CITY OF HALLANDALE BEACH

MEMORANDUM

DATE:                        July 6, 2009   

TO:                 D. Mike Good, City Manager

FROM:            William Brant, P.E., Director, Utilities and Engineering         

SUBJECT: Pursuant to Chapter 23, Section 108, Cooperative Purchasing, Authorization to Purchase, a 2009 Eldorado Aerotech Minibus, Utilizing the Broward County Bid #: V-Z-07-364-B-1, for an Amount not to exceed $67,000, for the replacement of Route No. 1 minibus CAD #026/06

PURPOSE

Pursuant to Chapter 23, Section 23-108, Cooperative Purchasing, Hallandale Code of Ordinances, request authorization to purchase a 2009 Eldorado Aerotech Minibus for replacement of Route No. 1 minibus, utilizing the Broward County Bid #: V-Z-07-364-B-1, in an amount-not-to-exceed $67,000.

BACKGROUND

The City started offering the community transportation service over fifteen years ago.  At that time, there were two routes that only serviced areas in the City east of Federal Highway. 

Over the years, the City has consistently sought out public opinion in order to improve this service.  This has resulted in the City expanding and adding routes.  These changes resulted in an increase in ridership and citywide service.  The ridership consistently increased throughout the years from 44,287 in 2005 to 156,160 in 2008. This represents a 252.6% increase.  These figures capture both first time and recurring riders for all routes. 

This increase is attributed to a number of factors:

Ø June 2005 – City began offering minibus service free of charge.

Ø October 2005 – Hours of service were increased to 10 hours per day.

Ø May 2007 – Route 3 was inaugurated, offering minibus service to the NW and SW areas.

Ø September 2007 – Hours of service were increased to 12 hours per day, Monday through Saturday.

In June 2008 the City Commission authorized staff to apply for the Public Transit Service Development Grant under the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Discretionary Grant Program, to fund a fourth route. Funds to cover the 50% match ($140,500), were budgeted in the 2008-2009 fiscal year to lease a minibus and to operate the route.  The grant was awarded in the amount of $140,500 per year for two (2) years.  However, due to certain budget constraints, the Florida Department of Transportation has advised the City that the funds will not be available as anticipated in July 2009 for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.  As a result of FDOT’s grant withdrawal, funding is available to purchase a replacement minibus.      

DISCUSSION

The City currently owns three (3) minibuses.  Following is the list of buses with the scheduled replacement year:

Ø Route No. 1 – Vehicle # 826 due for replacement in 2009

Ø Route No. 2 – Vehicle # 835 due for replacement in 2010.

Ø Route No. 3 – Vehicle # 936 due for replacement in 2013.

The minibus utilized on Route No. 1 is currently due for replacement and has been experiencing several breakdowns.  Staff has received numerous calls about the A/C not working properly.   The current mileage on this 2003 Ford F-450 is 192,203.  Due to budget constraints, the replacement of Vehicle No. 826 was not approved in the 2008-2009 fiscal year.  However, this vehicle is clearly in dire need of replacement.   Upon replacement the current vehicle will be auctioned by the City. 

Because the City will not be able to start the fourth route, staff is proposing that a portion of the funds allocated for the City’s grant match be used to replace the minibus utilized on Route no. 1.  The minibus will be purchased from Atlantic Bus Sales, the awarded vendor through Broward County Bid #: V-Z-07-364-B-1.  This newly purchased minibus will also be wrapped to match the appearance of the buses in the other two routes. The cost to wrap the minibus is approximately $7,000 and will come from the same budgeted funds as the purchase.

RECOMMENDATION

City Commission:

1. Authorize the purchase of a 2009 Eldorado Aerotech Minibus for an amount not to exceed $67,000 utilizing Broward County Bid #V-Z-07-364-B-1,

2. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to implement the purchase and,

3. Authorize the City Manager to establish accounts and make expenditures to implement the purchase.

Prepared By:  ________________________

                           Mary Francis Jeannot

                                                                                                Administrative Analyst II

Reviewed:

_______________________________                                                          __________

D. Mike Good, City Manager                                                                           Date

_____Approved                _____Disapproved                _____Hold for Discussion

Comments: