METRO was able to commit funds to $23.0 million in bus and van related capital projects and spent $1,751,458. The remainder of the funds received but not spent in FY19/20 were “rolled forward” to FY20/21 to complete the vehicle capital projects in progress, and provide the local match and funding to new grant opportunities.