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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
November 07, 2017
4:00 PM, City Council Chambers
MEETING AGENDA
I. Budget: Component Unit Funds (including APCHA funds)
II. We-Cycle Funding request
P1
2018 Proposed Budget
November 7, 2017
P2I.
2
APCHA Funds
Housing Administration Fund (620)
Smuggler Housing Fund (622)P3I.
Housing Administration Fund
3
•City / County Subsidy Need Increases
•Maintenance Reimbursements
Truscott II and ACI Labor Costs
Truscott I and Marolt Shared Equipment
•Property Management Fees
12% of Rental Income for Most PropertiesCity of Aspen
Subsidy
$320,350
Pitkin County
Subsidy
$320,350
Property
Management
Fees
$465,600
Foreclosures & Other
1st Time Sales
$600,000
Annual Turnover
Sales
$275,000
Maintenance
Reimbursements
$163,120
Other
Revenues
$114,410
Revenues = $2,258,830
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
$259,200 $320,350 $396,800 $439,720 $448,535 $457,490
Increase:24%24%11%2%2%P4I.
Housing Administration Fund
4
•Capital: $1.5M
$950,000 Database Project
▪Future Costs for Data Collection / Scrubbing
$500,000 Foreclosure (Placeholder)
$27,000 Fleet Replacement
•Supplemental:
$10,000 Cleaning Services
•Debt Service for New Office Space
Maintain Park Central West Lease
Administrative
$847,860
Property / Facilities
Maintenance
$240,890 Housing Sales & Rental
Services
$623,970
Annual Debt
Service
$160,000
Capital
$1,477,000
Expenditures = $3,349,720
P5I.
Housing Administration Fund
5
2018 2019 2020 & Beyond
HIMS & HERS Project $950,000
Systemwide Data Collection (Contractor)$300,000
Data Entry and Cleaning (Contractor)$105,000
Miscellaneous (Licensing, Maintenance, Training)$50,000
Subtotal Project Costs $950,000 $455,000
Licenses (On-Going)$50,000
Maintenance / Hosting (On-Going)$10,000
Training (On-Going)$10,000
Subtotal Operational Costs $70,000
$1.4 Million (from Fund Balance)P6I.
Housing Administration Fund
6
2017 Budget (Last Year’s Plan)
$0
$500,000
$1,000,000
$1,500,000
$2,000,000
$2,500,000
$3,000,000
$3,500,000
$4,000,000
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Ending Fund Balance Revenue Expense 12.5% Reserve
$0
$500,000
$1,000,000
$1,500,000
$2,000,000
$2,500,000
$3,000,000
$3,500,000
$4,000,000
2017
Forecast
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Ending Fund Balance Revenue Expense 12.5% Reserve
2018 Proposed Budget
P7I.
Smuggler Housing Fund
7
•APCHA Owned Property
11 Units
Catetory 1
•Rent Increase: 1.5%
Rental Income
$71,500
Other Revenues
$6,770
Revenues = $78,270
P8I.
Smuggler Housing Fund
8
•Base Budget Increase: 1.3%
•No Supplementals
•Capital: $5,400
Annual appliance / hot water authority
Administrative
$16,100
Property /
Facility
Maintenance
$37,550
Capital
$5,400
Property
Management Fees
$8,600
Expenditures = $67,650
P9I.
Smuggler Housing Fund
9
Net Change to Fund Balance: $10,620
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
$350,000
$400,000
2017 Forecast 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Ending Fund Balance Revenue Expense 12.5% Reserve
P10I.
10
Tax Credit Properties
Truscott II Affordable Housing Fund (641)
Aspen Country Inn Affordable Housing Fund (642)P11I.
Truscott II Housing Fund
11
•LLLP Owns Property (April 2001)
General Partner: APCHA
Limited Partner: Boston Financial
▪2017 Buyout Option: $350,000
•Rental Rate Increase: 1.5%
•State Section 8 Housing Assistance
Rental Income
$990,000
Rental Subsidy
$29,800
Other Revenues
$35,640
Revenues = $1,055,440
P12I.
