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Programs

Funding Programs

NVTA acquires funding from a variety of Federal, State, & local sources.

Funding Program

In 1991, the California Legislature passed AB 434 and AB 414 which permitted the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (hereinafter the “Air District”) to collect a fee of up to $4 per vehicle per year for reducing air pollution from motor vehicles and for related planning and programs. This legislation requires the Air District to allocate 40% of the revenue to an overall program manager in each county. The overall program manager must be designated “by resolutions adopted by the county board of supervisors and the city councils of a majority of the cities representing a majority of the population.” The Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA) is the designated Program Manager for Napa County.

NVTA annually allocates funds generated under AB 434. The monies are placed into a fund known as Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA). Projects must be beneficial to air quality and be cost effective. The BAAQMD is responsible for administering the Bay Area Regional TFCA program and partners with NVTA to administer the 40% Program Manager TFCA Funds.

Program guidance and cost effectiveness requirements are updated annually. The Fiscal Year Ending 2023 program guidance can be viewed here.

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Funding Program

The Lifeline Transportation Program (LTP) was established by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to improve mobility for low-income communities, and it is one of the few instances where NVTA can program funds for operating purposes.

The LTP grant program is intended to address gaps and/or barriers in transportation for low-income communities, and to improve the range of travel choices available to the people of those communities. Projects are developed through a collaborative and open planning process and must be drawn from available Community-Based Transportation Plans, countywide or regional Welfare to Work Plans, or otherwise documented assessment of needs within communities of concern.

Eligible Applicants

Public agencies, county social service agencies, cities and counties, and non-profit organizations are eligible applicants. However, since Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 funds are all statutorily restricted to eligible public transit agencies, applicants must partner with NVTA to access the revenues. Additional information on FTA Section 5307 Fund requirements can be located HERE.

Program Goals

The Lifeline Transportation Program is intended to fund projects that result in improved mobility for low-income residents of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties, and are expected to carry out the following regional Lifeline Program goals:

The Lifeline Program supports community-based transportation projects that:

  • Are developed through a collaborative and inclusive planning process that includes broad partnerships among a variety of stakeholders such as public agencies, transit operators, community-based organizations and other community stakeholders, and outreach to underrepresented stakeholders.
  • Improve a range of transportation choices by adding a variety of new or expanded services including but not limited to: enhanced fixed route transit services, shuttles, taxi voucher programs, and capital improvement projects.
  • Address transportation gaps and/or barriers identified in Community-Based Transportation Plans (CBTP) or other substantive local planning efforts involving focused outreach to low-income populations. While preference will be given to community-based plan priorities, strategies emerging from countywide or regional welfare-to-work transportation plans, the Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan or other documented assessment of need within the designated communities of concern will also be considered. Findings emerging from one or more CBTPs or other relevant planning efforts may also be applied to other low-income areas, or otherwise be directed to serve low-income constituencies within the county, as applicable.
  • Transportation needs specific to elderly and disabled residents of low-income communities may also be considered when funding projects. Existing transportation services may also be eligible for funding.

Program Administration

The Lifeline Program are administered by County Transportation Agencies (CTAs) or other designated county-wide agencies, or Lifeline Program Administrators, as follows:

County Lifeline Program Administrator
Alameda Alameda County Transportation Commission
Contra Costa Contra Costa Transportation Authority
Marin Transportation Authority of Marin
Napa Napa Valley Transportation Authority
San Francisco San Francisco County Transportation Authority
San Mateo City/County Association of Governments
Santa Clara Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority and Santa Clara County
Solano Solano Transportation Authority
Sonoma Sonoma County Transportation Authority

 

Funding Sources

The Lifeline Transportation Program Cycle 6 is funded with FTA Section 5307 Funds. Projects must meet eligibility requirements of the funding sources to receive funds.

Match Requirement

The Lifeline Program requires a minimum local match of 20% of the total project cost; new Lifeline Transportation Program funds may cover a maximum of 80% of the total project cost.

