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E‑bike pilot on hold after KDOT clarifies maintenance won’t be covered; council to revisit in May
Summary
A joint CRPG e-bike grant with neighboring Mission would buy 20 e-bikes for Roeland Park, but KDOT told staff federal highway funds in this award will not pay ongoing operation and maintenance (estimated at $1,600/bike/year). With Mission leaning not to proceed, staff recommended not moving forward now; council asked staff to present a formal vote at the May meeting after Mission’s decision.
City staff briefed the council on a regional e-bike pilot funded through a CRPG carbon-reduction grant applied for with the city of Mission. The award originally included capital and operations in the grant narrative, but KDOT informed staff that because the grant involves federal highway dollars, operation and maintenance are not eligible and those costs would fall to the cities.
Miss Jones Lacey said the project would have provided 20 e-bikes for Roeland Park and 30 for Mission; staff had planned to contract with BikeWalk KC for maintenance. "We subsequently found out in working with KDOT that this type of grant, because it is covered by federal highway dollars, would never include operation and maintenance," she said. Staff presented a maintenance estimate of about $1,600 per bike per year under the BikeWalk KC agreement — roughly $32,000 annually for Roeland Park’s 20-bike portion and about $160,000 over the five-year pilot period.
Mission has not formally decided but signaled on April 16 that it is leaning not to proceed and to reallocate funds toward bicycle infrastructure such as signage and pavement markings. Several council members said the program makes more sense with a broader regional footprint and expressed concerns about staff time and the city’s ability to fund ongoing maintenance. Council member Finley noted the next similar funding cycle might not be until 2030 and said that, if the grant money is available now for capital purchases, the city could still benefit from securing hardware even if operations are uncertain.
Staff recommended deferring pursuit of the grant at this time because of the maintenance funding gap and Mission’s likely decision. Council asked staff to place a formal decision on the May council meeting agenda (after Mission’s April 30 budget work session) so the governing body could vote with clearer information. The mayor also asked that the $50,000 previously earmarked for alternative transportation remain available for repurposing toward alternative transportation uses if council chooses not to pursue the pilot.
