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| Board of Directors Regular Meeting Agenda |
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| SUBJECT MATTER: |
| Receive, consider and act upon an Interlocal Agreement with Harris County Improvement District #4, doing business as Energy Corridor District, for The Woodlands Express Services (C-2024-0622); |
| FISCAL IMPACT: |
$5,805,886 is allocated in the 2025 adopted budget for The Woodlands Express Services. Costs for these services are covered by farebox revenue, Federal Transit Administration 5307 Formula Grant funding, and the Township’s general fund. Costs for the 2025-2026 Energy Corridor District service are estimated to be approximately $614,777.
This Interlocal Agreement (ILA) with the Harris County Improvement District #4, doing business as Energy Corridor District (The District), articulates that each party will contribute 50% of the Local Share Requirement and any additional costs not eligible for grant funding. This equates to each party being responsible for not less than approximately 16% of the total operating costs eligible for grant funding and any additional costs not eligible for grant funding. The total not to exceed local match for each calendar year of the agreement is $150,000 for each agency. |
| BACKGROUND: |
Service Background
In October 2018, the Township Board authorized staff to prepare a grant application for the H-GAC's CMAQ Commuter and Transit Pilot Program to fund a three-year pilot program to provide The Woodlands Express commuter bus service to the Energy Corridor District. The Board also directed staff to seek additional funding from regional partners to serve as the local match. On December 28, 2018, the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) sent formal notification that the Township's Energy Corridor District Commuter Transit Pilot Project had been selected for a grant award. In April 2019, Township staff sought additional funding from regional partners to serve as the local match. The District agreed to cover 50% of the local share requirement. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in November 2020, articulating the commitment between the Township and The District to establish transit service between the two jurisdictions.
Service was initially scheduled to begin in August 2020. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic delayed service planning efforts. The program officially started on January 4, 2022, with the three-year pilot program funding scheduled to end on December 31, 2024. Service has been successful with overall ridership growing year-over-year and averaging 22 riders per day in 2024, though October. (Attachment A)
During the FY2025 Board Budget Workshops, the Township Board voted to continue funding The Woodlands Express Energy Corridor commuter bus service contingent upon The District agreeing to continue to fund 50% of the local share requirement. The District Board has agreed to continue funding the service.
Interlocal Agreement
The Interlocal Agreement (ILA) between the Township and The District codifies the expectations for sharing of costs and labor associated with the ongoing Woodlands Express service provision to the Energy Corridor District for a four-year term, ending on December 31, 2029. The ILA outlines the grant funding process, service monitoring and evaluation, termination, project management, schedules and routes, fares, payment and reimbursement processes, and marketing and promotion. The ILA also articulates that either local share funding partner can unilaterally exercise an option to terminate service by providing a 120-day notice. This allows the other party time to consider taking on the full local share portion of the service. Additionally, if the budgeted local match is exceeded and additional funds are not authorized by both parties, the agreement can be terminated with a 120-day notice. |
| RECOMMENDATION: |
| Approve the Interlocal Agreement with Harris County Improvement District #4, doing business as The Energy Corridor District, and authorize the President/Chief Executive Officer to execute the agreement as approved to final form by Township legal counsel. |
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