18 th National Conference on Rural Public & Intercity Bus Transportation Conference

1. 18th National Conference on Rural Public & Intercity Bus Transportation Conference October 21, 2008 Kimberly Gayle Office of Federal Transit Grants Programs Division of Mass Transportation Lessons Learned: State Experiences with JARC and New Freedom

2. Program OverviewJARC Mission & Vision To Improve Mobility Across California • Targeted to welfare recipients and eligible low income individuals • Improve access to employment related activities (reverse commute) • Coordinate federally assisted programs

3. Lessons Learned Provide an in depth analysis and objective evaluation of the JARC program Provide findings and recommendations Partnerships coordination among public transportation Mission & Vision To Improve Mobility Across California

4. Procedural Findings & Recommendations Develop new program and procedures as result of SAFETEA-LU: Issue Recommendation Develop & Provide State Management Plan (SMP), fact sheet, Internal procedural documents, Desktop manuals, that assist with staff and applicants knowledge base for grant program. Establish comprehensive procedures for application receiving, tracking, scoring, and administration.

5. Procedural Findings & Recommendations Staff Stability Limited Term Positions State budget concerns Issue Recommendation Petition for permanent positions to keep consistency with program needs and staff from seeking employment elsewhere.

6. Application Findings & Recommendations Submitted application unclear or incomplete Issue Recommendation • Reform application to request information in a clear and defined structure from applicants when applying. • Ensure applicants clearly identify specified funding sources

7. Budget Findings & Recommendations Applicants annual budget reported incorrectly Local match recorded incorrectly Issue Recommendation Instruct applicant how to calculate budget page. Include instructional procedures with application. Instruct applicant how to calculate local match requirement based on FTA guidelines and total project cost.

8. Evaluation/Scoring Findings & Recommendations Evaluation/Review process Project Description is unclear Ensure consistency of eligibility criteria between MPOs & State Agency Issue Recommendation Ensure project description is clear and defined as to what type of project (i.e. capital, operating, purchasing a bus)

9. Evaluation/Scoring Findings & Recommendations Scoring Criteria Process Issue Recommendation Questions are answered in full detail as it pertains to the grant program goals and objectives.

10. Overall Lessons Learned Submission of Grants Grant awarded from Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Provide more overview to ensure grants are submitted in a timely manner. Issue Recommendation Work closer with Region to gain knowledge of FTA deadlines and requirements for FTA approval

11. Additional Information Information is available in alternate formats by request: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/MassTrans/

12. CONTACT INFORMATION Bill Walker Branch Chief JARC and New Freedom Programs (916) 654-8222 Bill.walker.jr@dot.ca.gov http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/MassTrans/5316.html

13. QUESTIONS?