Truscott II Housing Fund
12
Administrative
$86,280
Property / Facility
Maintenance
$311,180
Sales, Rental and
Management
Services
$116,000
Debt Service
$396,940
Expenditures = $910,400 •No Capital in 2018
•Supplemental
Share of Maintenance Vehicle
•Debt Oustanding
CHFA Mortgage (May 2003): $5,650,000
Subordinate City Note (Sep. 2001): $2,900,000
P13I.
Truscott II Housing Fund
13
Net Change to Fund Balance: $145,040
$0
$200,000
$400,000
$600,000
$800,000
$1,000,000
$1,200,000
$1,400,000
$1,600,000
$1,800,000
$2,000,000
2017 Forecast 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Ending Fund Balance Less Req. Reserve Revenue Expense 12.5% Reserve
P14I.
Aspen Country Inn Housing Fund
14
Rental Income
$393,820
Rental
Subsidy
$6,700
Other
(Laundry, Late
Fees, Misc)
$8,475
Revenues = $408,995 •LLLP Owns Property (Oct 2016)
Managing General Partner: City of Aspen
Investment Limited Partner: Boston Capital
Administrative Partner: APCHA
•Rental Rates: 1.5% Increase
•State Section 8 Housing Assistance
P15I.
Aspen Country Inn Housing Fund
15
•Property Renovation Wraps Up 2017
•Annual Debt Payments: $132K
▪CHFA Loan: $2,388,000
•Management Fees: 12% of Rent
•Supplemental: $15,000
▪Electricity for Heat Tape
▪HE Boilers
Administrative
$23,154
Partnership
Costs
$3,060
Property / Facility
Maintenance
$151,974
Property
Management
Fees
$47,824
Debt Service
$132,160
Expenditures = $358,172
P16I.
Aspen Country Inn Housing Fund
16
Net Change to Fund Balance: $50,823
$0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
$250,000
$300,000
$350,000
$400,000
$450,000
$500,000
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Adjusted Ending Fund Balance Revenue Expense Required Operating Reserve
P17I.
Aspen Country Inn Housing Fund
17
‘‘WaterFall’’ For Disbursement of Annual Operating Income
▪1st: Replacement Reserve: $14,000 /yr
▪2nd: Past Due Payments to Investment Limited Partner (N/A Unless Get Behind)
▪3rd: Asset Management Fee ($3,000/yr)
▪4th: Replenishment of Operating Reserve (maintain $122,190 target)
▪5th: Deferred Developer Fee (City owed $186,000)
▪6th:Partnership Management Fee: ($3,000/yr)
▪7th: Repayment of Seller Loan ($2.7M to City)
▪8th:Repayment of City Original Loan ($3.9M to City)
▪9th:Excess 90% Investment Partner, 9.95% General
Partners, and 0.05% to Class B Limited Partners
P18I.
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: R. Barry Crook, Assistant City Manager
DATE OF MEMO: November 3, 2017
MEETING DATE: November 7, 2017
RE: We-Cycle Funding Request
REQUEST OF COUNCIL: We-Cycle requests funding from the City Council in the amount of
either $145,000 or $183,333.33.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION: City Council and other public sector entities have provided
funding to We-Cycle since 2012 and supported the effort since its launch in the summer of 2013.
DISCUSSION: If Council wishes to provide the requested funding, you should determine the
amount and direct staff to amend the proposed 2018 budget.
City
Funding*
City/County
Grant
Funding EOTC Funding
RFTA
Funding
Pitkin
County
Funding
Basalt
Funding
Eagle
County
Funding TOTAL Comments
2012 235,000$ 235,000$ CMAQ Funding for stations
2013 26,000$ 26,000$
We-Cycle launches service in Aspen / Canary
Program promotion ($15K) / traded parking
spaces at Hopkins and Cooper We-Cycle
passes for city employees ($11K)
2014 -$
2015 17,500$ 17,500$ City purchased 50% bike station at city hall
2016 101,680$ 4,500$ 7,500$ 48,000$ 161,680$
City provided operational support ($25K),
purchased bikes, stations, equipment
($52,500), Drive Less season passes ($17K),
and Canary Program promotion ($7180).
