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Legislature approves package of FTA/NYS transit grant transfers and adopts Tompkins County transportation plan
Summary
The committee approved multiple resolutions to transfer rural 5311 funds to 5307 federal drawdown for county, TCAT and Gadabout projects, authorized several 5307 urban formula grant applications, and unanimously adopted the Tompkins County Transportation Coordinated/Comprehensive Plan 2026–2029.
Tompkins County’s Facilities & Infrastructure Committee approved a set of related transit resolutions that will let county and local operators draw federal transit funds and adopted the county’s three‑year coordinated transportation plan.
Courtney, transportation staff, explained the mechanics: rural 5311 funds flow through the state and, where awarded, must be passed back to the Federal Transit Administration as 5307 funds before operators can draw them down. “We were awarded everything that we applied for,” Courtney said, summarizing the recent awards and asking the committee to authorize the procedural transfers and grant applications. Committee members identified and corrected a manifest error in the packet’s state/local labeling before voting.
Resolutions passed in sequence and were recorded as carried: 5311→5307 transfers for county projects (ID 14150), TCAT (ID 14151) and Gadabout (ID 14152); 5307 urban formula grant authorizations for TCAT (ID 14153), Get About (ID 14154) and Tompkins County (ID 14155); and adoption of the Tompkins County Transportation Coordinated/Comprehensive Plan (ID 14167). Committee members emphasized that most local matches for the awards will be provided by the named operators (TCAT, Gadabout, mobility‑management contractors) rather than by Tompkins County’s general fund. Courtney confirmed the county’s own local contribution in this package is limited (notably a $50,000 local share tied to one project administration line item).
The coordinated plan—required for agencies receiving FTA funding—was presented as both a compliance document and a county commitment to improve access for seniors, people with disabilities and low‑income residents. Courtney said the plan integrated feedback from roughly 75 organizations and dozens of residents and identified barriers such as limited off‑hours service, inter‑county travel gaps and an information/knowledge gap between providers and clients. The committee unanimously adopted the plan and the related resolutions.
Committee members asked staff to provide corrected packet wording and continue to track which local operators supply matches and how those local shares are funded.
