The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) is a $2 trillion emergency relief packaged that was signed into law on March 27, 2020 and includes $25 billion for public transportation providers nationwide help to prevent, prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. CARES Act funds are apportioned using existing Federal Transit Administration urbanized area Section 5307 and Section 5311 program formulas. CARES Act funds are 100% federally reimbursable and require no local match.
Phase 1 of CARES Act funds were obliged directly to transit providers with no necessary action from the Agency. For Federal Transit Administration Section 5311 Program Phase 2, Regional Transportation Planning Agencies are responsible for reviewing and adopting a Program of Projects and Certifications and Assurances by resolution to ensure that transit projects meet Federal Transit Administration requirements for this funding program (see attachments and web attachment). For Phase 2, Caltrans apportions and distributes these federal funds on a populations formula basis, and provides the Transportation Agency with a fund estimate for purposes of preparing the Program of Projects.
These CARES Act funds will be used to operate Line 23, which is a fixed route that connects the rural south county cities to the urbanized city of Salinas and general public on-call service operated in the rural cities of Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield, and King City.
This action is necessary to claim federal transit funding apportioned to Monterey County and for Monterey-Salinas Transit to support operations in rural Monterey County.