Sacramento Regional Transit District Board of Directors Meeting – March 5, 2018

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) Board of Directors held a regular meeting on March 5, 2018, at an unspecified time. The meeting covered a wide range of topics including consent calendar approvals, contract awards, policy revisions, public input on service and safety, financial updates, a major route optimization study, and a land transfer for a trail project. The board acted on several items, postponed others, and received informational presentations.

Consent Calendar

• Items 1, 4, and 8 were approved on a single motion by Director Budge and seconded by Director Jennings, with a vote of 100 in favor (all ayes). These items included routine approvals and were not individually discussed.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Barbara Stanton (Ridership for the Masses) presented the "Top Banana Award" to Cindy Brooks, Clerk of the Board, for dedicated service to transit riders.
• Robert Copeland raised safety concerns about the Watt/I-80 light rail station, citing threats and drug activity. He also questioned inconsistent bus bench lengths.
• Stacy Wetling requested that outcomes and metrics of microtransit pilot projects be publicly reported.
• Sarah Kerber (Sacramento Transit Riders Union) criticized poor communication during a February 23 light rail outage on the Blue Line, noting overcrowded bus bridges and confusing information. She urged real-time PA announcements and better planning.
• Jeffrey Tardiya criticized the board for delegating authority without tracking results, lack of pilot program reports, and the decision to purchase gasoline buses despite environmental goals.
• Pat Williams advocated for bringing paratransit services back in-house to save money and increase efficiencies.
• Arthur Ketterling reported a safety incident of passengers standing in light rail doorways, noting the train was heading downtown.
• Helen O'Connell (disability advocacy group) questioned why RT is acting as a broker for smaller entities and YoloBus when RT needs 200 more buses itself.
• Brenda Anderson (on item 6) expressed concerns about disparate impact from the Connect Card transition, urging continued attention.
• Stacy Wetling (on item 9) argued that routine planning work should be done in-house, not contracted.
• Rick Hodgkins (on item 5) asked the Mobility Advisory Council to ensure representation of all disability groups.
• Brian Backhouse, Brian Ebert, Eric Banger, Robin Netzer, Chuck Hughes, and Scott Burns (on item 12) all spoke in strong support of the Del Rio Trail project, a rail-to-trail conversion, citing community benefits, safety, and connectivity. Some raised concerns about heritage rail preservation but generally backed Option A.
• Robert Copeland, Rick Hodgkins, Sarah Kerber, Jeffrey Tardiya, and Russell Rawlings (on item 14) emphasized the need for robust public engagement in the route optimization study, consideration of equity, and inclusion of transit-dependent riders.

Discussion Items

Item 2: North Natomas Flyer Bus Service Contract

• Resolution to delegate authority to the GM to approve an agreement with the North Natomas Transportation Management Association.
• Director Harris questioned the shift from CNG to gasoline engines. Mark Lonergan explained that CNG cutaway buses had reliability and maintenance issues, and CARB no longer certifies small CNG engines. The buses have a five-year useful life.
• Motion by Director Hume, seconded by Vice Chair Hansen. Approved unanimously (100 votes).

Item 3: Purchase of Transit Vehicles via Joint Procurement

• Resolution to contract with Creative Bus Sales through a state procurement. Public comment questioned RT's role as broker; staff clarified it's buying off an existing contract for the Natomas buses.
• Motion by Director Shanier, second by Vice Chair Hansen. Approved unanimously (100 votes).

Item 5: Revisions to Mobility Advisory Council Bylaws

• Changes: reduced agency members from 11 to 9, increased at-large members from 6 to 8 (total remains 17). Public comment from Rick Hodgkins on disability representation; Janice Labrato noted efforts to recruit diverse members.
• Motion by Director Miller, second by Director Morin. Approved unanimously (100 votes).

Item 6: Title Six Budget Procedures Amendment

• Proposed increase in fund transfer authority between operating and capital from $250,000 to $500,000. Director Budge questioned the justification, noting the amount is significant. Staff explained the need for nimbleness but offered to bring back more specific examples.
• Motion to continue (table) the item by Director Budge, second by Director Harris. Passed with one abstention (Director Hansen), resulting in 86 votes? Later corrected to 91? The item was continued.

