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"We appreciate this outstanding recognition from FTA," said Day. "This achievement is the result of an extraordinary effort on the part of the County. The Public Transportation Department relies upon the federal transportation dollars we receive from FTA. Maintaining that federal funding stream is of tremendous importance, and we are committed to our partnership with FTA to ensure our outstanding performance record continues."
Although less exacting than an audit, the Triennial Review is the FTA's assessment of compliance with Federal requirements determined by the examination of grant management practices and program implementation. The Triennial Review covers 17 areas and involves approximately 130 hours for each review. The FTA began the County's review in November 2014 and the review culminated with a 3-day site visit and inspection in late May.
At the completion of the FTA's site visit on May 20th, Rockland County was given an unprecedented preliminary score of 17 out of 17 in the areas reviewed by the agency.
In an exit conference for the Triennial Review, the FTA indicated that Rockland County has now set the bar for other agencies in Region II this year for Triennial Review performance, and that coming out of the review process with no deficiencies in all 17 areas was an outstanding testament to Rockland County's delivery of FTA's grant programs and requirements.
FTA staff indicated that this was Rockland County's best review, and especially praised the County for its procurement record-keeping and files. FTA staff also said that they were pleased with the condition of the County's federally-funded buses they had inspected, indicating that even two retiring vehicles they boarded were in excellent condition.
"We were thrilled to come out of the site visit phase with zero deficiencies and no follow-up required," said Acting Public Transportation Commissioner Doug Schuetz. "Our success is thanks, in no small part, to the hard work of our dedicated staff along with the efforts of the other County Departments we work with on a regular basis, such as Purchasing, Law, Finance and Facilities. We thank them, along with our bus operator and our funding sub-recipient operators, for the vital roles they played in this successful Triennial Review."
Schuetz also acknowledged Michael Shine, the Department's Grants Coordinator, who organized the County's response for the Triennial Review, Transit Administrator Michael D'Angelo, and all of the Public Transportation Department staff who help to ensure the integrity of the federal funding process on a daily basis.
The Department receives approximately $4 million annually from FTA, which is primarily used for capital costs such as bus purchases and equipment. The County will have its next Triennial Review in 2018.
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