To: Board of Directors
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Public Infrastructure
Staff Name and Phone Number: Johannes J. Hoevertsz, 707-565-2550
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Sonoma County Transit - Transportation Development Act and State Transit Assistance Annual Claim of Funds.
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt a Resolution authorizing the filing of a claim with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for allocation of Transportation Development Act and State Transit Assistance funds for fiscal year 2026-27 to support Sonoma County Transit and Sonoma County Paratransit services.
end
Executive Summary:
Each spring, Sonoma County Transit submits its claim to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for available Transportation Development Act (TDA) and State Transit Assistance (STA) funds for the upcoming fiscal year. TDA and STA funds can be used for both operating and capital purposes and represent the largest source of funding used to support Sonoma County Transit and Paratransit operations.
Discussion:
In 1971, the State of California established two funding programs that have become a primary source of transit operating and capital funding assistance for large and small transit systems statewide. The programs, referred to as Transportation Development Act and State Transit Assistance (Public Utilities Code §99200 et seq.), provide on-going funding support to eligible transit operators.
Transportation Development Act funds represent a quarter percent of the State’s base sales tax whose revenues return to the County on a per-capita basis. Sonoma County Transit receives Transportation Development Act funds for the unincorporated area, as well as from most cities in the county to support Sonoma County Transit and Sonoma County Paratransit services. For FY 2026-27, Sonoma County Transit is estimated to receive $13,864,669 in Transportation Development Act funds.
State Transit Assistance funds represent a portion of sales tax revenues generated by the sale of diesel fuel. In FY 2025-26, it is projected that Sonoma County Transit will receive $2,349,009 in State Transit Assistance funds.
Transportation Development Act and State Transit Assistance funds have traditionally been the lifeblood of transit operations funding. For FY 2026-27, these funds represent approximately 67% of the combined fixed-route and paratransit operating budget. The balance is comprised of federal funds, local Go Sonoma funds, passenger fares and other miscellaneous grants and revenues.
Combined, FY 2027 TDA & STA revenues have declined $1.7M, or 4% in comparison with FY 2026. This is due to a decline in TDA sales tax revenues and a sharp decline in STA revenues, the latter of which derive from sales tax on diesel fuel. Sonoma County Transit will be claiming approximately $3.5 million from past years’ TDA reserves to fund FY 2026-27 operations; however, this use of reserves is anticipated to be reduced based on service reductions planned to go into effect in August 2026 and January 2027.
TDA revenues are derived from sales tax receipts (0.25% of the state sales tax). TDA funds are first divided among Golden Gate Transit, SMART, and Local bus (the three local bus operators combined) using performance metrics including ridership and revenue hours. Funding for Local bus is then distributed among Sonoma County Transit, Santa Rosa CityBus, and Petaluma Transit based on each agency’s share of the countywide population within its service area. Interagency agreements between local bus operators to fund the April 2026 service changes associated with the Marin-Sonoma Coordinated Transit Study (MASCOTS) are reflected in TDA allocations and documented in the Coordinated Claim (with contracts) summary page (page 1 of the SCTCA Coordinated Claim attachment) and TDA Claim Section III (page 4 of the SCTCA Coordinated Claim attachment) .
STA funds are derived from a portion of sales tax revenues collected from the sale of diesel, and are allocated from two subcategories: (i) Population-Based Funds which are distributed through a County Block Grant, and (ii) Revenue-Based Funds are allocated to operators eligible for TDA Article 4, which provides funding for public transportation Similar to TDA, STA County Block Grant funds are first divided among Golden Gate Transit, SMART, and Local bus (the three local bus operators combined) using performance metrics. Twelve percent of Local bus funding is then distributed among the local bus operators based on performance metrics. The remaining Local bus funds are distributed among Sonoma County Transit, Santa Rosa CityBus, and Petaluma Transit based on each agency’s share of the countywide population within its service area.
As approved by the Sonoma County Transportation Authority at its May 11, 2026, meeting, Sonoma County will contribute $678,471 to Golden Gate Transit to support MASCOTS service changes within Sonoma County. The updated funding formulas associated with MASCOTS changes resulted in an increase in TDA funding for Sonoma County Transit based on ridership and service hour factors. However, the increase in STA contributions to SMART and Golden Gate Transit resulted in a decrease in STA funding available to the County. Overall, combined TDA and STA funding available to Sonoma County Transit in the Coordinated Claim increased by 4%, or $614,810 between FY2025-26 and FY2026-27.
Also shown in the Coordinated Claim are a contribution to Sonoma County Transit from Petaluma of $320,204 for the provision of fixed route and paratransit services in the City of Petaluma, and $185,394 from Sonoma County Transit to Santa Rosa Citybus to support Santa Rosa Transit Mall Operations.
To ensure fund availability for the upcoming fiscal year, Sonoma County Transit submits a claim annually to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. A Coordinated Claim is prepared to illustrate funding agreements with other jurisdictions in support of County-provided transit services.
The FY 2026-27 Transit Development Act and State Transit Assistance funds allocation for County transit programs is:
Total FY 2026-27 TDA Available: $13,864,669
Total FY 2026-27 STA Available: $ 2,349,009
Total FY 2026-27 TDA/STA Combined: $16,213,678
Prior-Year TDA Funds claimed: $ 3,684,749
Total TDA/STA: $19,898,427
Operations Funding for Sonoma County Transit $14,942,949
Operations Funding for Sonoma County Paratransit (ADA service) $ 4,774,978
Operating Contract with Mendocino Transit Authority: $ 180,500
Total Claim: $19,898,427
Strategic Plan:
NA
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
05/13/25 -Board authorized filing a claim with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for allocation of Transportation Development Act and State Transit Assistance funds for FY 2025-26 ($19,757,024).
05/14/24 -Board authorized filing a claim with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for allocation of Transportation Development Act and State Transit Assistance funds for FY 2024-25 ($21,121,220).
05/09/23 -Board authorized filing a claim with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for allocation of Transportation Development Act and State Transit Assistance funds for FY 2023-24 ($17,394,648).
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
$19,898,427 |
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
|
$19,898,427 |
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
$19,898,427 |
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
|
$19,898,427 |
|
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Transportation Development Act and State Transit Assistance funds totaling $19,898,427, and correlating expenditures are included in the FY 2026-27 Transit Recommended Budget.
No additional appropriations are requested at this time.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None.
Attachments:
1. Resolution
2. SCTCA Coordinated Claim
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None