Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meeting - December 9, 2016
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Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meeting - December 9, 2016
The Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) Board of Directors held a public meeting on December 9, 2016. The meeting covered public comments on system issues, approval of the consent calendar, a system-wide improvement update, adoption of the Fiscal Year 2017 operating and capital budgets, and amendments to the employment agreement of outgoing General Manager Mike Wiley.
Consent Calendar
- Approved items 1-13 unanimously, including contracts and routine actions. Speakers addressed items 6, 9, and 12. On item 6 (new service), a speaker expressed that RT should prioritize bus services over new projects like streetcar, stating that neglecting bus lines is not acceptable. On item 9 (federal revenue increase for state of good repair), staff clarified it is a positive allocation of $1.3 million. On items 12 and 13 (contract modifications with bargaining units), staff explained that the MCEG (management) and AEA (attorneys) groups voluntarily accepted a 2% wage increase instead of 5% for FY2017, saving $225,000 and $51,000 respectively, to help close a budget shortfall.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Mike Barnbaum (Ride Downtown 916): Provided updates on the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority train service increase and Roseville Transportation Commission survey for Golden 1 Center service. He also noted concerns about fare machine reliability and lack of credit/debit card acceptance, urging RT to address revenue loss.
- Jeffrey Tardigia (rider): Criticized the lack of recent reports from the Mobile Accessibility Committee (over two years). He described a rider unable to pay due to broken debit machines and suggested RT examine rider feedback to improve services, especially for Measure B.
- Lisa Askarnez (rider): Reported garbage and mice at stations, requesting more trash cans. Also cited poor communication between security and bus drivers during light rail breakdowns, leading to long waits (e.g., three hours at 16th Street station).
- Arthur (rider): Raised safety concerns at Arden Del Paso station where bus boarding is blocked by trains; asked for proper signage and coordination to avoid waiting.
- Sarah Kerber (Organized Sacramento): Called for an independent forensic audit before moving forward with staff cuts or changes, and requested a more open budget process with public meetings. She opposed contract reductions for Mike Wiley, arguing they were insufficient given fare increases and service cuts.
- Russell Rollings (Organized Sacramento): Criticized the supplemental retirement benefit for Mike Wiley as obfuscating IRS regulations, and urged the board to focus on fiscal responsibility rather than retaining outgoing executives.
- Tammy Dramer (Sacramento Central Labor Council): Expressed support for ending Wiley’s contract early (saving $170,000) but argued the reduced supplemental benefit of $7,000 annually was insufficient. Called for further reductions and a public audit.
Discussion Items
- System-Wide Improvement Initiatives (Laura Hamm): Reported on partnerships with SACOG for marketing and station activation, city coordination for Golden 1 Center (wayfinding, signage), awarding of a contract to Parkion for credit/debit fare vending machines (deployment by September 15, 2016), and a new reporting app (Alert SAC RT) for safety and security. A readiness report on arena service will be presented at the next meeting.
- General Manager's Report (Henry Li): Recognized two frontline supervisors (Robert Hendrick for station cleaning, Jimmy Poole for customer advocacy) and two engaged customers (Jeffrey Tardigia and Lisa Askarnez) for providing feedback that led to improvements (e.g., additional trash cans).
- Budget Presentation (Brent Bernicker): Presented the FY2017 budget: $162.5 million operating, $5.5 million debt service, $102.1 million capital. Revenues: 53% state/local, 21% federal, 19% farebox, 4% contract services, 3% other. Expenses dominated by salaries/benefits (with 83% directly for bus/rail operations). Structural deficit of $500,000 closed by voluntary wage concessions from AEA and MCEG. For FY2016, an anticipated $4 million shortfall will be covered by operating reserves (built up to $4.3 million via SACOG reclassification). Capital projects include CNG bus replacement ($24.5M), Blue Line to Cosumnes River College ($16.2M), streetcar development ($10.6M), and Green Line SVS loop ($11.2M).
- Item 15.1 – Mike Wiley Contract Amendment (Tim Spangler): Proposed three changes: 1) Retain supplemental retirement benefit (explained as response to IRS pension cap, not illegal). 2) End Wiley’s employment on August 1, 2016 (instead of December 31), saving $135,000. 3) Reduce personal services contract cap from $50,000 to $25,000 for potential CTA work; Wiley agreed to no billing for CTA duties, only RT-directed projects. Board members expressed mixed views; some supported retaining Wiley for CTA leadership, others criticized golden parachute and called for greater fiscal restraint.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
- FY2017 Budget Adoption: Approved resolutions B, C, and D (including use of operating reserves) unanimously with two-thirds vote required for D.
