Sacramento Transportation Authority Board Meeting - August 19, 2024

The Sacramento Transportation Authority (STA) board met to discuss grant awards, the SB1 local partnership program, digital outreach enhancements, and Measure A accomplishments. The board approved consent items and the SB1 ranking process, and received presentations on the new website/social media and Measure A achievements. One public comment raised accessibility concerns about the website.

Consent Calendar

• Items 3 through 8 were approved unanimously via voice vote (routine approvals including prior meeting minutes and financial reports).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Randy Hicks (representing California for Disability Rights) criticized the new STA website for not being accessible to individuals with disabilities, citing issues with screen readers, small font sizes, and complex navigation. He recommended consulting with disability organizations such as the Society of the Blind or the county's Disability Compliance Office. Director Maple thanked him and requested staff review the website for ADA compliance and consider meeting with Mr. Hicks for improvements.

Discussion Items

• Executive Director's Report (Kevin Busey): Reported over $104 million in grant awards for Sacramento County projects, including $76.8 million for SAC RT's zero-emission fleet (hydrogen fuel cell buses and maintenance facility modernization) and $25 million from RAISE for the Grant Line Road Safety Project by Capitol Southeast Connector. Noted changes in statewide propositions affecting sales tax measures: removal of the taxpayer protection act and amendment of ACA1 eliminating the lower voting threshold provision. Discussed a sales tax proposal from SMART (Sac Metro Advocates for Rail and Transit) similar to Steinberg's 2023 plan, but STA staff identified challenges including lack of guaranteed funding for active transportation, rail, and large capital projects, and restrictions on capacity-increasing projects. Busey also noted that STA lacks authority under public utilities code to manage a measure with a housing component. He mentioned SACOG's regional prioritization effort and plans for a countywide prioritization in September.
• Item 9: SB1 Local Partnership Program – Staff presented the competitive ranking process for Cycle 4 (estimated $144–188 million available, max $25 million per project, requires 1:1 match, construction only). STA will act as nominating agency. Process: call for projects, agency presentations in September, board ranking in October, formal action and application submittal in November. The board unanimously approved the process.
• Item 10: Digital Presence & New Website – Jennifer Dahl and Dustin Terrington presented boosted social media engagement (42 Facebook posts, 2,800 followers, 209% engagement increase; 30 Instagram posts, 300 followers, 46% increase since February). New website launched March 2024, 100% ADA compliant per staff. Features include transparent financial dashboards (Power BI), investor relations page, and integrated ITOC information. Directors applauded the efforts. Chair Serna and Director Speace discussed the possibility of using the website to communicate funding gaps and stakes of Measure A expiration, noting the distinction between education and advocacy. Executive Director suggested that planning activities demonstrating needs can be transparent without advocating.
• Item 11: Measure A Accomplishments Over 15 Years – Kevin Busey presented that Measure A (half-cent sales tax + developer fee) reached its halfway point (30-year measure passed in 2004, effective 2009–2039). Raised $1.94 billion (95.6% from sales tax, less developer fees than anticipated). Key accomplishments: $634 million in grants leveraged, five interchanges completed, bus/carpool lanes on I-80 and US 50, 12 local arterial projects, transit CIP (Blue Line extension, Sac Valley Station), transit operations funded (25% of SAC RT operating budget), street maintenance (29% of region's pavement program), traffic safety, active transportation, and air quality programs. Director Kent raised concerns about the disincentivizing effect of impact fees on development in rural communities.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Items 3–8: Approved unanimously.
• SB1 Local Partnership Program Process (Item 9): Approved unanimously. Call for projects to begin immediately, with prioritization by the board in October.
• Website and Social Media Presentation (Item 10): No action taken; staff to follow up on ADA compliance concerns raised by public comment.
• Measure A Accomplishments (Item 11): No action taken; presentation received.
• Closed Session: The board unanimously approved an increase in Executive Director Kevin Busey's compensation step from step 8 to step 9, as reported by the Chair after closed session.

(Note: The transcript indicates the meeting date as Thursday, August 8, 2024, while the instruction specifies August 19, 2024. This summary uses the provided date per instruction.)