FINANCIAL PLANNING GUIDE FOR TRANSIT. FINAL REPORT

The Financial Planning Guide for Transit presents the details of the overall financial planning process and the procedures that make up the process. The Guide is designed to aid public agencies and interested private parties in the preparation of comprehensive and realistic financial plans--for new capital investments, recapitalization efforts, and the ongoing operation of existing services. The major elements of the Guide are: definition of the financial planning process, including the relationship between financial analysis and other planning functions, procedures for identifying sources of revenue, administrative/institutional arrangements and responsibilities in transit financing, and the types of information needed at each planning level; identification of how cost and revenue projections are developed for financial planning purposes, including identification of financial forecasting techniques, selection and projection of new sources of revenue, and performance of sensitivity analyses; and description of the development and implementation of a financial plan, including discussion of market financing mechanisms and requirements, how dedicated revenue sources and market financing programs are developed, the development of financing packages, and performance of financial capability analysis. The Guide has been designed to be useful both in meeting UMTA's planning and reporting requirements (e.g., in demonstrating financial capacity) and in guiding agencies in evaluating and addressing their own financing needs either in providing the local match to Federal funds or in developing sufficient financing to proceed without Federal funds, if such an approach is considered feasible.