City of Alexandria, Virginia
________________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: MAY 23, 2013
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RASHAD M. YOUNG, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of Adoption of a Title VI Program by the City of Alexandria. [ROLL-CALL VOTE]
BODY
_________________________________________________________________
ISSUE: Consideration of a policy for the City to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
RECOMMENDATION: That the City Council approve the attached resolution which adopts the program implementing the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
BACKGROUND: The City is currently a subrecipient of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds through the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) and the Metropolitan Washington Area Council of Governments (MWCOG). The City is a subrecepient for over $18.5 million in grant funding for projects such as the Route 1 Transitway, Potomac Yard Metrorail Environmental Impact Statement, and the installation of bus shelters throughout the City. In order to maintain eligibility for these funds, the City must comply with the most recent guidance from FTA, including its Title VI program.
The objectives of the FTA's Title VI program are the following:
- Ensure that the level and quality of public transportation service is provided in a nondiscriminatory manner;
- Promote full and fair participation in public transportation decision-making without
regard to race, color, or national origin;
- Ensure meaningful access to transit-related programs and activities by persons with limited English proficiency.
DISCUSSION: Historically, only direct recipients of FTA funds were required to document how FTA requirements were being met. A new set of guidance promulgated at the end of 2012 set forth a more comprehensive set of requirements for subrecipients. As a subrecipient, the City must:
- Submit Title VI Programs to the primary recipient from whom they receive funding;
- Supply and utilize a notice to beneficiaries, complaint procedures, and complaint forms;
- Provide information related to its public participation plan and language assistance plan;
- Generate a list of complaints, investigations, or lawsuits;
- Develop a table depicting the racial breakdown of the membership of any transit-related non-elected planning boards, advisory councils, or committees; and
- Describe efforts made to encourage the participation of minorities on such committees.
The City is currently in compliance with most of the requirements. The primary area requiring additional compliance efforts involves the tracking of the City's outreach efforts to minority groups and non-English speaking residents. In addition, the City must accurately measure the participation of minority and non-English speaking residents in the transportation planning process.
Previously, the City had supplied a proposed Title VI program to NVTC. The program (Attachment 1) has been modified to comply with the new FTA requirements. In addition, FTA now requires that the subrecipient's governing entity approve the Title VI program prior to submission to FTA.
FISCAL IMPACT: The proposed plan will not have a fiscal impact on the City.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Alexandria Title VI Program
Attachment 2: Resolution
STAFF:
Mark Jinks, Deputy City Manager
Jerome Fletcher, Special Assistant to the City Manager
Richard J. Baier, P.E., LEED AP, Director, T&ES
James Banks, City Attorney
Sandra Marks, Acting Deputy Director, T&ES
Marti Reinfeld, Division Chief, T&ES
James Maslanka, Manager of Capital Projects, T&ES
1