Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meeting – August 7, 2024 (Transcript Discrepancy Noted)
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Sacramento Regional Transit Board Meeting – August 7, 2024
Note: The meeting transcript references a meeting date of July 22, 2024, but the provided metadata indicates the meeting occurred on August 7, 2024. This summary uses the metadata date and highlights the discrepancy.
The meeting was a short, largely procedural session focused on consent calendar approvals, public comments, and a brief General Manager's report. Significant time was devoted to testing new audio/visual equipment and troubleshooting microphone and timer issues.
Consent Calendar
- Items 2.1 through 2.7 were approved unanimously via voice vote with no public comment or board discussion. No roll call was taken.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Kay Crum (self-described transit rider and SACRT advocate) expressed concerns about Route 81 bus frequency (every 30 minutes), which causes travel disruptions if a bus arrives early or a signal delays them. They also requested review of the RT website for accessibility, asked about public bathrooms at the Watt I-80 Transit Center, questioned the use of key codes/Connect Card for entry, and inquired about the number of incidents on the system this year.
- Helen (self-identified person of color) praised the June 1 light rail event showcasing new S700 trains and the unification of three lines at 13th Street. She encouraged scheduling similar celebrations at stations served only by the Blue or Gold Lines to increase community inclusion.
Discussion Items
- General Manager's Report (Henry): Henry provided updates on: record heat waves (average 107°F in first 12 days of July), participation in the U.S. Transportation Infrastructure Summit, a meeting with Congressman Kylie, the groundbreaking of the Watt I-80 Transit Center Improvement Project ($26 million investment in a disadvantaged community), and a $77 million grant from the FTA Low-No Emission program. He concluded by urging everyone to stay cool.
- Director Maple: Recommended providing a 5% pay increase to employees, noting that the request is being reviewed by John as part of the final budget process. No formal vote was taken.
Key Outcomes
- Consent calendar items passed unanimously.
- The board heard public comments but took no immediate action on the issues raised.
- The General Manager’s report was received without formal action.
- Director Maple’s recommendation for a 5% employee pay increase was acknowledged as under consideration.
- Meeting was adjourned after approximately 10 minutes of formal proceedings, followed by extended technical debrief on microphone placement, timer tones, and remote participant audio.
Technical Testing Observations
- Prior to and after the formal meeting, board members and staff tested new microphone systems, camera angles, and the public comment timer. Issues included microphone sensitivity, echo from live streaming, and the timer’s beep tone. Staff noted adjustments will be needed for softer-spoken speakers and remote participants.
Meeting Transcript
This is my husband, Ben. This is my wife here. It's beautiful. I'm sorry, Lisa. Something's not right with him. That is really bad. Yep. I can't hear anybody. Someone's talking. I can hear you. Anybody with that is not speaking into a microphone. So thank you, um, Alex for reminding us of that. So basically, what we're gonna try to do is emulate a hearing. You can't hear me now. Okay, so anyone speaking into a microphone, that's the only time you're gonna ever hear anybody if they're if they're speaking outside of a microphone, anyone who's remote. Uh will not be able to hear us, so that is uh an important thing. So testing one, two, three. It is two or three oh two p.m. I can hear you, Dan. I don't know if you can hear me, but I can hear you, Zach. Thank you. Okay, perfect. I can also see you. That's important. Awesome, thank you. Where did that repeat come from? So I could delay. Yeah. Well, I heard the delay. So I have is that what that was? Okay, okay. So YouTube is traditionally 20 seconds behind, and that stream was live in the control room, which gave us an echo. So if you see the confused look, that's what we were just experiencing. So it looks like it's been corrected, and I think we can move on. So traditionally the podium mic is live and hot all the time, and then you just kind of walk up to it and start using it. So then we're gonna go ahead and leave this unmuted. So the the directions with your microphones, if you see a red halo, that means that your microphone is is muted. Uh you push once to turn it green. Once it's green, then you can speak into the mic. It is a hot mic, and it does pick up people around you. So if you make smart comments, it will take that up and you get a little embarrassed and so we can all kind of laugh at you. So um on that note, this will be hot. Your guys will be muted until you want to speak or until you push the button once you push the button, it's a hot mic, and everyone in the cyber world can hear you speak. But if you don't speak into a microphone, no one in the cyber world will be able to hear you. Okay. Hi. We should have a longer neck here. Okay. Um, thank you all for coming. I don't know if someone wants to move into the chair position because Jason isn't here yet.
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