732-040-0005 Definitions The following definitions apply to rules in Chapter 732, Divisions 40, 42, and 44: (1) “Advisory Committee” means either a committee formed by a Qualified Entity to assist the Qualified Entity in carrying out the purposes of the STIF Formula Fund and the Advisory Committee requirements specified in ORS 184.761(1) or a joint committee formed by two or more Qualified Entities for the same purposes, pursuant to ORS 184.761(5). (2) “Agency” means Oregon Department of Transportation (“ODOT”). (3) “Americans with Disabilities Act” (“ADA”) means section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. (4) “Area Commission on Transportation” (“ACT”) means an advisory body chartered under the authority of the Commission, and subject to the Commission’s oversight and final decision-making authority. (5) “Area of Responsibility” means the geographic area for which each Qualified Entity is responsible to provide STIF Formula Fund moneys. (a) For a Qualified Entity that is a county, the Area of Responsibility is the geographic area within the county’s jurisdictional boundaries. (b) For a Qualified Entity that is a Mass Transit or Transportation District that shares continuous jurisdictional boundaries with a county, the Area of Responsibility is the geographic area within the District’s jurisdictional boundaries. (c) For a Qualified Entity that is a Mass Transit or Transportation District that does not share continuous jurisdictional boundaries with a county, the Area of Responsibility is the geographic area within the jurisdictional boundaries of the county or counties in which any part of the District is located. (d) For a Qualified Entity that is an Indian Tribe, the Area of Responsibility is the geographic area on which the Indian Tribe’s Tribal Enterprises are located. (6) “Biennium” (plural, “Biennia”) means a two-year period which runs from July 1 of an odd-numbered year to June 30 of the next odd-numbered year. (7) “Calendar Year” means the year which begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. (8) “Capital Asset” means real property or tangible items purchased or leased with STIF moneys, including without limitation vehicles and structures, with a purchase price of $5,000 or more and a useful life of at least one year. (9) “Client-Only Project” means a project where the underlying transportation service is offered to a limited group of people and not made available to the general public. (10) “Commission” means the Oregon Transportation Commission (“OTC”) established under ORS 184.612. (11) “Community with a high percentage of low-income households” means either: (a) A group of people living in geographic proximity to each other who have a higher percentage of low-income households than the state average; or (b) A group of people sharing a common characteristic, such as enrollment in Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or another income-eligible program, who have a higher percentage of low-income households than the state average, regardless of where any person within the group is located. (12) “Discretionary Fund” means up to five percent of STIF funds to be disbursed to Public Transportation Service Providers, which includes Qualified Entities, through a competitive grant funding process, pursuant to ORS 184.758(2)(b). (13) “Fiscal Year” means the Agency’s fiscal year which begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. (14) “Governing Body” means the decision-making body or board of a Qualified Entity. (15) “Indexed Minimum” means the smallest amount to be distributed under the Population-Based Formula and Payroll-Based Formula to any one Qualified Entity. This amount is tied to the minimum distribution of the STIF Formula program in the 2023-2025 Biennium, adjusted biennially by the rate of growth in the overall STIF Fund. (16) “Indian Tribe” means a federally recognized Indian Tribe in Oregon that has members residing on a reservation or in tribal trust lands in Oregon. (17) “Intercommunity Discretionary Fund” means up to four percent of STIF funds to be disbursed to Public Transportation Service Providers through a competitive grant funding process, pursuant to ORS 184.758(2)(c). (18) “Intergovernmental Entity” means entities organized under ORS 190.010. (19) “Local Plan” means a local or regional public transportation plan(s), which may include adopted policy(ies) that is developed and approved by the Governing Body of a Qualified Entity, Public Transportation Service Provider, or Metropolitan Planning Organization and which includes, at a minimum: (a) A planning horizon of at least four years; (b) An existing and future conditions analysis that includes: (A) Current and forecast population and demographics, including locations of people who are often transit dependent, including low-income households, individuals of age 65 or older, youth, and individuals who are racially and ethnically diverse; (B) Locations of existing housing, employment centers, medical and social and human services centers, major destinations, and other locations with needs for public transportation services and programs; (C) Inventories of current Public Transportation Services located within, adjacent to, or with the reasonable potential to connect to the local or regional public transportation services, as applicable; (c) Prioritized lists of public transportation improvements and capital projects; and (d) Identified opportunities to coordinate public transportation services within and outside the county, district, or tribal area and with other agencies and areas to improve efficiency and effectiveness of service and reduce gaps in service. (e) Local Plans include, but are not limited to: Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plans, Transportation System Plans, Transit Development Plans, and Transit Master Plans. (20) “Low-Income Household” means a household the total income of which does not exceed 200% of the poverty guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2) for the 48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia. (21) “Mass Transit District” means a district organized under ORS 267.010 to 267.390. (22) “Operations Reserve Project funds" refer to funds set aside for a use as described in OAR 732-042-0015(4). (23) “Payroll-Based Formula” means the portion of STIF Formula Funds disbursed per ORS 184.758(5). (24) “Plan Contingency Project funds" refer to funds set aside for contingency use as described in OAR 732-042-0015(5). (25) “Planned Carry Forward Project funds" refer to funds set aside for use in a future STIF Plan as described in OAR 732-042-0015(6). (26) “Population-Based Formula” means the portion of