City, county might hire consultant on transit

Charlottesville and Albemarle County officials are considering working with an outside consultant to determine the necessary steps and costs to form a regional transit authority, a body that would oversee the local bus system’s operation and expansion.

Staff of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission contacted Frank Spielberg of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. — a planning and engineering firm with several offices in Virginia — to assist local leaders. According to a draft proposal, the work would cost $40,000 to $50,000 because of meetings and additional research that would be required. The estimate does not include legal representation.

The proposal was presented to the regional Metropolitan Planning Organization, which includes local elected officials, at its meeting earlier this week. If the proposal were approved, Spielberg would help define issues that need to be addressed prior to creating the authority, understand the approaches to solve the issues and their associated costs, and figure out how other transit authorities in Virginia have addressed those same issues.

The regional authority, whose members would initially be Charlottesville and Albemarle, would oversee the operation and expansion of the Charlottesville Transit Service. The city government currently manages the bus system and puts up most of its necessary local funds. If the authority were created, the county would have greater weight in transit decisions in exchange for forking over more resources.

Melissa Barlow, the TJPDC’s transportation program director, said the matters to be discussed include everything from employment and capital assets to how many computers would need to be purchased.

“That’s sort of the next step, what’s it going to cost for us to move forward,” Barlow said in an interview. “That’s what the decision makers would like to know.”

Spielberg’s firm has already completed the RTA Study Report, which was presented last year and outlined multiple options for expanding the bus system, the authority’s governance and funding sources. Kenneth C. Boyd, a member of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, said he wants to see if there is a model city similar in size and density to Charlottesville where transit has worked effectively.

“I think it takes a very high density concentration of people to make transit a viable option,” he said in an interview.

Local officials had also sought new taxing power by voter referendum to help raise money for regional transit expenses, but the General Assembly denied that request earlier this year. Despite that, both Charlottesville and Albemarle officials have expressed an interest in creating the new body.

Still, officials need to discern whether a new authority would manage the current transit system better than the existing structure. Boyd said that the regional transit working group, which consists of city and county leaders, is in the process of figuring out whether the regional authority could open up more opportunities for federal and state funding.

But, Boyd added, “I don’t see establishing the authority as being very expensive.”

City Councilor Julian Taliaferro, who sits on the MPO, said figuring out the worth of their assets is especially important, in addition to solidifying the county’s financial commitment to help fund the expansion that the authority would oversee.

“I think that that’s a significant issue,” he said.

David L. Slutzky, chairman of the Albemarle Board of Supervisors, and Supervisor Dennis S. Rooker either could not be reached or were unable to comment this week about the authority’s next steps. Both sit on the regional transit working group, along with Councilors Satyendra Huja and Holly Edwards.

To hammer out all of the issues, the TJPDC expects that Spielberg would be needed for 20 days, 14 for meetings and another six for research and other activities. The regional commission’s staff has sent a proposal to the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation to seek funds for the work.

The MPO will likely decide next month whether to pursue the study.