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Record of Proceedings

Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meeting Summary - April 8, 2024

Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meetings — Monday, April 8, 2024
BodySacramento County, California
SessionSacramento Regional Transit Board Meetings
DateMonday, April 8, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:30

I wasn't there.

0:58

So it's both the won't be moving and then we go back.

1:04

I I wouldn't get the other one.

1:24

That's part of the bottom.

1:39

Yep.

1:43

Good afternoon.

1:44

Welcome to the April 8th, 2024 meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors.

1:49

Would the clerk please call the role?

1:53

Director Brewer?

1:54

Present.

1:56

Director Budge.

1:58

Mr.

1:59

Chair, I am at home with bronchitis.

2:08

There is nobody in the room with me other than the dog.

2:13

Okay.

2:13

Is the dog 18?

2:16

Fortunately, he's only four.

2:18

Okay.

2:18

Good well, we hope you feel better.

2:20

Thank you so much.

2:22

Director Daniels?

2:24

Here.

2:25

Director Hume is absent.

2:28

Director Jennings?

2:29

Here.

2:30

Director Kaplan?

2:31

Here.

2:32

Director Kozlowski is absent.

2:34

Director Maple?

2:36

Here.

2:36

Director Cerna?

2:38

Here.

2:38

Director Singh Allen is absent.

2:41

Director Vang?

2:42

Here.

2:43

And Chair Kennedy.

2:44

Here.

2:45

And I know Director Hume is in the building somewhere.

2:48

He doesn't need to walk across the street from the parking lot with me.

2:53

All right.

2:54

That's uh please uh join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

3:01

I played with Legion of the United States of America.

3:06

And speaker for which it stands.

3:09

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty for all.

3:18

Thank you, Director Budge.

3:20

You are welcome.

3:22

All right.

3:23

Chair, can I read the replay statement?

3:25

Please do.

3:26

Okay.

3:27

And with that, we do have a quorum with nine votes, and this meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit District will be cable cast on Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel on Comcast, consolidated communications and ATT Uverse cable systems.

3:42

This meeting is closed captioned and webcast at Metro 14 Live.gov.

3:47

Today's meeting replays Wednesday, April 10th at 6 p.m.

3:50

and Monday, April 15th at 2 p.m.

3:52

on channel 14.

3:54

This meeting can also be viewed at YouTube.com forward slash metro cable 14.

3:58

No written public comment was received for today's board meeting.

4:02

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 myself or Adam.

4:09

Once the item has been called, additional speaker cards will not be accepted.

4:12

The time allowed for public comment is at the chair's discretion.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Transit█████████████████████████████████████████████51%
Procedural█████████████15%
Public Comment███████8%
Public Engagement████4%
Public Safety████4%
Homelessness████4%
Climate Action Planning████4%
Technology and Innovation███3%
Economic Development███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meeting Summary - April 8, 2024

The Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors convened on April 8, 2024, at 3:58 PM (UTC) to discuss consent items, receive project updates, and address public comments. The meeting had a quorum with 9 votes initially, and the consent calendar passed with 10 votes. Key topics included construction at Watt/I-80 station, fare policy, technology upgrades, and public comments on service improvements.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 2.1 through 2.14 were approved unanimously via roll call vote (10 ayes). Director Hume and Director Kozlowski were absent.
  • Notable items: approval of construction management contract for the Watt/I-80 station (approximately $2.6 million), and initiation of the Comprehensive Operational Analysis (COA) and long-range plan update using SB 125 funds.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Barbara Stanton (Ridership for the Masses): Expressed concern about the change in content of agenda item 2.1 (minutes vs. action items) and requested that SACRT summarize all public comments, including the name, subject, and board response, in future meeting materials.
  • Coco Coca-Zella (District 4): Asked about the process for determining changes to the open-loop payment system (item 2.11), specifically how the public would be informed of impacts and troubleshooting procedures.
  • Glenn Mendelkern (Citrus Heights): Supported the COA (item 2.13), highlighting that commuter routes (e.g., Route 129 on Arden) may need repurposing due to changed post-pandemic travel patterns.
  • Michael Bevins (Public): Asked how the board measures service quality and proposed that coverage of all major roads with transit routes (including shuttles or smaller vehicles) be a foundational goal.
  • Helen O'Connell (Public): Expressed support for the legislative effort to bring back the lifetime super senior pass, noting it would help seniors access enrichment activities.

