Staff recommends that the City Council approve the updated Public Participation and Title VI Plan.

As a recipient of Federal funding, MET Transit is required by the Federal Transit Administration regulations to have a Title VI Plan in place that includes public participation components. In addition to the requirement to submit an updated Title VI Plan every three years, this plan must be approved by the transit agency's governing body. To meet these requirements, MET Transit is submitting an updated Public Participation and Title VI Plan for Council approval. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states "No person shall be excluded from participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal assistance based on race, color, or national origin." Updates to the plan include contact information and poster changes, Limited English Proficiency interpretation procedures, demographics, fleet and amenity inventory, passenger load factor data, survey data, and public outreach activities. 

City Council may:

• Approve the updated Public Participation and Title VI Plan; or
• Not Approve the updated Public Participation and Title VI Plan and advise staff on how to proceed without jeopardizing future Federal Transit Administration grant funding. 

As a recipient of Federal Transit Administration funding, MET must have a Public Participation and Title VI Plan in place. Failure to submit an updated plan may jeopardize or delay award of the annual Federal operating funds accounting for over $1.9 million of MET's proposed FY 23 budget, and up to $2 million in capital grants.