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Craven County to accept federal 5307 funds, authorize MOU to keep New Bern-area MPO operations running
Summary
County commissioners voted to approve a memorandum of agreement allowing Craven County to receive and pass through Section 5307 federal transit planning funds to the New Bern Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and to authorize the county manager to execute associated agreements.
Craven County commissioners on July 21 approved a memorandum of agreement that will let the county receive federal Section 5307 funds and make the New Bern Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) a subrecipient of those funds.
The action authorizes the county manager to execute the agreement with the City of New Bern so the MPO can use available federal transit planning money after the area lost its urbanized designation under the 2020 census and Section 5303 funding was eliminated.
Jean Hodges, who introduced the item, told the board that Craven County is the direct recipient of Section 5307 funds and that an MOU with the City of New Bern is required to split those funds with the MPO. Deanna Treble, New Bern Area MPO administrator, said the MPO typically funds planning from two grants (PL-104 and Section 5303), but the 5303 allocation is going away and Section 5307 requires a 20% local match rather than the 10% local share under the outgoing 5303 arrangement.
Treble said CARTS (the regional transit provider) has obligated operations funding that cannot be returned to the federal government and that about $530,700 (spoken as “5,307 funding” in the presentation) is available for MPO planning. She said the county’s pro rata share of the local 20% match would increase Craven County’s contribution approximately from the current $1,300 range to about $2,600 under the 5307 model for an equivalent budget.
Commissioner Mitchell asked for a brief description of the MPO’s role for members of the public; Treble said the MPO plans for all modes of transportation across the urbanized area, including safety countermeasures and coordination with NCDOT.
The board voted to approve the memorandum of agreement and authorized the county manager to execute the necessary documents. Chairman Buicker declared, “The ayes have it.”
The county and MPO staff said the goal is to execute the agreement by October and apply for the FY 2027 grant in January so planning work can continue while the county plans for a longer-term funding solution until the next census.
