The following requirements apply to all eligible applicants
receiving assistance under s.
85.20,
Stats.:
(1) TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMS. The applicant shall prepare and submit annually to the department a
4-year transit development program, in the form and manner prescribed by the
department.
(2) PERFORMANCE GOALS.
The applicant shall establish annual service and performance goals for the
coming 4 project years and assess the effectiveness of its operations in
relation to those goals. The goals shall be submitted to the department as a
part of the application for state aids. At a minimum, systemwide goals shall be
established for the following performance indicators:
(a) The ratio of passengers, as expressed in
unlinked trips to service area population.
(b) The ratio of operating expenses to
passengers, as expressed in unlinked trips.
(c) The ratio of operating expenses to
revenue hours.
(d) The ratio of
revenues to operating expenses.
(e)
The ratio of passengers, as expressed in unlinked trips, to revenue
hours.
(f) The ratio of revenue
hours to service area population.
(3) TRANSIT MANAGEMENT PLAN. The applicant
shall submit a transit management plan annually that meets the requirements of
s.
Trans
4.07(1m). Each mass transit system's
policies and activities shall conform at all times to the transit management
plan for the current project year. The applicant shall report to the department
any proposed deviations from the transit management plan and shall not
implement them prior to department concurrence. The department shall determine
if a formal amendment to the transit management plan is required in all cases.
The department may require the applicant to hold a public hearing on the
proposed change prior to approving the proposal.
(4) COST EFFICIENCY STANDARDS.
(a) The department shall assess the
performance of each transit system receiving aid under the program on an annual
basis, using the 6 performance indicators defined in sub. (2).
(b) The department will assign each mass
transit system to a peer group based on operating characteristic
similarities.
(c) The department
shall establish standards for each of the 6 performance measures defined in
sub. (2) based on arithmetic means, for each peer group. Systems that are
within one standard deviation of the arithmetic mean shall be judged as in
compliance with the standard for the measure. Systems whose performance is
better than the one standard deviation shall also be judged as in compliance
with the standard for the measure. Systems that meet the standards for 4 of the
6 performance measures shall be deemed in compliance with the cost efficiency
standards, and no further action will be taken.
(d) If a transit system does not meet the
cost efficiency standards as defined under par. (c), the department shall
perform a time-trend analysis, analyzing the 6 performance measures over the
most recent 5-year period. Data used will be the data from the preceding
calendar year. A system showing improvement in 4 of the 6 indicators shall be
deemed in compliance with the cost efficiency standards, and no further action
will be taken.
(e) If a transit
system does not meet the cost efficiency standards as defined under pars. (c)
and (d), an assessment shall be made of the implementation status of
recommendations made in the system's most recent management performance audit.
A system which has made significant progress in implementing the majority of
recommendations targeted at improving efficiency shall be deemed in compliance
with the cost efficiency standards, and no further action will be
taken.
(f) If a transit system does
not meet the cost efficiency standards as defined under pars. (c) to (e), the
following actions shall be taken:
1. If
management performance audit recommendations have not been implemented, the
department shall provide technical assistance to aid in the implementation of
the recommendations. If consultant services are necessary, the transit system
shall pay the nonfederal share of the consultant's costs.
2. If a management performance audit has not
been conducted within the last 3 years, the department shall schedule an audit
as soon as possible.
(g)
Systems deemed out of compliance with the cost efficiency standards as defined
in pars. (c) to (e) shall be given a 3-year period in which to comply before
being assessed a revenue penalty. After 3 years of noncompliance, a 10% revenue
penalty shall be imposed, which will limit state aids to 90% of the state aid
the system would have been entitled to if it were in compliance with the cost
efficiency standards. The penalty shall remain in effect until the system comes
into compliance.
