Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meeting - September 1, 2017

The meeting was called to order with a quorum of 100 votes. The board considered a consent calendar, a consultant contract, automatic passenger counters, a mobile fare app update, a campus master plan, and legislative changes for state authorization. Public speakers addressed fare equity, accessibility, and transparency concerns.

Consent Calendar

• Items 1–4 and 6: Approved unanimously. Items 5 and 7 were pulled for separate discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Helen O'Connell: Expressed concern that new technology decisions were made without consulting the Mobility Accessibility Council (MAC). Asked for multi-language support and visually impaired features on the mobile app.
• Enzo Arona: Urged better marketing of transit to state workers, improved Orangevale bus service (line 24 loop inefficiency), and criticized fare inequality: cash payers do not receive free transfers within 90 minutes like Connect Card and app users do. He noted 72% of Americans have credit cards, but many lack smartphones.
• Russell Rawlings (President of DOGFIGHT, member of SAC True Sacramento Transit Riders Union): Opposed the Fifth Amendment to the Douglas Carter contract, stating RT spent $394,874 on Mr. Carter over two years and the proposed $125,000 increase would bring total compensation to $519,874 with no evidence of performance. Called for a competitive RFP. Also criticized the stacked agenda and lack of public outreach.
• Rick Hodgkins: Reported a 29th Street light rail communication failure that blocked traffic for 10–15 minutes. Questioned the performance of the consultant (Mr. Carter) and the attorney contract increases. Expressed concern about RT moving toward privatization. Noted that the lift pass for seniors over 75 was not on the agenda. Also raised elevator accessibility and bus route 21 weekend inconvenience.
• Jacob Taylor: Urged postponement of the legislative changes (Item 11), arguing that using a "gut-and-amend" process contradicts the California Legislature Transparency Act passed by voters in 2016. He recommended reintroducing the bill next session after full public debate.
• Mike Bombom: Suggested the board work with Sacramento Basketball Holdings (John Reinhart, Darren Gross) on marketing the mobile app for Kings games. For the campus master plan, he recommended a new facility at the Sacramento rail yards and a potential bus maintenance partnership with Elk Grove.

Discussion Items

• Item 5 – Douglas Carter Contract (Fifth Amendment, $125,000): Director Budge questioned the value of executive coaching and cultural change, given that General Manager Henry Lee had already led those efforts. Director Natoli moved to continue the item to the September 11 meeting to obtain a detailed scope, deliverables, and timeline. The motion carried unanimously (100 votes).
• Item 7 – Automatic Passenger Counters (APCs, $2.2 million): Director Budge initially questioned the expense but was assured by staff that APCs are fully retrofittable to new vehicles. Director Hansen noted that APCs help document ridership for federal funding formulas. The item was approved without objection.
• General Manager's Report: Henry Lee highlighted a detailed route proposal by community member Mike Bombom for Watt/I-80 bus service, recognized the Connect Card launch team (4,000+ hours worked), and shared anecdotes of fare enforcement. He noted 44 light rail cars will have advertising wraps by September 18, generating nearly $250,000 in gross revenue. CFO Brent Burlinger reported July financials: $470,000 positive variance, fare revenue within 1% of budget, fare box recovery at 19.7% (budgeted 19%), and ridership 2.4% above budget but 3.7% below last July—an improvement over previous months of 11–16% declines. Director Hansen asked about raising the fare box recovery ratio to 23% (the TDA target) to reduce the need for Measure A supplemental funding (currently ~$3 million annually).
• Item 9 – Mobile Fare App and Connect Card Update: Brent Burlinger presented the new Zip Pass mobile app (launching September 1) and the Connect Card system (full launch June 15, 2017). Benefits include free 90-minute transfers, best daily fare (tap until $7 max), and retrofitting fareboxes. Director Budge criticized the name "Zip Pass" as unclear and not regionally identifiable. She recommended surveying users and ensuring the app is not rushed. Director Hanson asked about transitioning corporate accounts (only 10% of 180–200 outlets have switched) and suggested using the same back-end for both Connect Card and app. Public speakers urged accessibility: multi-language support, screen-reader compatibility for the blind, and easier cash loading (currently only at 13th Street customer service and some Rayleigh's stores).
• Item 10 – Campus Master Plan Update: Neil Nance presented minimum requirements: a 100,000 sq ft administrative building, 30+ acres for bus maintenance, and a boardroom. Alternatives included staying and renovating, building on an existing RT site, or relocating downtown or outside downtown (e.g., south area). Staff hopes sale of downtown parcels would fund new construction. Director Budge questioned why only two location categories were considered, noting the need for good freeway access, stakeholder and worker engagement, and coordination with the upcoming route optimization study. Director Hume confirmed that new construction would be funded by property sales. Speakers (Russell Rawlings, Helen O'Connell, Mike Bombom) urged worker and rider input and centralized service centers.
• Item 11 – Authorization to Pursue Legislative Changes (State Sales Tax Authority and Cleaning Language): Tim Spengler and lobbyist Mark Watts described a proposed bill that would (1) clean up outdated language in RT's enabling statutes, (2) grant RT the ability to place a sales tax measure on the ballot, and (3) allow the board to temporarily switch from weighted voting to one-director-one-vote to qualify for citizen initiatives under Elections Code §9300. A California Supreme Court ruling on August 28, 2017 (same week) held that voter‑initiated specific taxes require only 50%+1 approval, making this authority urgent. Director Hanson moved to approve the package, with a friendly amendment (by Director Budge, seconded) to delete the prevailing wage carve‑out for property sales to avoid delay. Director Natoli raised concerns that weighted voting protections (established 10 years prior) could be abandoned without full member entity discussion. Director Shanier emphasized regional coordination to avoid competing tax measures. The motion passed with 95 of 100 votes; one director abstained, citing insufficient background.
• Item 12 – Paratransit Inc. Report: Director Hume stated there was nothing disclosable from the August 10 closed session.

Key Outcomes

• Continued: Item 5 (Douglas Carter contract) to September 11, 2017, for a detailed scope and deliverables (moved by Director Natoli, seconded by Director Kennedy; unanimous 100 votes).
• Approved: Item 7 (Automatic Passenger Counters) — motion carried.
• Passed: Item 11 (Legislative changes authorization) — 95 votes in favor, 1 abstention (Director Harris).
• No formal action taken on Items 9 and 10 (informational items).
• Closed session held for real estate negotiations (Royal Oaks and Evergreen Avenue properties); no reportable actions.