ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager with a Request to APPROVE an INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT with PEORIA COUNTY, the TRI-COUNTY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION, and the NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS to Apply for PASSENGER RAIL Funding.
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BACKGROUND: Mayor Ali formed a Passenger Rail working group that included public and private sector leaders, including representatives in the north central Illinois River Valley to partner with the Illinois Department of Transportation to prepare the Peoria-Chicago Passenger Rail Feasibility Study. The study determined a cost estimate of $2.54 billion to provide service for 5 round trips daily to serve Peoria, Peru/LaSalle, Ottawa, Morris, Joliet and Chicago Union Station, with a flag stop at Utica for Starved Rock State Park. The ridership potential of a range from 440 to 820 daily riders was determined using three different methods, which results in 600 riders on the average daily.
Through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, $66 billion will be available for passenger rail service nationwide. The Federal Rail Administration has issued a notice of funding opportunity for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program and will be issuing applications for the Corridor Identification and Improvement program with the explicit goal of adding new service routes into the passenger rail pipeline. The City, County, Commission, and COG have determined the most effective way to apply for these potential federal funding opportunities is to apply jointly and collaboratively.
The North Central Illinois Council of Governments has secured the support of LaSalle, Peru, Ottawa, Utica and Morris, showing strong regional support for the effort ($60,000). Peoria has agreed to fund $100,000 for the applications, Peoria County $50,000, and the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission $50,000.
The attached Intergovernmental Agreement is the mechanism to collect the funds necessary to apply for both grant programs. Any unspent funds would be returned proportionally to the representative jurisdictions.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The $260,000 would be collected by the City and used to pay the engineering consultants for the technical work on the grant applications.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS: Passenger rail service received strong community support.
IMPACT IF APPROVED: The agreement will provide the mechanism for collecting the funds and paying the engineering consultants.
IMPACT IF DENIED: The project would not proceed.
ALTERNATIVES: Another entity could take the lead in coordinating the engineering services and performing as fiscal agent.
EEO CERTIFICATION NUMBER: N/A
WHICH OF THE GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE COUNCIL’S 2017 - 2032 STRATEGIC PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION ADVANCE?
1. Grow Peoria
WHICH CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S) FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENT?
1. Invest in our infrastructure and transportation.
DEPARTMENT: City Manager's Office