Item 7: Revisions to Rules of Procedure (Title III)

• Vice Chair Hansen moved to postpone to the first meeting in April to allow community engagement, and suggested moving closed session to the beginning, GM report to the end, and removing the 8-minute public comment limit while considering consent calendar as one item.
• Motion to continue was approved without objection.

Item 9: On-Call General Planning Support Services Contracts

• Public comments opposed contracting out routine planning duties. Staff stated consultants would work under planning director James Boyle and be used for tasks like grant applications.
• Motion by Vice Chair Hansen, second by Director Woron. Approved unanimously (100 votes).

Item 10: General Manager's Report

• Henry Lee reported on: Museum Day (3,000 boardings), microtransit pilot in Center Heights receiving national interest (including from Toronto), and the Trump infrastructure proposal reducing federal transit share to 20%.
• Mark Lonergan updated on the Watt/I-80 Transfer Center project: public outreach included intercept surveys, 14 stakeholder interviews, 3 public meetings, and options ranging from closing to redesign. The station is 30+ years old, cleaned twice daily but still problematic. Security cost $367,000 since July.
• Lisa gave security details: police and guard presence, plan to switch to Paladin guards in March.
• Brent Bernicker presented financials: January net operating positive by $170,000; year-to-date surplus $2.3 million. Fare revenue was on budget; salaries above budget due to holidays. Connect card deferred revenue reached $471,000 as ridership shifts to electronic media. Bus ridership up 4.7% in January, light rail down.
• Public comments on the report praised the Watt/I-80 process and raised equity issues.

Item 11: Resolution Commending Andrew J. Morin

• Recognized his service as board chair in 2017, listing achievements. Motion by Director Jennings, second by Director Budge. Approved unanimously (100 votes).

Item 12: Surplus Property – Walnut Grove Branch (New Business)

• Three options: A (joint development with City of Sacramento for a bike/ped trail), B (sell on open market), C (retain and maintain). Staff recommended Option A, citing $35,000/year maintenance cost savings and avoidance of $460k-$925k in encroachment removal. The city would develop the Del Rio Trail. A clawback provision allows RT to reclaim the land if not used for trail within 10 years.
• Public comments overwhelmingly supported Option A.
• Director Shanier moved Option A, seconded by Vice Chair Hansen. Approved unanimously (100 votes).

Item 13: Jackson Corridor Transit Funding – Property Based Program (Information)

• James Drake presented a concept for funding districts to cover transit in new development areas (Jackson Highway Corridor), projected to grow to 68,000 residents. The program would cover operating, capital, paratransit, and a universal transit pass. Next steps include developing agreements with Sacramento County.
• Director Natoli thanked stakeholders; Director Budge noted adjacent Rancho Cordova needs service.

Item 14: Route Optimization Study Presentation (Information)

• Michelle Poirot of Jarrett Walker & Associates outlined the process. Key points: transit ridership formula involves density, walkability, linearity, proximity. SacRT's network has low off-peak frequency; 59% of boardings occur on the frequent network. A fundamental trade-off exists between maximizing ridership (focus on dense corridors) and maximizing coverage (serve everyone). A "choices report" will be released in April 2018. Public engagement planned via stakeholder workshops, online surveys, and pop-up events.
• Board members raised concerns about accuracy of data on density changes, need to incorporate planned developments (e.g., Downtown Housing Initiative, rail yards), and importance of equity.
• Public comments called for meaningful engagement and consideration of transit-dependent riders.

Items 15, 16, 17: Written Reports from Other Agencies

• No additional comments from directors.

Key Outcomes

• Consent items 1, 4, 8 approved (100 votes).
• Items 2, 3, 5, 9, 11, 12 approved unanimously.
• Item 6 (budget procedures) tabled to a future meeting after staff provides more examples.
• Item 7 (rules of procedure) postponed to April meeting with direction to consider Vice Chair Hansen's suggested changes.
• General Manager's Report accepted; financials noted deficit in light rail ridership, bus ridership increase.
• Route optimization study will proceed with public engagement; a stakeholder group of up to 50-90 people is planned.
• Watt/I-80 station reimagining will come back to the board in April with recommendations.
• Jackson Corridor funding program to be further developed with the county.
• Director Cerna requested a report on the feasibility and cost of a 100% zero-emission bus fleet by 2030, and a resolution to that effect.