There are two exceptions to the 20% match requirement.

(1) FTA Section 5307 operating projects require a 50% match.

(2) All auto-related projects require a 50% match.

Project sponsors may use federal or local funding sources (Transportation Development Act, operator-controlled State Transit Assistance, local sales tax revenue, etc.) to meet the match requirement. The match may include a non-cash component such as donations, volunteer services, or in-kind contributions if the value of each is documented and supported, represents a cost that would otherwise be eligible under the program and is included in the net project costs in the project budget.

Eligible Use of Program Funds

Lifeline Transportation Program funds are intended to fund innovative and flexible programs that address transportation barriers that low-income residents in the region face, many of whom are transit dependent. Therefore, it is expected that LTP funds be directed to meet these needs by funding new programs or services, or to continue existing programs that are otherwise at risk of being discontinued. The project must supplement, not supplant, existing funds. The project must not duplicate existing services, must coordinate with existing services to the extent feasible and demonstrate that no other funding sources are available to fund it.

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Funding Program

The RTIP is a five-year regional investment plan for the state transportation and updated every two years.

Regional spending plans developer by NVTA, MTC and other agencies in California make up 75% of the State Improvement Program

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Funding Program

One Bay Area Grant 3 (OBAG 3) is the third iteration of the program that guides how MTC distributes federal transportation funding from the Federal Highway Administration to projects and programs that improve safety, spur economic development and help the Bay Area meet climate change and air quality improvement goals.

On May 18, 2022, the Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA) Board released the One Bay Area Grant-3 Call for Projects. The funds are authorized under the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

There is approximately $6.1 million dollars available for projects in Napa County. OBAG Projects must have a transportation focus and may include planning activities. Eligible applicants are primarily cities/county though some non-profit, water/utility districts, tribes, resource conservation districts, and land trusts are eligible to receive funding when partnered with a local government agency that has a master agreement with Caltrans.

All project submittals must show a minimum non-federal 11.47% funding match. Projects that leverage other funding will be given higher priority in the grant award process.

All OBAG 3 applications must submit a Complete Streets Checklist for their project found here. For help filling out the list, please review the Complete Streets Checklist guidance.

For additional Complete Streets Checklist information visit: https://mtc.ca.gov/planning/transportation/complete-streets.

 

County Program Milestones and Timeline
2022
January MTC Resolution No. 4505, Revised posted on the OBAG 3 website, along with a summary of the adopted program revisions
February Overview of the OBAG 3 program revision and next steps to TAC
May 18 NVTA Opens OBAG 3 Call for Projects
June 17 OBAG 3 Applications due to NVTA
June-July NVTA to review project applications and provide draft project recommendations
July Bring draft project recommendations to committees – ATAC, CAC and TAC
July 20 OBAG 3 draft project selections to NVTA Board for approval and submittal to MTC
September 30 Deadline for projects to be submitted to MTC
Fall MTC adoption of county programs
2023
October First year of OBAG 3 funding availability for county program capital projects (FY 2023-24).

For more information or to provide comments

Project Applications are due to NVTA no later than Friday, June 17, 2022.

For more information about the OBAG 3 Program visit https://mtc.ca.gov/funding/federal-funding/federal-highway-administration-grants/one-bay-area-grant-obag-3 or email Alberto Esqueda at aesqueda@nvta.ca.gov.

 

 

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Funding Program

The TDA-3 program is funded by approximately 2% of the ¼ cent Statewide Sales Tax. NVTA receives the sales tax revenues generated in Napa which is approximately $150,000 per year in revenues. All of Napa jurisdictions are eligible to apply for these funds. Unused funds are accumulated and rolled over for programming in future cycles. The TDA-3 program provides grants for local bicycle and pedestrian projects.

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Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA)
Lifeline Transporation Program
Regional Transportation Improvement Program
One Bay Area Grant- OBAG
Transportation Development Act 3