CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY-FIFTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-23-181 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Isaac Benton
RESOLUTION
title
Directing The City Of Albuquerque Transit Department And Rio Metro Regional Transit District To Conduct A Study For Considering Consolidation; Appropriating Funding For The Study (Benton)
body
DIRECTING THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE TRANSIT DEPARTMENT AND RIO METRO REGIONAL TRANSIT DISTRICT TO CONDUCT A STUDY FOR CONSIDERING CONSOLIDATION; APPROPRIATING FUNDING FOR THE STUDY.
WHEREAS, the Albuquerque City Council passed R-23-163, which directed the City of Albuquerque Transit Department and the Rio Metro Regional Transit District (RMRTD) to conduct a Study for consolidating the City of Albuquerque Transit Department and the RMRTD and to develop a Consolidation Plan, encouraged RMRTD to pass a companion Resolution, and appropriated funding for the Study and Plan; and
WHEREAS, the RMRTD Board of Directors passed their companion Resolution, but amended the Resolution to exclude the development of a Consolidation Plan, therefore, requiring the City of Albuquerque to repeal and replace R-23-163 (Enactment No. R-2023-080) with this Resolution that mirrors RMRTD’s Resolution; and
WHEREAS, the RMRTD was formed in accordance with the Regional Transit District Act, 73-25-1 to 73-25-18 NMSA 1978, and is a political subdivision of the State of New Mexico; and
WHEREAS, consolidating transportation systems at the regional level has been an effective mechanism for improving efficiencies and reducing costs across jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque Transit Department is responsible for operating fixed route service, paratransit service, and BRT service within the City limits; and
WHEREAS, the RMRTD Board of Directors is responsible for carrying out the functions conferred by the provisions of the state's Regional Transit District Act, with the establishment of a regional transit system that is compatible with state and local transportation plans, the development of policies and procedures to support the establishment of this system, and the development of a sound financial plan that provides for the capital, operating, and maintenance requirements of the regional transit system; and
WHEREAS, ten local governments participate in the RMRTD, including the City of Albuquerque, Town of Bernalillo, Bernalillo County, Village of Bosque Farms, Village of Corrales, Village of Los Lunas, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, City of Rio Communities, City of Rio Rancho, Sandoval County, and Valencia County; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque has five seats on the Board, four of which are filled by City Councilors and one filled by the Mayor; and
WHEREAS, consolidating transit agencies can be a complex process that involves merging and/or integrating existing entities into a single, unified organization; and
WHEREAS, municipalities, counties, and regions in other states have recently consolidated their transit agencies and, as a result, have improved efficiencies and reduced costs across their jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, the Federal Transit Administration recommends factors that should be considered in the process of consolidating transit agencies include but not be limited to transit planning, operational cost effectiveness, regional collaboration, resource allocation, grant application and management, compliance with federal and state regulation, and quality of service; and
WHEREAS, benefits of consolidation found in other parts of the country with similar land use patterns and transportation needs include:
• Reducing administrative and management costs through the elimination of duplicative functions and organizations,
• Reducing overall operating costs by reducing the sum of operating costs for the current individual agencies,
• Using savings generated through consolidation to meet current and future needs with in-house personnel or other resources,
• Improving fleet maintenance through the consolidation of maintenance management systems, parts inventories, and other maintenance activities,
• Improving technology and workflows through the implementation of integrated, updated systems such as demand-response scheduling software (improving communications and performance, and potentially reducing operating costs),
• Enabling operational efficiencies by streamlining demand-response operations and adjusting service levels to meet demand on an ongoing basis,
• Increasing ridership and revenue by making a regional transit system that is more interconnected, convenient, and understandable to riders,
• Streamlining and integrating management functions to be more responsive to transit and shared-ride needs,
• Consolidating service by participating in a joint powers agreement with the RMRTD, which has an existing consolidated board consisting of one or more representatives from each of the participating local governments; and
WHEREAS, other municipalities, counties, and regions have co-conducted studies and developed consolidation plans for their transit agencies; and
WHEREAS, the Transit Department and RMRTD could benefit from co-conducting a similar study for consolidating their transit agencies; and
WHEREAS, general assessment steps that should be included in the Study of the consolidation process include the following: evaluating the need, conducting a feasibility study, examining financial implications, taking an inventory of legal and regulatory requirements, developing a workforce development plan, and establishing avenues for public input; and
WHEREAS, the Study should provide a comprehensive understanding of the benefits, challenges, and potential risks associated with consolidation; and
WHEREAS, if the findings from the Study indicate that consolidation is viable, and the City of Albuquerque and the RMRTD choose to proceed with a Consolidation Plan the development of the Plan should be based on the findings of the Study and should include a detailed plan that outlines the objectives, timelines, and steps for consolidating the transit agencies. The Consolidation Plan should consider various aspects of consolidation, such as measures for communicating, engaging, and collecting community input from stakeholders, including but not limited to employees, transit unions, passengers, local government officials, and community organizations. These measures should be able to address concerns from stakeholders, build support for the consolidation process, and establish clear expectations and communications throughout the consolidation process, and should include but not be limited to:
• Potential legal barriers or requirements for consolidation and ensure compliance with federal and state regulations,
• A proposed unified organizational structure for the consolidated transit agency within the RMRTD responsible for decision-making, defining roles and responsibilities, developing clear reporting lines, and identifying the size, scope, and operational requirements of the consolidated entity,
• Strategies to integrate operations and services of the different transit agencies. This may involve reassigning roles, negotiating labor agreements, providing training or retraining opportunities, and ensuring a fair and smooth transition for affected employees,
• Plan to integrate funding sources and budgets. This should involve considering how revenues, grants, subsidies, and expenses will be consolidated and allocated within the unified agency. This should also involve identifying any potential cost savings or revenue generation opportunities through consolidation,
• Performance metrics and monitoring mechanisms to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the consolidated transit agency. This should involve regularly evaluating the consolidated transit agency’s performance, gathering feedback from stakeholders and making necessary adjustments to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. R-23-163 (Enactment No. R-2023-080) is hereby repealed and is replaced with this Resolution.
SECTION 2. Upon the enactment of this Resolution by the City, the Transit Department and the RMRTD shall conduct a Study for consolidating the Transit Department and the RMRTD.
SECTION 3. The Study recommendations shall ensure that current union employee positions in the City of Albuquerque Transit Department will continue to be unionized. The Study shall also explore the potential for extending union representation to RMRTD employees in equivalent positions to those that are unionized at the City Transit Department.
SECTION 4. That the following amounts from the City of Albuquerque are appropriated to fund the Study. These amounts have been matched by the RMRTD by Resolution.
GENERAL FUND - 110
City Support
Transfer to Other Funds:
Transit Operating Fund (661)
150,000
TRANSIT OPERATING FUND (661)
Transit Department
150,000
SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Resolution shall take effect five days after publication by title and general summary.
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