2017 14,700$ 100,000$ 30,000$ 20,000$ 284,700$
Drive Less Program Season Passes / EOTC
operational support / cumulative RFTA
operational support since 2012
Proposed
2018 145,000$ 196,000$ 100,000$ 100,000$ 541,000$
Pending City funding request / Pending
CMAQ grant request for additional bike
stations at Burlingame, AABC & Buttermilk /
EOTC operational support / RFTA Funding for
an FTE to do planning
Projected
2019 100,000$ 100,000$ 200,000$
Projected
2020 100,000$ 100,000$
TOTAL 304,880$ 435,500$ 300,000$ 420,000$ 7,500$ 78,000$ 20,000$ 1,565,880$
120,000$
* City has also provided some in-kind contributions: 6 station locations in the ROW or city property, free storage space, free
use of a parking space in the garage ($200/mo), and paid for free passes to Drive Less participants (558 total).
P19
II.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: An agreement of some kind should be created to clarify the
services to be offered and the conditions for those services. That agreement should clarify that the
Mobility Lab decisions around bicycles are not subject to veto by We-Cycle.
CITY MANAGER COMMENTS:
P20
II.
TO: Aspen City Council
FROM: Mirte Mallory, WE-cycle, Co-Founder and Director
RE: 2018 Bike Transit Services Proposal for the City of Aspen
PROPOSAL: In the summer of 2018, the City of Aspen provides “No-Fare to the User” bike transit
services, for the first 30 minutes of each ride only, as one of its on-demand mobility offerings. This fare
adjustment would align bike transit fares with that of other City of Aspen transportation modes.
The City of Aspen has established a public transportation landscape and precedent in which around
town public transit, in-town RFTA routes and The Downtowner, are offered at no cost to the rider and
are funded solely by the City of Aspen. The City’s transit landscape is poised to change again in the
summer of 2018 with potential new travel modes to be introduced through the Aspen Mobility Lab.
Because of changes in the public transportation landscape, it is becoming increasingly challenging for
WE-cycle, the Roaring Fork Valley’s bike transit provider, to secure reliable funding through its
public/private partnership model. Private funding sources – Pass Sales and Sponsorship – are
impacted by this no-fare business environment.
Below is a proposal for the City Aspen to consider which would make the bike transit user experience
consistent with other public transit within the community and concurrently provide the City of Aspen with
Presenting Sponsor recognition and messaging surfaces for its investment.
PROPOSAL DETAILS: WE-cycle is proposing that the City of Aspen fund the community’s bike transit
services as it does the community’s fixed-route RFTA services, on-demand Downtowner service, and
other ancillary services and becomes the Aspen System’s Presenting Sponsor, as follows:
• The City of Aspen contracts WE-cycle to operate 20 stations and 100 bikes from May –
October, 2018. Terms, service levels, and reporting requirements to be mutually agreed-upon.
• WE-cycle’s bike transit services become “no-fare to the user” for the first 30 minutes only. WE-
cycle remains committed to its founding principal of being a bike transit system, not a bike rental
service. Hence, significant Overtime Fees would still apply to rides over 30 minutes and
messaging would direct recreational riders to local bike shops.
• As Presenting Sponsor, select sponsorship surfaces on bikes and stations would be available
for the City of Aspen to use as it so chooses (ie promote its other transit services, its community
initiatives, the Mobility Lab, etc.)
P21
II.
Bike transit is aligned with Council’s goals of providing enhanced mobility solutions that diminish
reliance on single-occupancy vehicles. With 161,000 rides since opening, it has become a proved and
relied-upon mode of travel. According to WE-cycle Season Passholders, 46% of their WE-cycle rides
replace car trips. With five years of experience operating safe, reliable, and proven bike transit services
in Aspen, WE-cycle can help residents and the City of Aspen’s workforce mode shift from car to bike by
making WE-cycle fare free.
The City of Aspen is one of WE-cycle’s ten Founding Partners. The City of Aspen has been a
consistent and generous supporter of WE-cycle over the past five years through securing Federal grant
funding, staff time, station purchases, pass underwriting, cross-promotional marketing, system
planning, and providing funding through its participation in RFTA and the EOTC. This proposal provides
an opportunity for the City of Aspen and WE-cycle to work together even more closely in a framework
that is consistent with the City’s other transit contracts. I believe a strong partnership between the City
of Aspen and WE-cycle will greatly enhance the success and growth of bike transit ridership.
