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Record of Proceedings

Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meeting - May 4, 2017

Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meetings — Thursday, May 4, 2017
BodySacramento County, California
SessionSacramento Regional Transit Board Meetings
DateThursday, May 4, 2017
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

So in the month of May, he's gonna try some people out that are clients at South Sacramento.

1:24

Microphone.

1:28

Okay, good evening, everyone.

1:30

We'll go ahead and call to order the uh regional transit board meeting for uh Monday, April 24th, 2017.

1:37

Would the clerk please call the roll?

1:39

Director Budge?

1:41

Director Hansen, Director Harris?

1:44

Director Hume.

1:45

Here.

1:46

Director Jennings.

1:47

Director Kennedy.

1:49

Director Miller.

1:50

Here.

1:51

Director Natoli.

1:52

Here.

1:52

Director Shanier.

1:54

Director Cerna.

1:55

Here.

1:56

Chair Morin.

1:57

Here.

1:58

With that, we have a quorum at 100 votes.

2:01

This meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit District will be cable cast without interruption interruption on Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel, and will be streamed live on RT's website.

2:15

Tonight's meeting will air on Wednesday, April 26th at 6 o'clock PM and replayed on Monday, April 30th at noon on Channel 14 and webcast at WWW Sacmetro Cable dot TV.

2:31

It is also closed caption.

2:33

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.

2:41

Please speak into the microphone and state your name for the record.

2:45

We would appreciate everyone turning off their cell phones.

2:50

If we could once after we have the pledge, uh staff would like to move item number five up prior to item number four if the board concurs.

3:00

Okay, so with that, let's go ahead and uh please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

3:23

Okay, and so thank you for the uh suggestion on the movement of the uh agenda item.

3:28

So do we need a motion on that then?

3:30

Yes, please.

3:32

Okay, so move by Director Jennings, seconded by Director Budge.

3:35

Uh um all in favor, signify by saying aye.

3:38

Aye.

3:38

Any opposed?

3:39

Abstentions.

3:40

Motion carries at 100 votes.

3:43

Okay, so item five will occur a recognition of some employees there.

3:50

So uh so with that, next slide, please.

3:52

Public addresses of the board on matters not on the agenda.

3:55

Okay, so we have a number of folks wishing to address the board.

3:58

Uh we'll start off with Mike Barnbow.

4:00

Mike, good evening.

4:03

Good evening, uh thank you, Chair Moore and members of the board.

4:08

Uh there's been a lot going on since the last uh transit board meeting here.

4:13

Uh so without further ado, uh here's the update.

4:16

Uh on Wednesday, April 5th, uh the Roseville City Council approved the financing and construction package for the Lewis Orlando Transfer Point Reconstruction Project.

4:30

Uh this will uh make an enhanced transit center at the corner of Lewis and Orlando at the Citrus Heights, Roseville City Line, Sacramento Placer, County Line.

4:43

During the construction, which is expected to go from Monday, May 1st through Friday, September 30th.

4:51

A temporary transfer point will be in effect at the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Auburn Oaks Court in the city of Citrus Heights.

5:01

Riders who use Roseville Transit's Route A, B, and R, Placer County Transit Route 10, and Sacramento Regional Transit Districts Route 21, 93, and 103 will be impacted directly uh over the course of this five-month construction period.

5:23

Uh we uh were asked by the uh Rollsville Alternative Transportation Division at their uh transportation uh commission meeting last week uh to help with outreach here in Sacramento about this, and we gladly uh told them we'd provide assistance uh for that.

5:41

On April 12th, the Elk Grove City Council unanimously approved the comprehensive transit analysis, uh which will reduce service 7.6% uh go from a hub and spoke system to a grid system in the city of Elk Grove and also eliminate Sunday holiday service altogether.

6:08

Uh the uh service changes are expected to take effect on October 29th.

6:16

Uh one highlight of them as well will be the reduction of reverse commute trips from the existing 22 down to just eight reverse commute trips.