STIF Formula Funds disbursed per ORS 184.758(3). (27) “Prior STIF Plan Period funds" refer to Planned Carry Forward Project funds, Plan Contingency Project funds, Operation Reserve Project funds and Unused Project funds disbursed to a Qualified Entity that were not spent during the STIF Plan Period in which they were disbursed. For STIF Plans with an effective date prior to July 1, 2027, Prior STIF Plan Period funds also refer to any STIF Formula Fund moneys budgeted for a task categorized in the STIF Plan as a "Program Reserve/Contingency" and any STIF Formula Fund moneys budgeted for a Project described in the STIF Plan as a "Project using planned carry forward funding" that were not spent during the STIF Plan Period in which they were disbursed. (28) “Project” means a public transportation improvement or maintenance activity or group of activities eligible for STIF moneys and a plan or proposal for which is included in a STIF Plan or in a grant application to a Qualified Entity or the Agency. Examples of project types include, but are not limited to: discrete activities, such as purchasing transit vehicles, planning, or operations; and groups of activities for a particular geographic area or new service, such as a new route that includes purchase of a transit vehicle, and maintenance and operations on the new route. (29) “Public Corporation” means an independent legal entity that was formed by legislative action, serves a public purpose, and is under exclusive public management or control. (30) “Public Transportation Advisory Committee” (“PTAC”) means the ODOT Public Transportation Advisory Committee established by the Commission in 2000. (31) “Public Transportation Service Provider” means a Qualified Entity or a city, county, Special District, Intergovernmental Entity or any other political subdivision or municipal or Public Corporation that provides Public Transportation Services. (32) “Public Transportation Services” means any form of passenger transportation by car, bus, or other conveyance, either publicly or privately owned, which provides service to the general public (not including charter, sightseeing, or exclusive school bus service) on a regular and continuing basis. Such transportation may include services designed to meet the needs of a specific user group, including for older adults and individuals with disabilities, for purposes such as health care, shopping, education, employment, public services, personal business, or recreation. Public Transportation Services must be designed and advertised as Shared-Ride Service. (33) “Qualified Entity” means, a county in which no part of a Mass Transit District or Transportation District exists, a Mass Transit District, a Transportation District or an Indian Tribe. (34) “Recipient” means a Qualified Entity that has a STIF Plan approved by the Commission and enters into an agreement with the Agency or a Public Transportation Service Provider that enters into an agreement directly with the Agency to receive STIF funds. (35) “Satisfactory Continuing Control” means the legal assurance that a Capital Asset will remain available to be used for its originally authorized purpose throughout its useful life or until disposition. (36) “Shared-Ride Service” means a service where neither the operator nor any passenger may refuse to permit additional passengers that are otherwise complying with the operator’s rules and policies. (37) “Special District” means a service district organized under ORS 451.010(1)(h). (38) “Statewide Transit Network” means the collection of all transit service that operates in Oregon. (39) “STIF Formula Fund” means up to 90 percent of the Statewide Transportation Improvement funds to be disbursed to Qualified Entities conditioned upon the Commission’s approval of a STIF Plan, pursuant to ORS 184.758(2)(a). (40) “STIF” or “Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund” means the fund established under ORS 184.751. (41) “STIF Plan” means a public transportation improvement plan that is approved by a Governing Body and submitted to the Agency for review and approval by the Commission in order for the Qualified Entity to receive a share of the STIF Formula Fund. (42) “STIF Plan Maximum” means the total amount of funding sought in a Qualified Entity’s Commission-approved STIF Plan. It does not include any Prior STIF Plan Period funds. (43) “STIF Plan Period” means the effective date specified in a Commission-approved STIF Plan through the end date of the STIF Plan. (44) “Student Transit Services” means Public Transportation Services within the Qualified Entity's area of responsibility that can feasibly and efficiently be used by students in grades 9 through 12. (45) “Sub-Recipient” means any entity, including but not limited to a Public Transportation Service Provider, that has entered into an agreement with a Recipient in order to complete one or more tasks specified in the agreement between the Agency and the Recipient. A Sub-Recipient does not include an entity or person that a Recipient has identified as a contractor pursuant to OAR 732-042-0055. (46) “These Rules” means OAR Chapter 732 Divisions 40, 42, and 44. (47) “Transportation District” means a district organized under ORS 267.510 to 267.650. (48) “Tribal Enterprise” means a commercial activity or business managed or controlled by an Indian Tribe. (49) “Unused Project funds” are STIF Formula Fund moneys that a Qualified Entity included in the budget for a Project during a STIF Plan Period but did not spend during that STIF Plan Period. Unused Project funds do not include Planned Carry Forward Project funds, Plan Contingency Project funds or Operations Reserve Project funds. For STIF Plans with an effective date prior to July 1, 2027, Unused Project funds also do not include any STIF Formula Fund moneys budgeted for a task categorized in the Plan as a "Program Reserve/Contingency" and any STIF Formula Fund moneys budgeted for a Project described in the STIF Plan as a "Project using planned carry forward funding" that a Qualified Entity did not spend during the STIF Plan Period in which they were disbursed. (50) “Work Group” means a subcommittee formed by a Qualified Entity's Governing Body or Advisory Committee for the purpose of providing additional input on STIF Formula Fund projects. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 184.619, 184.758 & 184.761 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 184.751-184.766 History: PTD 2-2026, amend filed 01/22/2026, effective 01/22/2026 PTD 3-2022, amend filed 05/24/2022, effective 07/01/2023 PTD 1-2022, amend filed 01/25/2022, effective 01/25/2022 PTD 1-2018, adopt filed 06/26/2018, effective 07/01/2018