MEMO TO: Members of the City Council
FROM: Mayor John Marchione
SUBJECT:
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Approval of Agreement in the Amount of $33,032.00 for the Purchase of ORCA Business Passport Transit Services
I. RECOMMENDED ACTION
recommendation
Authorize the Mayor to execute an agreement with King County to purchase ORCA Business Passport transit services (ORCA cards) for distribution to City of Redmond employees as an element of the City Employee Commute Trip Reduction Program.
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II. DEPARTMENT CONTACTS
Erika Vandenbrande, Director of Planning & Community Development, 425-556-2457
Jill Smith, Economic Development & TDM Manager, 425-556-2448
LaNaya Myers, Employee Transportation Coordinator, 425-556-2482
III. DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND
This agreement enables the City of Redmond to purchase and distribute ORCA cards to City of Redmond employees for transit services provided by the participating transit agencies*, thereby helping reduce regional traffic congestion, energy consumption, air pollution, and vehicle miles traveled.
* Participating Agencies include:
The Snohomish County Public Transportation Benefit Area (“Community Transit”)
The City of Everett (“Everett Transit”)
King County Department of Transportation, Metro Transit Division (“King County”)
The Kitsap County Public Transportation Benefit Area (“Kitsap Transit”)
The Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation (“Pierce Transit”)
The Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (“Sound Transit”)
The ORCA card would continue the provision of the City’s employee transit benefits by providing City of Redmond employees with a free ORCA cards for one year valid with any of the participating agencies, excluding the ferry system. This program supports the City as an employer in complying with the requirements of the Washington State Commute Trip Reduction Law and the City’s Transportation Management Program, as well as setting an example within the business community. In addition, purchase of the ORCA Business Passport enables City employees to use transit for work-related travel, thereby providing a cost-effective alternative to driving a vehicle for City business.
In the past twelve months, City of Redmond employees have reduced a total of 15,512 drive alone trips by taking transit, as tracked by use with the ORCA card. The number of trips tracked is an increase from the previous year by 1%. The ORCA contract is $33,032.00 which is included in the approved 2017-2018 Business Access and Mobility budget offer, and reflects a decrease of $607 from the previous year’s contract due to a recent change in pricing structure. This equates to $2.13 a trip, a savings from the standard $2.75 per trip if paid for on a trip by trip basis.
IV. PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS HELD
Funding for this contract is included in the approved 2017-2018 City budget; the agreement was recently highlighted at the Planning and Public Works Committee meeting on July 10, 2018; and the contract is an annual renewal and has been reviewed with Council in previous years.
V. IMPACT
A. Service/Delivery:
Approval of this agreement will result in the ability to purchase, receive, and distribute ORCA cards as part of the City of Redmond Employee Commute Trip Reduction Program.
B. Fiscal Note:
The ORCA Business Passport cost is $33,032.00 for one year, August 1, 2018, through July 31, 2019. Funding to pay for the ORCA cards is included in the approved 2017-2018 City budget as part of the Business Access and Mobility budget offer.
VI. ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Do not approve the agreement: If this agreement is not approved, we would need to seek alternatives to comply with the approved City Commute Trip Reduction Plan and the Transportation Management Plan commitments. The City would need to purchase monthly transit passes for individual riders. The individual bus pass expenditure is estimated at $42,658.00 and would include additional program administration costs.
VII. TIME CONSTRAINTS
The current contract expires on July 31, 2018.
VIII. LIST OF ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Agreement