Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Transit wins federal grant to study equity and routing; parking upgrades, electric buses and permit changes proposed
Summary
Transportation Services Director Ryan Knuckey said The Jule won a federal Areas of Persistent Poverty grant ($225,000 with $25,000 local match) to study route optimization and equity, is acquiring electric buses via an FTA grant (city match $408,660), and is upgrading ramp access and license-plate recognition to improve flow and enforcement.
Ryan Knuckey, director of Transportation Services, presented the FY27 Transportation Services budget on April 9, covering transit operations (The Jule) and the Parking Division.
Knuckey said The Jule received an Areas of Persistent Poverty federal grant for $225,000 with a $25,000 local match to analyze routes, service equity, facility needs and potential service changes; staff will pursue a consultant and aim to complete the study within roughly a year. The study will emphasize public and stakeholder input and financial modeling to evaluate coverage vs. frequency trade-offs when considering expanded hours or service reconfiguration.
On fleet and capital, staff described an FTA-supported $2,767,000 grant to acquire two additional electric (or hybrid) buses, with federal funds covering $2,359,000 and a City match of $408,660. Knuckey said the department is planning staff and safety training for electric vehicles and coordinating with Fire, Police and Public Works on operational readiness.
Parking upgrades include Amano ONE gate equipment installed at six downtown ramps, planned license‑plate‑recognition (LPR) rollouts and pay‑by‑plate/mobile payments for on‑street enforcement. Knuckey said LPR-enabled permits will let registered plates open gates and reduce lane congestion; a work session on vendor proposals is scheduled for early May.
Knuckey proposed two operational adjustments: hiring a part-time afternoon bus attendant (roughly a four-hour daily shift) to help manage growing student loads and improving midday bus safety, and increasing monthly permit rates for the Central and Fifth Street ramps from $57 to $70 (effective Jan. 2027) to align permit pricing across facilities. He also discussed an ongoing multi-year Parking Ramp Major Maintenance plan informed by a technical assessment (DESMAN Consulting) that recommends staged repair and waterproofing work over several fiscal years.
Council and staff discussed porting ridership data, the relationship between new downtown development and parking demand, and whether any ramp is surplus; staff said current ramp occupancy and upcoming downtown projects argue for maintaining existing structures while prioritizing repairs and wayfinding.
