Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transit Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Douglas County reviews $990,767 in FTA allocations and clarifies local-match timing
Summary
County staff presented FY2026 Federal Transit Administration allocations totaling $990,767 and explained they are reimbursement grants; commissioners asked whether required local matches would hit this year’s budget and staff said existing grant lines will be used to provide reimbursement matches as expenses occur.
Douglas County officials reviewed Federal Transit Administration (FTA) allocations during the July 6 work session and clarified how the county will handle required local matches.
Staff told the Board the county’s FY2026 suballocation includes $880,180 from the urbanized area formula and $110,587 from the bus and bus facilities program, for a total of $990,767. Required local matches are $220,045 and $27,647, respectively. Joey McKelvey, who presented the item, described the awards as formula, reimbursement-type grants intended to support capital and operating expenses.
McKelvey said administration plans to leverage existing grant budgets and current allocations to cover match requirements as the county incurs reimbursable expenditures, noting the awards may be expensed over several years rather than immediately.
Commissioner Martin Rexton pressed staff for clarity on whether the match amounts would affect the county’s 2026 budget. A county official replied the awards are reimbursements and that the county will not likely expend the matched amounts in 2026, adding that the local match for these grants is formula-based and is 25% in these cases.
The presentation emphasized the distinction between accepting grant funds now versus recognizing local match obligations only as related expenses are incurred; staff said the county has existing grants and budget lines that can be used to reimburse eligible transit expenditures over time.
The board discussed cash-flow and SPLOST coordination briefly and had no further questions for staff during the work session. The item was presented for review and recommendation; staff said formal acceptance and any required signature authorization remain subject to final legal review and future formal action.
