CSTG Administrative Procedures and Guidelines
Cities Special Transportation Grant (2003-2007)Administrative ProceduresThis guideline provides a description of the Cities Special Transportation Grant and guidelines for making applications.PLEASE READ THIS GUIDELINE COMPLETELY BEFORE PREPARING AN APPLICATION. AN APPLICATION THAT IS INCOMPLETE OR THAT IS NOT SUBMITTED IN THE FORMAT DESCRIBED IN THIS GUIDELINE WILL BE RETURNED TO THE APPLICANT. Index3 PROJECT ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA 6 PROJECT EVALUATION, RANKING, AND APPROVAL PROCEDURE
1 OBJECTIVESAs recommended by the 1999 Premier’s Task Force on Infrastructure, the one-time Supplementary Special Transportation Grant was established in 2000, to provide cities with additional funding to address transportation growth pressures. The Cities Special Transportation Grant (CSTG) is the successor to that program. As with the previous program, the cities of Calgary and Edmonton are not eligible to receive funding under the CSTG program. This three year program has been extended to a fourth year to assist with the implementation of larger high priority transportation (road, transit, airport) projects that are beyond the city's normal financial abilities under other provincial grant programs. 2 TIME FRAMEApplications for funding under this program should be submitted to the Regional Director's Office, Alberta Transportation, as soon as possible. All project applications should be received by the Regional Director no later than July 31, 2003. All applications received by July 31, 2003 will be evaluated by a review committee based on the merits of the application and ranked on a province-wide basis. Funding will be allocated to the the highest ranked projects by September 30, 2003. The applications for unfunded projects will be held for reconsideration in the next round of applications. A second round of applications will be accepted up to January 31, 2004. In the event that the program is under subscribed after the second round of applications, a third round of applications will be accepted up to January 31, 2005. (Projects may be approved in one fiscal year with grant payments to occur in a subsequent year.) All projects commenced under this program should be completed and all financial statements finalized by March 31, 2008. 3 PROJECT ELIGIBILITY CRITERIAThis special funding is focused on large transportation system growth projects that have a high city priority as well as a high provincial priority, and are generally beyond the city's normal grant funding ability. High priority road expansion, transit expansion, and airport expansion projects are eligible for cost-sharing under this program. Significant road rehabilitation projects may also be considered. There is no other specific project eligibility criteria and the acceptability of each proposed project will be evaluated on the merits of that project. The following general factors should be addressed in the project application:
4 FUNDING AVAILABILITYUnder this program, a total of $10 million per fiscal year is available to cities (other than Calgary and Edmonton) and the Urban Services Areas of Fort McMurray and Sherwood Park. The highest ranked projects are eligible for cost-sharing on a 75 percent Government/25 percent city basis up to the maximum allocation available per project. The maximum grant amount for any accepted project is $3,000,000. There is no assurance that any specific project, project type, or city will qualify for a funding allocation under this program. 4.1 FUNDING AGREEMENTThis is a "project specific" program and a separate Funding Agreement is required for each project. Work on any project proposed under this program may commence at any time at the discretion of the city, however, no grant funding will be committed to any specific project until all of the project applications received have been the ranked and the top ranked projects have been accepted by the Minister. After a project has been accepted, no funding will be provided until a funding agreement has been executed. 5 PROCEDURESAPPLICATION REQUIREMENTSAn application for funding under this program must include the following components:
Note: If more than one project is to be considered, a separate application is required for each project. In addition, the city must assign a local priority (first, second, third, etc.) to each application relative to their other applications under this program. Applications must be prepared using the format described below. Any application which is not in this format or which provides incomplete information will be returned to the applicant by the Regional Office. Any application that is returned may be resubmitted after the deficiencies are adjusted. Covering LetterAll applications must begin with a covering letter signed by the Chief Elected Official of the municipality. In addition to anything else that might be addressed in the letter, it must include the following statements: On behalf of the _________________, funding is requested under the Cities Special Transportation Grant Program for ______________________________________. I hereby certify that the information contained in the enclosed application is correct and complete at the date of submission. I also certify that no amounts for Goods and Services Tax are included in the cost estimates for the project. I understand that this project must comply with all applicable legislation and with all of the guidelines for the Program. I understand that any change to the scope or the intended expenditures indicated in the enclosed application will require an amendment approved by the department. Basic InformationImmediately following the covering letter, there should be a one page summary of the following information:
Detailed Project InformationThis section describes the particulars of the roadwork, or other capital work, to be included in the proposed project. The description should contain an outline of the proposed project including, but not limited to, the following information: Project Description Briefly describe the standards and other pertinent information regarding the existing conditions and of the work to be undertaken including any engineering surveys or other studies available or on which the proposed project has been based. The description should also include an outline of the standards and other improvements that will be achieved if the project is implemented. Where this project represents a portion of a larger project, provide relevant details of the larger project and indicate what portion of the larger project is represented by this project. Why Is the Project Necessary? Provide a description of how the project will address a constraint for existing development or serve development to be undertaken in the short-term and a description of the significance of the development. Where possible indicate the magnitude of any specific growth pressures (residential, commercial, or industrial) relative to other local or regional pressures that may be contributing to the need for this project. Project Priority Outline where this project fits on the city's overall transportation priority list, including when the work would be scheduled if this grant were not available. Indicate what preparatory work has been initiated or completed on this project at the time of application. (I.E. is the project "ready to go"?) Outline any impact that this project may have on the provincial and regional transportation system. Traffic Volume Information For road projects: For transit projects: For airport projects: Environmental impacts Describe any environmental concerns that may impact the project and what, if any, mitigating factors may be considered as part of the project. Indicate the current status of any environmental reviews or approvals necessary to the implementation of the project. Partnership Describe how the proposed project links into the regional transportation system. Also describe any cross-boundary coordination with another municipal or provincial project. The inclusion of significant private sector contributions to the project may improve the overall provincial priority for the project. Where private sector funding is to be included, indicate the amount and source of that funding. If the project will be partially funded through any other provincial or federal grant programs, indicate which programs and the total amount of such funding including any required municipal contribution under those programs. Economic Benefits Describe any significant or potential economic benefit that may be realized by implementing this project. For airport projects: Where appropriate, describe any existing, current, or planned development(s) that may be driving the need for this project or will benefit directly from this project, including the number of new permanent jobs to be created, and the value of the investment in the development. Safety Benefits For road projects: For transit projects: For airport projects: Other Factors Include any other information that the city considers relevant to the project. Financial InformationThis section provides a proposed budget for the project using the format below. The budget must match the information provided in the "Basic Information" section of this application. The Cost Estimate Summary and the Cash Flow Summary should be in the format shown below and should appear on the same page. Cost Estimate SummaryThis is a summary of the overall total cost of the project. It should be as complete and accurate as possible (project tender information should be used where available). Do not include costs for any project components that have been completed and funded under other grant programs. Items not included here may not be added at a later date.
Cash Flow SummaryThis is a summary of the projected cash flow requirements showing the year in which funding is likely to be needed, including any associated partnership contributions.
Notes:
Please check these figures carefully before submitting this application. The amount of grant funding allocated to this project will be based on this financial information. SEND THE COMPLETED APPLICATION TO:the Alberta Transportation Regional Office for your area. REPORTING REQUIREMENTSAfter a project application has been accepted and a project agreement executed, the adminstration of the project shall be in accordance with: under the Alberta Cities Transportation Partnership. 6 PROJECT EVALUATION, RANKING, AND APPROVAL PROCEDUREApplications are to be submitted to the appropriate Regional Office, Alberta Transportation. Applications will be reviewed as they are received to determine that all required information is included. An incomplete application will be returned to the applicant for amendment and resubmission. When satisfied that the complete information package has been provided, the Regional Office will forward the application to the Review Committee. The Review Committee will be composed of representatives from:
Prior to evaluating any applications, the review committee will develop a point system based on the project information prescribed in section 5 as well as any other items that the committee deems appropriate. Each application will be reviewed and rated by the Review Committee in accordance with this point system. The Review Committee may require an applicant to make a presentation at a committee meeting to facilitate understanding of the proposed project and its potential benefits. At any time in the approval process the committee reserves the right to reject and remove from further consideration any application for any reason that it deems appropriate. On completion of the review of all projects, the Review Committee will select the top ranked projects for inclusion in a recommendation to the Minister of Transportation. This recommendation will be based on an assessment of the merits of the project and the overall priority of the project compared to all other proposed projects. The Minister will review the Committee’s recommendation, and decide whether the applications should be approved and the amount of provincial funding to be provided for each application. The decision of the Minister is final. |