Thank you for your consideration of this proposal given the City of Aspen’s changed, and changing,
transportation landscape. Change is good. WE-cycle recognizes that it too is an agent of change and is
eager to help the City of Aspen work towards its stated goal of reducing traffic congestion by providing
healthy, car-free transit services.
Respectfully,
Mirte Mallory
WE-cycle: Co-Founder | Executive Director
P22
II.
APPENDIX
FINANCIAL BACKGROUND:
Seven years ago, WE-cycle, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, presented to the Aspen City Council the
organization’s goal to bring bike transit to Aspen through a public/private partnership as an active,
healthy, car-free, and carbon-neutral form of transportation. The vision was to offer shared bikes as a
first/last mile connection to the valley’s highly-functioning RFTA service and as a fast, convenient, and
flexible mode of travel for residents, the workforce, and lastly, visitors. WE-cycle outlined a plan to
launch in Aspen and then eventually within the Roaring Fork Valley to create a seamless and integrated
regional bike-bus-bike transit system.
Founded as public/private partnership (P3), WE-cycle’s start-up infrastructure was funded 65% by the
private sector (Founding Partners, individual donors, and grants) and 35% by the public sector (Federal
CMAQ funding and respective local matches from the City of Aspen and Pitkin County). WE-cycle’s
business model sought to support annual operations through three revenue streams, taking into
consideration the reasonable market sizes of each: public investment, pass sales, and sponsorship.
One of WE-cycle’s objectives in establishing itself as a public/private partnership was to broaden
support for the initiative, speed adoption, and generate cost efficiencies. This model has proven
successful from the private sector with local businesses sponsoring WE-cycle and subsequently
nurturing a culture within their organization that encourages and facilitates the use of multi-modal
transit, including WE-cycle. WE-cycle attributes much of its ridership growth to its collaborative
partnerships with small and large local businesses and is committed to maintaining these relationships
and engagement.
From the beginning, this model of transit funding was distinct within the City of Aspen. The keys to its
success and ongoing financial viability rely on charging a fare for an in-town transit service and
engaging the private sector to fund the program through sponsorship. In its first years, private
sponsorship and grants accounted for the large majority of WE-cycle’s revenue, followed by pass sales,
and then the public sector. Each year, as WE-cycle becomes more established, the three revenue
streams have moved closer towards an equilibrium in which the annual operating budget is comprised
of: 1/3 – Public Investment. 1/3 – Pass Sales, 1/3 – Sponsorship. However, the diminishment of any of
these three funding sources poses serious financial and practical consequences to WE-cycle’s ongoing
ability to provide bike transit services in the City of Aspen.
Beginning in 2016, the business proposition of offering public transit in the City of Aspen changed. The
City introduced a new no-fare to the user, on-demand mobility service, The Downtowner. In stark
contrast to WE-cycle, The Downtowner is funded 100% by the City of Aspen and does not require
private sponsorship dollars to operate, nor did it require an investment in capital. WE-cycle is a believer
and supporter of multiple mobility modes and sees The Downtowner as an enhancement to the City’s
transportation options by giving individuals more choices to get out of their cars. However, the
introduction of this service has compromised the future sustainability of WE-cycle to reliably generate
revenue from two of its three funding sources: Pass Sales and Sponsorship. Why would someone
choose to pay to ride a bike across town when they hail a free shuttle service and be driven? Why
would a local business sponsor a WE-cycle station when the City of Aspen provides other on-demand
transit services that don’t require their participation? WE-cycle questions the alignment of community
values given that riding a bike for transit purposes, i.e. bike share, is now the only short-haul public
transit service for which a user must pay to ride in the Upper Roaring Fork Valley. Given this changing
transportation ecosystem, WE-cycle must continue to adapt its revenue model,
WE-cycle is grateful to the public sector for continuing to align its investment in bike transit with that of
its other transit offerings. As illustrated in the following financials, the EOTC and RFTA’s investment in
regional bike transit service, and thereby the City of Aspen’s investment through their participation in
these entities, was essential to WE-cycle’s financial viability in 2017.