- Mike Wiley Contract Amendment: Approved (motion and second, voice vote carried). Amendment reduces contract end date to August 1, 2016, reduces personal services contract cap to $25,000, and retains supplemental retirement benefit.
- Next Steps: Staff to return with arena readiness report at July 25, 2016 meeting. The Capitol Corridor item (16) was informational; no action taken.
Meeting Transcript
on Wednesday, June 29th at 6 p.m. and replayed on Thursday, June 30th at 9 a.m. on Channel 14 and webcast at WWSACmetroCable.tv. It is also closed caption. Members of the audience wishing to address the board should fill out a speaker card located at the rear of the room and provide it to me or Adam. Please speak into the microphone and state your name for the record. We would appreciate everyone turning off their cell phones. Thank you. And with that we have public addresses the board on matters not on the agenda. Okay we have three speakers you'll have three minutes each to address the board Mr. Barnbaum then Mr. Tardigia and then Miss Askarnez good evening Chair Schneer and uh members of the board present. Uh Mike Barnbaum at Ride Downtown 916. So first of all, since the board won't meet again until July 25th want to wish everybody a happy new fiscal year starting on Friday. And we're very pleased that the governor uh signed uh the state budget bill today speaking of that we want to let the board know that on Friday July 22nd so that's the Friday before your next meeting the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority which did increase service to seven daily trains back on June 20th for the and it's the first increase in their service in 14 years. They will have a board meeting around the Jack London area in downtown Oakland. The building and the time that the meeting starts has not been fully finalized but it is on Friday July 22nd keep an eye on SJA dot com as it gets closer for the time and the most accessible route to the meeting will be the Capitol corridor to and from the meeting out of Sacramento. Later in your agenda you will get a full uh detailed report on the Capitol corridor so we'll save that until later. And on July 19th we're going to attend a meeting of the Roseville Transportation Commission. We talked to their staff today. They said preliminary results on a survey they're putting out for service to the Golden One Center is voting very well. They want to put that on their commission agenda for their 7 p.m meeting again on July 19th and we are working with them in SACOG and the public private partnership that make up the Golden One Center to figure out the best of logistics for their transit service to get to uh events throughout the events season. So stay tuned more to come on that we hope that that will be very successful. Great thanks Mike Jeffrey Jeffrey our new uh GM is learning how to pronounce your last name so we'll see we'll give him a test at the end of the night yes Peter if he does better than I did. All right well last meeting I was going to offer you asking for more time and offer to each of you something a bit of a caveat but today I will simply start off with the saying hey September 14th is a Wednesday riders that are out there please listen let us see what other choices we have than regional transit. The 15th which is Thursday which was when originally the 8th and Capitol was going to open up as a new light rail location now has been put off to the 16th but I will still say let us go show and see what it is like on the 15th. One of the caveats I'll offer is I went and took a tape measure over there because at the Mac meeting some time ago which I will say to this board it really I think it would be valuable if you guys would read some of the minutes that go on with the MAC meeting. Do you realize the last time you've had a report from your mobile accessibility has been how long ago it hasn't been January February it's been more like two years. And Jay you may not know it but I was wishing to one say Mike Wiley was still here because for the last year and a half I have produced at least five if not more comments in your should we say was called customer accessibility services. Don't know if anybody's read them, you know, but I know that they have them, and it's then the question of where they get forwarded to to what gets responded to. Today we had a rider that because these debit machine, you know, is not working, only had a $20 bill. So I explained to her how to use the mobile app. Fortunately, it was your guy, big tall guy here that was doing it, and so he didn't issue her a ticket today, but explained to her how to use the mobile app so she could use it, because you've got no debit and credit machines seemingly that are functioning at this point in time. I've watched time and time again where you're not taking revenue because visitors come in and they cannot use it. There's only a very, very few machines, which take American Express or anything else. Again, credit debit card, you're not taking revenue in. So please, that's the situation, just like the brand new fare boxes being the wonderful Supreme box machine, you have reliability issues when bills get wet, as well as other things. But among the other things I think is this is what when this full board gets together. I really think if you want measure B to pass, you really should examine of in the month of July what this last six months showed you is there are riders out there that are willing to provide you with information. You need to provide the a shall we say caveat away that every year you get to find out what's missing, what's not happening, and what's going on. The last thing I'll offer to you is this RT, and I've been encouraged Henry is this next weekend, the 4th of July weekend, look and see what's going on with your ridership. You had an occurrence at the shall we say state capital. Did only affect Route 30? I need you to buy. Thank you. Lisa. And then Arthur after Lisa. Not yet. Hi, how are you? Hi.
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