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Transit administrator warns CARES Act funds will be exhausted in about four years, outlines mix of federal and local funds
Summary
Jasmine Tucker said Collin County Transit relies on FTA Section 5307, TxDOT funds, member-city contributions and CARES Act dollars; staff expect CARES funds to be largely drawn down within four years and recommended pursuing both revenue increases and expenditure reductions.
Jasmine Tucker, transit administrator for the City of McKinney and staff lead on the Collin County Transit program, walked the board through the program's funding structure: FTA Section 5307 requires a 50/50 local match, CARES Act funds have been used to fill shortfalls, TxDOT provides formula funding that covers some administrative costs, and member cities contribute local match. "We were awarded 8,800,000 in CARES funding by the Federal Transit Administration in 2020," Tucker said, and clarified that staff plan to draw down closer to $920,000 in FY26, leaving roughly $4,200,000 for FY27 and beyond.
Tucker told members that some awarded funds are not yet in grants and that many awards require local matching dollars. She said member-city contributions were not collected until 2025 and that the program currently relies on CARES funding to make up a recurring local-match gap. "Our fare box revenues are not sufficient to cover the cost of operating at this time," Tucker said, and recommended the board discuss combinations of revenue increases (including possible administrative fees for member cities) and reductions in expenditures to move toward fiscal sustainability before CARES funds are exhausted.