P23
II.
Of note in reviewing WE-cycle’s financials:
• The majority of bike share systems throughout the country have staff within the transportation or
parking department of a particular jurisdiction who manage, secure funds, promote the system,
conduct station planning and lead bike share integration with the other transit offerings. This is
not the case for bike transit in the Roaring Fork Valley. WE-cycle financials include 100% of the
costs of operating bike transit services and maintaining an integrated mobility app.
• WE-cycle’s Basalt revenues and expenses are accounted for separately. Wherever possible,
revenues and expenses are allocated directly to their respective cost center.
• WE-cycle continues to operate a lean and nimble organization out of its commitment to both
environmental and financial sustainability. 5 years and over 161,000 rides later, WE-cycle still
only has 2 year-round employees.
2017 Aspen System - Revenues and Expenses (Projected)
Revenue Amount % Description
Public Investment $125,000 42% First Year EOTC funding: $100,000, RFTA: $25,000
Pass Sales $67,377 22%
Pay-per-Ride Passes, Purchased Season Passes, No-
Fare to User Season Passes courtesy of the City of
Aspen’s Drive Less Program, and Overtime Fees. Down
from 2016 by ~ 14%.
Private Sponsorship $107,323 36%
Sponsorships on bikes, of stations, of Community Panels,
of events. Sponsors’ receive No-Fare to the User Season
Passes to give to their employees as a benefit. Down from
2016 by ~ 24%.
PROJECTED*
REVENUES $299,700
* 2017 revenues and expenses are projected, as WE-cycle’s
season does not conclude until November. Projections are based
on actuals.
Expense Amount Description
Payroll $182,662
Year-Round Staff
2 full-time employees
Organizational leadership, fundraising,
planning, sponsorship, marketing and
communications, graphic design and
website, pass sales, rider outreach,
events, passholder help line, partner
engagement, grant writing, equity
programming, financials, budgeting,
reporting, insurance, compliance,
human resources, office management,
mobility app development and
integrations, software evolution and
innovation.
Seasonal Operations Staff
2 full-time employees
6 part-time employees
Day-to-day operations
including bike balancing and
cleaning, monthly bike check-
overs, station maintenance
and cleaning, on-street
customer service, software
and hardware management.
12 hours per day, 7-days a
week, May – October.
Operations &
Maintenance $60,678 Parts, maintenance, tools, equipment, balancing vehicles, cellular
connectivity, software fees, insurance, installs, storage.
Organizational $47,045
Office and shop rent, administrative expenses, marketing and
advertising, website and app development, events and outreach,
promotional materials, pass materials.
PROJECTED
EXPENSES** $290,386 ** Any delta between revenues and expenses is allocated to WE-cycle
to a capital account for equipment repair and replacement.
P24
II.
2018 Budgeted Revenues and Expenses
As WE-cycle enters its sixth season, it will place an increased emphasis on the connectivity and
integration of its regional service in partnership with its transit partner, RFTA. Regional transit
implementation requires deliberate and thorough planning, cultivating of multi-jurisdictional
partnerships, focusing on integration opportunities and ridership growth, and communicating about
priorities to further a seamless and coordinated multi-modal system. WE-cycle, as the Roaring Fork
Valley’s established bike transit system and provider, and mobility app innovator, is integral to the
current focus on reducing congestion from single occupancy vehicles up and down the valley.
Over the years, over 90 public and private partners have made significant financial investments in WE-
cycle’s existing infrastructure. It is WE-cycle’s mission and fiduciary responsibility to maintain service
levels, assets, and continue to provide a sustainable and integrated valley-wide service. To this end, in
2018 WE-cycle will invest more significant time and resources in its integration with RFTA and
commitment to being the valley-wide bike share operator and valley-wide mobility app aggregator to
help facilitate that the valley’s existing, and future, multi-modal transit offerings connect seamlessly.