Discussion Items

  • Project Updates (Item 7.1): Staff presented recap of various projects and initiatives, including:
    • Watt/I-80 Station: Construction contract awarded in January 2024 (~$19.3 million), construction to start May 2024, expected to take 24 months. Construction management contract approved (2.6 million).
    • Fleet Optimization and COA: SACOG allocated $1 million in SB 125 funds for the COA and long-range plan. The COA will evaluate service efficiency, fleet mix, and zero-emission transition by 2040.
    • Fare-Free Feasibility: Staff reiterated that fare-free service is not feasible without sustainable funding. Recent polling showed fare-free had lowest support among 23 funding elements, while keeping senior/disabled/veteran/student fares affordable ranked highest. Staff is pursuing legislative change to allow re-introduction of the lifetime super senior pass.
    • Technology: Website migration to cloud completed; new low-floor train passenger announcement system in testing; consolidated mobile app RFP to be released soon.
    • Student Ridership: On pace for 4.2 million student rides this fiscal year, up from 1.7 million pre-pandemic. Growth attributed to marketing efforts and partnerships.
    • Safety and Security: Watt/I-80 improvements include 50 light-duty staff and two full-time security guards; mobile camera trailers captured illegal dumping; upgraded video wall with SAC PD is expected to be completed in July.
    • Social Equity: Social services program expanding to one part-time and one full-time practitioner, with 7-day week coverage. Provided 48 free ride days to warming/cooling centers in 2024 so far.
    • Mystery Rider Program: 51 mystery rides in 2024, overall score trending at 96.5 out of 100. Contractor praised SACRT's performance compared to industry peers.
  • General Manager's Report (Item 8.1): Covered panel with EPA, housing tour along Stockton Boulevard (3,000+ housing units planned), transit-oriented development forum (100+ attendees), and National Transit Employee Day events. System-wide free ride day announced for Earth Day (April 22).

Key Outcomes

  • Approval of consent calendar (items 2.1-2.14) with 10 votes.
  • Director Lee directed staff to coordinate with Olga on summarizing public comments for agenda items.
  • Director Lee directed staff to contact Ms. Coca-Zella to answer questions about the open-loop payment system.
  • Construction at Watt/I-80 station to begin May 2024, with an expected 24-month timeline.
  • COA and long-range plan to be initiated with SB 125 funds; consultant contract will be brought back later in the year.
  • Staff to provide updates on legislative changes for the super senior pass.
  • New low-floor trains to launch this summer on the Gold and Green lines; public outreach and MAC testing scheduled for April 17, 2024.
  • RFP for consolidated mobile app to be released within the week on Planet Bids.
  • Next board meeting will include a presentation by the consultant on the employee survey.
  • System-wide free ride day on April 22, 2024, for Earth Day.

Meeting Transcript

I wasn't there. So it's both the won't be moving and then we go back. I I wouldn't get the other one. That's part of the bottom. Yep. Good afternoon. Welcome to the April 8th, 2024 meeting of the Sacramento Regional Transit Board of Directors. Would the clerk please call the role? Director Brewer? Present. Director Budge. Mr. Chair, I am at home with bronchitis. There is nobody in the room with me other than the dog. Okay. Is the dog 18? Fortunately, he's only four. Okay. Good well, we hope you feel better. Thank you so much. Director Daniels? Here. Director Hume is absent. Director Jennings? Here. Director Kaplan? Here. Director Kozlowski is absent. Director Maple? Here. Director Cerna? Here. Director Singh Allen is absent. Director Vang? Here. And Chair Kennedy. Here. And I know Director Hume is in the building somewhere. He doesn't need to walk across the street from the parking lot with me. All right. That's uh please uh join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I played with Legion of the United States of America. And speaker for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty for all. Thank you, Director Budge. You are welcome. All right. Chair, can I read the replay statement? Please do. Okay.

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