INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Board of Indian River County Commissioners unanimously approved authorization to submit a grant application for federal funds to cover approximately half of GoLine Bus service operations.
Indian River County has applied for and received grant funds for the past several years, according to provided information.
Metropolitan Planning Organization Director Phil Matson said there are several factors that go into the grant evaluation but that “generally we do better than we would expect to based on population alone,” because some communities do not apply for their allotted grant money.
“Grant money can be used for planning, acquisition, construction, improvement, and operating costs of facilities, equipment, and associated capital maintenance items used in mass transportation service,” according to provided documentation.
The grant requires a 50 percent non-federal match for operating expenses, but only a 20 percent non-federal soft match for capital expenses.
State toll revenue accounts for the required soft match for capital expenses while a combination of local funds and FDOT grant funds account for the match of operating expenses in Indian River County.
Staff Reporter Lisa Zahner contributed to this article.