Council approves FTA bus grant application and final plans for new Bullhead City multimodal transit facility

The Bullhead City Council approved submission of a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5339 bus and bus facilities grant and separately approved final engineering and architectural plans for a new multimodal transit facility.

Transit staff said the FTA application seeks $217,309 for a replacement bus; staff reported the grant would fund up to 80 percent of the purchase with a local match capped at $43,461. Transit Manager Michael Paluso and staff said the local match was included in the adopted budget. The council voted 7–0 to authorize submission and receipt of the grant funds (Resolution No. 2025R‑48).

In a separate but related action, the council approved final plans for a purpose‑built transit hub to be located at 1315 Alanis Way next to the motor vehicle office. Human Services staff and the transit manager described a site layout with sawtooth bus bays, an administrative and passenger area with seating and ticketing, and a maintenance facility. The transit commission previously approved the design in May 2025. Staff said approval of the plans lets them pursue construction funding and that additional steps — including grant award acceptance, budget approvals and construction contracting — will return to council.

Why it matters: staff said a new facility will improve on‑site passenger accommodations, streamline boarding and support long‑term fleet maintenance. Steve D’Amico, executive director of the Bullhead City MPO, offered a letter of support for the FTA application that staff accepted into the record.

Actions: the council approved both the FTA grant application (vote 7–0) and the multimodal transit facility plans (vote 7–0). Staff will seek grant funding for construction and continue procurement and budget steps as required.