6:29

Uh and last but not least, the YOLO County Transportation District in partnership with the City of West Sacramento is reviewing the Ziggarach shuttle, the Y Shuttle, and the local service within West Sacramento to streamline service to create a downtown shuttle.

6:52

Uh a lengthy item was at the West Sacramento City Council meeting last Wednesday, and a public hearing is expected to go before the YOLO board on May 8th, impacting service in downtown.

7:05

Uh with that I'd uh in closing uh asked that on May 8th that I be excused from your board meeting and then report out on May 22nd what action took place so you will know uh what happened and that should have service changes effective July 30th.

7:24

Okay.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Transit█████████████████████████████████████████████61%
Public Engagement████████████16%
Budget and Finance███████9%
Public Comment████5%
Procedural███4%
Transportation Safety█2%
Technology and Innovation█2%
Personnel Matters█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meeting - May 4, 2017

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) Board met on May 4, 2017, at 4:10 PM. Note: The transcript indicates the meeting was called to order on Monday, April 24, 2017, but the user has instructed to use May 4, 2017, as the date. This summary follows that instruction. The board addressed consent items, a recognition, the General Manager's report, financial results, and fare policy changes, with unanimous votes on all actions.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 1: Approved without discussion.
  • Items 2 & 3 (Streetcar Vehicle Procurement and Maintenance Facility Design): Approved after public comment. Speakers Russell Rowling (cautioned against using SB1 funds on streetcar and urged restoration of 2009 service cuts) and Helen O'Connell (requested 100% low-floor vehicles, asked about facility siting and funding). Director Hansen clarified that streetcar funds are restricted to that project, and the project team aims for 80-100% low floor. Director Natoli inquired about using Prop 1A funds; staff confirmed a request would come to the board on May 22.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mike Barnbow (transit advocate): Updated on regional transit changes: Roseville transfer point reconstruction (May-September 2017, temporary relocation), Elk Grove service reduction (7.6% cut, elimination of Sunday/holiday service, reverse commute trips reduced from 22 to 8), and West Sacramento shuttle review. Requested excusal from May 8 meeting to report on May 22.
  • W. Glover: Asked for a fare-free transit system.
  • Sarah Kerber (SacTRU): Expressed support for free transfers but urged RT to ensure benefits are available to all riders regardless of smartphone access or language. Highlighted that the proposed 90-minute transfer for mobile app only excludes cash-paying riders.
  • Jeffrey Tardigia: Noted RT’s increased attendance at UCLA/UCC ridership discussions. Reported a broken Connect Card terminal at Cathedral that rebooted. Raised planning and communication concerns about Connect Card rollout, including staffing and data collection.
  • Cheryl Busby: Thanked Director Jennings for helping with a bus stop rebuild in Oak Park. Urged RT to use local vendors (e.g., Sunset Linens) instead of out-of-state companies for linen contracts.
  • Tim Ortiz: Expressed appreciation for system improvements and staff attitudes.
  • Helen O'Connell (on items 2&3): As above.
  • Barbara Stanton (Items 6&7): Stated that she and Chris Jensen (Resources for Independent Living) had met with staff expecting the 90-minute transfer to apply to all fare media. Asked that no action be taken on item 7 until stakeholder input, including the Mobility Advisory Council (MAC), could be obtained.
  • Russell Rawlings (Organized Sacramento, SacTRU): Argued that creating different transfer rules for cash, Connect Card, and mobile app creates inequity and confusion. Challenged the claim that paper transfers cause revenue loss.
  • Mike Barnbow (on Item 7): Suggested installing Connect Card stations at Sacramento Valley Station and the airport for visitors.

