The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) recently outlined the eligibility requirements, eligible assistance, funds distribution, program administration, and application instructions for the Urban Transit Program (UTP). This plan covers the 2020 state fiscal year, which ends on June 30, 2020. This funding plan covers 27 of the state’s public transit agencies which fall under the urban transit system category.

The General Assembly approved $70 million in state general revenue fund (GRF) spending for transit, and this is the first outline of how ODOT intends to maximize the available funding for Ohio’s public transit systems.

According to the state funding criteria that was made available, ODOT is allowing GRF funds for projects that support the provision of public transportation in Ohio, the only exceptions are project administration and force account work. In addition, the state GRF funding may be used to provide 100% of the total project cost or 100% of the nonfederal share to match a federal operating assistance grant.

The plan includes formula allocations for funding for the 27 Urban Transit Programs. In total, $16.6 million will be allocated among these 27 agencies. The allocations range from the largest allocation of $3,670,747 (Greater Cleveland RTA) to the smallest allocation of $57,728 (Lawrence County Port Authority). The full allocation by formula list can be found here.

ODOT’s Office of Transit recently hosted a webinar regarding the Ohio Transit Partnership Program (OPT2) funding for State Fiscal Years (SFYs) 2020, 2021 and 2022, including the proposed schedule for the SFY 2020 funding application. The various types of projects which can be funded with OPT2 monies were discussed (Tiers I, II and III), along with how a Transit Agency can leverage flexibility to maximize a funding request. You can also view a PDF of the webinar PowerPoint presentation here.