Local Government and School Accountability
Previous Accounting Releases
May 1998: Accounting Requirements and Program Information for Multi-Modal Transportation Program
Issued To: New York State Chief Fiscal Officers of Counties, Cities, Towns and Villages
Accounting Requirements
Multi-Modal Projects will be accounted for in a Capital Projects Fund or in an Enterprise Fund. Capital Projects fund revenues will be recorded in subsidiary revenue account code 3505 - Multi-Modal Program and expenditures will be classified by functional unit based on the type of project being undertaken. Enterprise funds should capitalize assets and recognize revenue using account 3505.
Program Information
The following overview is based on information provided by the State Legislature and by the Department of Transportation:
Background - In Chapters 637 and 638 of the Laws of 1996, the Governor and the Legislature authorized a four-year $350 million Multi-Modal Program. The Multi-Modal Program provides reimbursements for authorized trial, port, airport and local highway and bridge projects. Funding for the Multi-Modal Program is obtained through the sale of New York State Thruway Authority's Local Highway and Bridge Service Contract Bonds.
Purpose - The purpose of the program is to finance project costs for the construction, reconstruction, improvement, reconditioning and preservation of:
- rail freight facilities and intercity rail passenger facilities and equipment;
- the ports of Albany, Ogdensburg, Oswego, and the gateway metro port in Buffalo:
- municipal airports, privately owned airports and aviation capital facilities, excluding airports operated by the state or operated by a bi-state municipal corporate instrumentality for which federal funding is not available provided the project is consistent with an approved airport layout plan; and
- county, town, city and village roads, highways, parkways and bridges.
Nomination Process - Multi-Modal projects are identified and negotiated between the Legislature, Governor and local sponsors and signed into law in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). All allocations or reallocation of Multi-Modal funding must be approved by he President Pro Tem and Majority Leader of the Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly.
Project Eligibility - All Mutli-Modal projects must meet the following general requirements;
- must have a ten (10) year "bondable" service life;
- must meet program's legislative intent relating to the specific mode as indicated previously (i.e., aviation projects must be consistent with an approved Airport Layout Plan; port projects only located in Albany, Ogdensburg, Oswego and the Gateway Metro Port in Buffalo, etc.)
- must be for public transportation or freight transportation purpose.
Reimbursement Process - Mutli-Modal capital projects are "first instance" funded by individual project sponsors. Multi-Modal reimbursements are made on a quarterly basis (February, May, August, November) for all eligible costs of previously unreimbursed expenditures.
Reimbursement request packages are mailed to all sponsors of approved projects who subsequently submit a reimbursement request to the NYSDOT for their eligible expenditures. The project sponsor must certify on their reimbursement request form that the projects have a ten year service life and for the following project types, as follows:
- Airports and aviation facilities: that federal funding is not available to the project and the project is consistent with an approved airport layout plan.
- State or local roads, highways and bridges: that the Multi-Modal funding is not used for the mandated on-federal share of a federally funded project and the amount of municipal funds appropriated for transportation capital projects is not and shall not be reduced because of the Multi-Modal funding.