Discussion Items

  • General Manager’s Report (Henry Li): Reviewed ridership decline (from 35 million in 2007 to 25 million in 2016, a 29% drop) due to 25% service cuts during the recession and sustained low gas prices. Announced plans to bring back free transfers within 90 minutes for Connect Card users (starting June 2017) and to seek board approval for up to 10 free ride days for students, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. Emphasized need for additional local funding to restore service frequency and complete route optimization.
  • Financial Report (Brent Bernicker): March 2017: operating loss of $750,000 (revenues $12.7M, expenses $13.5M). Fare revenues $262K below budget; federal revenues (5307) $439K below budget due to reduced proportional share; salaries/fringe $242K over budget due to extra workdays and sick/vacation sell-backs. Year-to-date surplus of $1.5M. Discussed potential recovery of lost revenue from January station outage (estimated $100-150K/month in lost fares) and staff’s work with SACOG to obtain federal reimbursement for Connect Card costs.
  • Item 6: Free Ride Days for Seniors, Disabled, Students: Staff proposed delegating authority to the GM to offer up to 10 free ride days over 12 months, at an estimated cost of $100,000. Director Natoli suggested including active duty military and veterans; Director Miller supported adding veterans. Motion amended and passed.
  • Item 7: Fare Structure Amendments – 90-Minute Transfer for Mobile App (permanent) and Connect Card (temporary): Staff explained operational issues with paper transfers and that the 90-minute transfer would only be available via electronic fare media. Public commenters raised equity concerns for cash users and visitors. The board voted to approve with a direction to explore adding a vendor at Sacramento Valley Station.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Items 1-3: All approved unanimously.
  • Recognition (Item 5): Resolution commending retiring mechanic Steven Anderson (41+ years of service) approved. Quarterly recognition of employees with 20+ years announced.
  • Item 6: Motion passed (100 votes) to allow the GM to authorize up to 10 free ride days for seniors, individuals with disabilities, and K-12 students, amended to also include active duty military and veterans with valid ID.
  • Item 7: Two resolutions adopted (100 votes): (a) permanently adding a 90-minute unlimited transfer ticket to the mobile fare app; (b) temporarily authorizing the same for Connect Card users effective June 15, 2017, pending Title VI analysis. With added direction to staff to pursue placement of a Connect Card vendor at Sacramento Valley Station.
  • Adjournment: The board adjourned in memory of Rancho Cordova Councilmember Dan Scoglin and Citrus Heights Councilmember Mel Turner.

Meeting Transcript

So in the month of May, he's gonna try some people out that are clients at South Sacramento. Microphone. Okay, good evening, everyone. We'll go ahead and call to order the uh regional transit board meeting for uh Monday, April 24th, 2017. Would the clerk please call the roll? Director Budge? Director Hansen, Director Harris? Director Hume. Here. Director Jennings. Director Kennedy. Director Miller. Here. Director Natoli. Here. Director Shanier. Director Cerna. Here. Chair Morin. Here. With that, we have a quorum at 100 votes. This meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit District will be cable cast without interruption interruption on Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel, and will be streamed live on RT's website. Tonight's meeting will air on Wednesday, April 26th at 6 o'clock PM and replayed on Monday, April 30th at noon on Channel 14 and webcast at WWW Sacmetro Cable dot 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. If we could once after we have the pledge, uh staff would like to move item number five up prior to item number four if the board concurs. Okay, so with that, let's go ahead and uh please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. Okay, and so thank you for the uh suggestion on the movement of the uh agenda item. So do we need a motion on that then? Yes, please. Okay, so move by Director Jennings, seconded by Director Budge. Uh um all in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Abstentions. Motion carries at 100 votes. Okay, so item five will occur a recognition of some employees there. So uh so with that, next slide, please. Public addresses of the board on matters not on the agenda. Okay, so we have a number of folks wishing to address the board. Uh we'll start off with Mike Barnbow. Mike, good evening. Good evening, uh thank you, Chair Moore and members of the board. Uh there's been a lot going on since the last uh transit board meeting here. Uh so without further ado, uh here's the update. Uh on Wednesday, April 5th, uh the Roseville City Council approved the financing and construction package for the Lewis Orlando Transfer Point Reconstruction Project. Uh this will uh make an enhanced transit center at the corner of Lewis and Orlando at the Citrus Heights, Roseville City Line, Sacramento Placer, County Line. During the construction, which is expected to go from Monday, May 1st through Friday, September 30th.

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