Council authorizes submission of FTA Section 5310 and state urban‑match transit grants after staff clarification
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Summary
The Burlington City Council voted to authorize submission of federal Section 5310 and state urban‑match grant applications to NCDOT after staff explained a higher local‑match requirement and affirmed the city had budgeted the match; public commenters raised concerns about cost and coordination.
BURLINGTON — The city council on Feb. 17 voted to authorize submission of federal and state transit grant applications to the North Carolina Department of Transportation, including a Federal Transit Administration Section 5310 request to expand paratransit services for seniors and non‑ADA riders and a state urban‑match capital request for a transit operations and maintenance facility and passenger hub.
Transit Manager John Ando told the council the city is pursuing two projects. "For the Section 5310, enhanced senior and persons with disabilities grant, we applied for operating funds to enhance our paratransit program," Ando said, adding that NCDOT subsequently notified staff the correct local match is 50 percent rather than the 20 percent the city had previously stated. Ando said the 5310 request totals $594,182, "of which the city would contribute $297,091," and that the capital request for a facility and passenger hub would total roughly $17,000,137, with $857,000 requested from the state.
Why it matters: The change in the required local match increased the city's share and prompted public questions about cost and coordination. Ando said the city already budgets the projected local match and that the 5310 program is intended to "enhance the link paratransit system" so seniors and non‑ADA persons can receive door‑to‑door service without replacing federally required ADA paratransit.
Public comment and council response
Peter Murphy of the Alamance County Public Transportation Authority objected to how the revised application was presented and urged more coordination with other jurisdictions. "The board was never given a copy of the grant application," Murphy said, and raised cost concerns, stating in his remarks that, in his calculation, the local match would translate to roughly $62.54 per one‑way trip under certain assumptions. Murphy also said grants must not be used to supplant services the city is already required to provide under ADA.
Ando disputed the specific cost figures Murphy cited, calling that per‑hour/cost data "not accurate," and said the city's combined accounting for fixed‑route and paratransit operations produces a different unit cost when calculated across the system. He also said the application had originally been due in October and was being restated only because NCDOT increased the local‑match requirement.
Council action and next steps
Council members authorized submittal of the application by voice vote. Multiple members said they were comfortable authorizing submission now but asked staff to return with verified spending estimates before the city accepts any grant that would obligate local funds. The council’s approval was a vote to submit the application; final acceptance of any awarded grant will require council review of verified financial impacts.
The council’s formal motion adopted a fiscal‑year 2027 resolution authorizing the submission of Section 5311 (including references to ADTP 5310, 5339 and 5307) and applicable state funding to NCDOT.
Clarifying details: The transit manager reported the 5310 application request at $594,182 with a proposed city match of $297,091; the state capital package was described as approximately $17,000,137 with $857,000 sought from state funds. Council members requested staff verification of cost and timing details prior to acceptance of any award.