RFTA has a made a multi-year commitment of a minimum of $100,000 per year for the next three years
to support ongoing collaboration, integration, and local and regional planning. As a funder of RFTA, the
City of Aspen will benefit from this investment on a City level by being the beneficiary of focused long-
term bike transit planning for the Aspen area, multi-modal pass integration, optimization of resources,
implementation of best management practices, and possible cost-savings platforms, At a regional level,
the City will benefit as WE-cycle advances in implementing bike share in other communities to help
provide the first mile of the commute to Aspen’s workforce.
2018 Aspen System - Revenues and Expenses - (Budgeted)
Funding
Source Amount Description
Committed
EOTC
Investment
$100,000
A two-year commitment, subject to annual appropriations, will allow
WE-cycle to plan on a longer horizon and thereby retain core and
highly-skilled staff which both translate into cost-savings and
enhanced service levels. The City of Aspen is an EOTC funder.
Proposed City of
Aspen
Investment
$145,000
No-Fare to the User WE-cycle for the first 30 minutes only every ride +
The City becomes WE-cycle’s Presenting Sponsor thereby receiving
select on bike and station messaging surfaces.
Private
Sponsorship $30,000
Sponsorships on bikes, of Community Panels, of events. WE-cycle
remains committed to its private partnerships both to diversity its
income and to cultivate collaborations which lead to enhanced
ridership engagement.
BUDGETED
REVENUES $275,000
Expense Amount Description
Payroll Aspen
System $170,000 Year-Round Organizational Staff and Seasonal Operations Staff
Operations &
Maintenance $56,000 Parts, maintenance, tools, equipment, balancing vehicles, cellular
connectivity, software fees, insurance, installs, storage.
Organizational $49,000
Office and shop rent, administrative expenses, marketing and
advertising, website and app development, events and outreach,
promotional materials, pass materials.
BUDGETED
EXPENSES $275,000
P25
II.
City of Aspen Investments in WE-cycle since 2013
The City of Aspen has been a partner of WE-cycle since its founding and as a community has benefited
from the services provided by the public/private partnership. According to WE-cycle Season
Passholders, 46% of their rides replace car trips. The following investments have helped replace over
51,980 car trips in and around the City of Aspen thereby directly helping the City fulfill its traffic
congestion reduction goals.
Capital Investments
Year Amount Description
2012 $6,023 CMAQ local contribution to match Federal contribution of $28,977
2014 $17,500 Contribution of 50% to purchase of 11-dock City Hall Station, other 50% paid for by
private partners.
2016 $52,500 Contribution to purchase “Experiment Kit” consisting of 3 brains, 25 docking
stations, 9 bikes.
TOTAL: $76,023
Operating Investments
Year Amount Description
2016 $25,000 To support WE-cycle operations in adjacency to Aspen but routes as an
enhancement to the City of Aspen multi-modal transportation system.
2016 $4,500 CMAQ local contribution to match federal contribution of $28,977
TOTAL: $29,500
Drive Less Program – WE-cycle Pass Underwriting
Year Amount Description
2016 $17,000
Underwriting of 330 No-Fare WE-cycle Season Passes for individuals who chose
WE-cycle as their Drive Less Program Pledge Perk AND underwriting of 79 No-
Fare WE-cycle Season Passes for those who activated their RFTA Seasonal Zone
Pass as a WE-cycle Pass.
2017 $14,700
Underwriting of 178 No-Fare WE-cycle Season Passes for individuals who chose
WE-cycle as their Drive Less Program Pledge Perk AND underwriting of 116 No-
Fare WE-cycle Season Passes for those who activated their RFTA Seasonal Zone
Pass as a WE-cycle Pass.
TOTAL: $31,700
Environmental Sustainability Investments
Year Amount Description
2013 $15,000 Canary Initiative investment to promote the Canary Initiative and its goals on all
WE-cycle stemcaps for 2013 and 2014.
2016 $7,180
Canary Tags investment in electric balancing bike to grow number of bikes
balanced without a vehicle. In 2017, 70% of WE-cycle balancing occurred by
balancing bike. This scale is unprecedented in the bike share industry.
TOTAL: $22,180
In-Kind
Year Amount Description
2012 –
Present TBD Staff support and expertise in securing Federal CMAQ grants and ongoing
support of, and collaboration with, WE-cycle.
2016 TBD Office space and utilities in the Rio Grande Building then Power House.
P26
II.