Camarillo City Council
AGENDA REPORT
Date: October 9, 2024
To: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Greg Ramirez, City Manager
Submitted by: Dave Klotzle, Public Works Director
Subject: Camarillo Area Transit - Approve the Purchase of a 16-Passenger Cutaway Bus
BACKGROUND
The City is currently eligible to purchase one fleet replacement vehicle through the Ventura County Transportation Commission Program of Projects. The purchase cost is approved by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for 80% reimbursement.
The Caltrans Division of Mass Transportation (DMT) ensures that transit vehicle purchases using FTA grant funds comply with federal statutes and regulations. In addition, the DMT provides a program for public agencies to purchase transit vehicles at the lowest price through the California Association for Coordinated Transportation/Morongo Basin Transit Authority (CalACT/MBTA) purchasing cooperative. The City is a member of CalACT and therefore eligible to utilize the purchasing cooperative. Utilizing a purchasing cooperative is efficient and effective due to the low number of vehicles that the City tends to procure at one time.
Through the CalACT/MBTA purchasing cooperative, each vendor has an approved list of vehicles they can provide. The specific vehicles needed to appropriately meet Camarillo Area Transit’s (CAT) service demands have been selected from the pre-approved list.
The vehicle purchased will be similar in appearance to an existing CAT vehicle and will comply with federally required accessibility features. In alignment with its adopted Zero Emission Bus Roll-Out Plan, the City intends to purchase a new cutaway to replace a similar vehicle that is scheduled to be retired.
DISCUSSION
Staff reviewed the vehicle types available for purchase through the CalACT/MBTA Purchasing Cooperative. Model 1 Commercial Vehicles, Inc. (Model 1) is a state and
Camarillo Area Transit Vehicle Purchase
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federal approved vendor that provides vehicles and currently has cutaway vehicles available for procurement through the CalACT/MBTA Purchasing Cooperative.
The vehicle selected for procurement is a steel cage, gasoline-powered Starcraft Allstar (Starcraft), 16-passenger cutaway at a cost of $157,477.80. This vehicle can accommodate two wheelchairs which, when in use, leaves room for up to 12 ambulatory passengers and the driver.
The last cutaway procured by the City was in December 2023 for $142,765.16. Another vendor on the list (A-Z Bus Sales) has a fiberglass, gasoline-powered 16-passenger cutaway at a cost of $142,447.79. Although the A-Z Sales cutaway costs less, Model 1’s delivery timeline is 7 months vs A-Z Sales’ projection of up to 12 months from issuance of purchase order. Additionally, it was determined in the City’s best interest to have fleet consistency with the Starcraft cutaway, which was previously ordered and delivered in June 2024.
The total cost of the vehicle is $157,477.80 of which 80% is reimbursable by the FTA. In addition to the request to procure the cutaway, staff is recommending authorization of a contingency in the amount of $14,000 for unforeseen additional procurement costs.
As the bus will be federally funded, the City is required to perform an independent cost estimate to ensure the City is getting a fair price for the vehicle it intends to procure. Staff looked at other recent vehicle procurements and provided cost comparisons in the table below. The 16-passenger Starcraft cutaway listed below is staff’s recommended vehicle to procure.
Agency Vehicle Passengers Cost
Camarillo Starcraft
cutaway 16-passenger (gas) $157,478
VCTC Arboc
cutaway 12-passenger (gas) $200,263
Simi Valley Starcraft
cutaway 12-passenger (CNG) $185,000
Vehicle comparisons do not provide an apples-to-apples comparison as each procured model will have its own individual properties/added features which can impact prices. In general, the table above demonstrates that the Starcraft vehicle proposed to be procured from Model 1 is within the expected price of a cutaway bus.
City staff recommends moving forward with the Model 1 procurement as the sales representative provided evidence of their ability to fulfill the City’s order with a turnaround of 210 days from the issuance of a purchase order. Staff also recommends authorizing a Camarillo Area Transit Vehicle Purchase
October 9, 2024
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contingency of $14,000 in additional vehicle procurement costs to utilize if necessary.
The total cost of the vehicle (with contingency) would be $171,477.80, with $125,982.00 (or 80% of the $157,477.80 vehicle cost) reimbursed with federal funds. The remaining $45,495.80 (20% local match and 100% of the $14,000 contingency) will be covered using SB-125 funds.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total cost of the transit vehicle (including contingency) is $171,477.80. Funds for the purchase of the transit vehicle are included in the Transit Fund, Capital Purchases, Vehicle Account No. 810-3801-438.91-33 in the amount of $125,982.00 (which will be reimbursed with federal funds) and the SB-125 Fund, Capital Purchases, Vehicle Account No. 206-3801-438.91-33 in the amount of $45,495.80.
CEQA DETERMINATIONS
City staff has determined, in accordance with Section 15061(b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, that the CAT vehicle procurement is not subject to CEQA review because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the CAT vehicle procurement may have a significant effect on the environment. The City is replacing an internal combustion engine vehicle with an internal combustion engine vehicle without increasing the total number of vehicles.
RECOMMENDATION
1. Find the CAT vehicle procurement exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA (CEQA) Guidelines; and
2. Authorize the purchase of a 16-Passenger Starcraft Cutaway from Model 1 Commercial Vehicles, Inc. for a total amount of $157,477.80; and
3. Authorize a contingency of $14,000 for unforeseen additional vehicle procurement costs.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Model 1 Commercial Vehicles Quote
2. Vehicle Floor Plan
REFERENCE MATERIALS – AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT CITY HALL None