Florida Department of

TRANSPORTATION

Office of Policy Planning

Questions and Answers Related to TRIP - Matching Fund Issues

New Q&As will be added at the top of this page with the date posted so the viewer can quickly see if new items have been posted. Link to other Questions and Answers (Q&As).

• Q: Can XU funds be used as the local match for a TRIP transit project? (posted 7/30/07)
  A: Yes. For Public Transportation projects, XU funds may be used to fund 50% of the project costs, on an XU eligible project. XU funds require a 25% match. In accordance with s. 339.135 (3) (d), F.S., if XU funds are used off the State Highway System, State funds are limited to one-half of the required 25% match (12.5%). However, the Department is not required to match Federal Funds allocated to projects off the State Highway System. In light of the intent of the use of TRIP funds to add growth to the transportation program, a policy decision has been made that the required match for Federal XU funds used for Public Transportation projects (as a match for TRIP funds) must be provided through Local funds.
• Q: Can any other federal funds besides XU be used on a roadway project? (posted 9/15/05)
  A: Yes, other federal funds can be used, but only as supplemental funds. XU funds are the only eligible federal funds that may be used to match TRIP. For every dollar of TRIP funds, there must be a dollar match from local sources. The local match can be local public funds, private funds, or XU funds. If other federal funds are used, they would be in addition to TRIP and local match. For example: Assume a project costs $100M. If $25M comes from TRIP, there must be a match of $25M in local funds. The remaining $50M can come from some other federal, state, or private source.
• Q: Can federal earmarks be used as the local match for TRIP? (posted 9/15/05)
  A: No. They cannot be used as the local match for TRIP. However, they can be used as supplemental funds.
• Q: Is there anything to preclude using TRIP funds to obtain expansion or replacement buses with a SIB loan and XU as the 50/25/25 match and also repay the SIB loan with future XU allocations? (posted 9/15/05 *Answer updated 8/29/07)
  A: No. There is nothing to preclude this. A SIB loan must be repaid with local funds. For the purposes of TRIP, XU funds are treated like local funds. Therefore, XU funds can be used as the local match for TRIP and/or to pay back a SIB loan. However, keep in mind that XU funds themselves require a 25% local match. Department policy requires that the 25% match for XU funds used for Public Transportation projects (as a match for TRIP) be provided through Local Funds.
• Q: Are there any restrictions to what can be used to repay TRIP SIBs? (posted 9/15/05)
  A: See the answer to the previous question. A SIB loan used as local share must be repaid with local funds. The same types of restrictions required for all state funded SIB loans will apply to the TRIP SIB loans. Primarily this means the pledged source must be established local revenue (local option taxes, tolls, fares, or local government budgetary appropriation secured by resolution) and backstopped by the applicant with a secondary pledge of local funds that is also considered recurring and secure.
• Q: Is the application period for TRIP SIBs on the web site with a deadline of December 16 for FY 05/06 or for 06/07? (posted 9/15/05)
  A: FY 05/06 and 06/07. Any project for 05/06 will require a Work Program Amendment to add to the program.
• Q: If an eligible rural county is granted a waiver or reduction for its share of the non-TRIP match of project costs, can TRIP funds be used to cover the balance? (posted 9/15/05)
  A: In those instances where a match has been waived or reduced, the scope of the project will have to be reduced. For example, if the original total project cost was $1 million, and the county was granted a waiver for its 50% share, the scope of work will have to be reduced so that the new total project cost is $500K. TRIP funds could then be used to pay for 100% of the $500K project cost. Supplemental funds from other state or federal sources may be used to fund the remainder of the original project cost.
• Q: Can a big ticket project be broken up into segments if the locals do not have enough matching funds to cover 50% of the project in its entirety? (posted 9/15/05)
  A: Yes, however each use of TRIP funds will require a 50% match.
• Q: Can local impact fee credits be used toward the local match? (posted 9/15/05)
  A: Yes. Any combination of local/private developer funds is eligible for the local match as long as the match comes from a local government or eligible entity.
• Q: Can the "proportionate share" provided by the developers be considered part of the local match? (posted 7/25/05)
  A: Yes. If the "proportionate share" provided by the developer is tied directly to the candidate TRIP project, it can be considered part of the local match.
• Q: We have a transit project that is normally funded 80% Federal, 10% State, 10% Local. What percentage will TRIP cover for this project? (posted 7/25/05)
  A: The law states that TRIP will cover up to 50% of the non-federal share for public transportation facility projects. In this case, the non-federal share is that 20% that remains. TRIP will cover up to half of that. So the split would be 80% Federal, 10% State (TRIP), and 10% Local.
• Q: Can SIS funds be used to match TRIP funds? (posted 6/23/05)
  A: No. TRIP provides 50% of the total project costs with state TRIP funds. The other 50% must come from local funds or federal Surface Transportation Program funds allocated for urbanized areas over 200,000 population (i.e. XU funds). SIS funds are state funds, and cannot be used as the local match.
• Q: There is no mention of how to fund the 50% match if in a Area of Critical Economic Concern in FDOT Work Program Instructions. (posted 6/6/05)
  A: Language regarding the potential for waiver of the match requirement for eligible counties is in Section 3.5 of the Work Program Instructions. A reference to this section will be added to the Instructions for TRIP.
• Q: Regarding TRIP - if a waiver is requested by a county of Critical Economic Concern, how do you fund the other 50%? (posted 6/6/05)
  A: Additional funding will not generally be available to cover the amount of the match being waived or reduced, but additional funding is not prohibited. In the case where additional funds are not available , the scope of the project will need to be reduced.
• Q: If a percentage match requirement is identified, will match valued above that percentage be able to be applied toward another project either on the corridor, in the region or elsewhere? (posted 6/6/05)
  A: Generally, the answer is “no.” However, exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis, such as for project segments in a regional corridor that are part of an implementation plan for that corridor.
• Q: What are the rules for the "in-kind" matches (i.e. Right of Way contributions)? (posted 6/6/05)
  A: In-kind services are goods, commodities or services received in lieu of cash payments. Goods and commodities should be valued based on their current market value in accordance with generally accepted accounting standards as determined by the Office of the Comptroller. This includes right of way donations.
• Q: Regarding TRIP - if the local entity wants to offer right of way as the "in kind services" portion of their 50%, what are the rules that the right of way would have to be acquired under so as not to jeopardize any federal funds in the future? (posted 6/6/05)
  A: Property donated by local governments for right of way as the local share for a qualified project, must comply with the requirements of the federal Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4601, et sec., and implementing federal regulations, 49 CFR Part 24 and 23 CFR Part 710, if federal funds will be used in any phase of the project.
• Q: Match for land: how will the value be determined and validated? Land is likely to be the more difficult to come an agreed value. A consistent methodology statewide is important. Some considerations for donated land: (1) stated value by someone (who?); (2) tax role value; (3) purchase cost (may have been purchased for $.50/$1.00 valued); (4) appraised value, current condition (whose appraisal?); (5) appraised value, future condition (whose appraisal?). (posted 6/6/05)
  A: The value for land donated is the current market value, as properly supported.