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SamTrans > General Information > Board of Directors and Citizens Advisory Committee Meetings > Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - September 5, 2002

Committees and Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - September 5, 2002

SAMTRANS ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE
2nd FL. AUDITORIUM
1250 SAN CARLOS AVENUE, SAN CARLOS, CALIFORNIA

Board of Directors
Community Relations
Finance
Legislative
Planning and Development Committee

COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
(Accessibility, Senior Services, and Community Issues)

Committee Members Present: Michael D. Nevin (Committee Chair), Shirley Harris (arrived 2:17 p.m.) Albert Teglia

Other Board Members Present: John Barbour (arrived 2:15 p.m.), Jerry Hill, Mary Janney, Arthur Lloyd, Steve Schmidt

Other Board Member Absent: Michael Guingona

Staff Present: Michael Scanlon, David Miller, Joan Cassman, George Cameron, April Chan, Roger Contreras, Jim Gallagher, Howard Goode, Chuck Harvey, Aurora Jose, Carter Mau, Ian McAvoy, Arlene Patton, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

Pledge of Allegiance
Board Chairman Hill led the pledge of allegiance to the flag.

All Committee members were present. Committee Chair Nevin called the meeting to order at 2:07 p.m.

Approval of Minutes of Community Relations Committee Meeting of August 14, 2002
The Committee (Teglia/Janney) recommended Board approval of the minutes.
[MOTION]

PCC and PCC Advocacy Reports
Bill Welch, Manager, Accessible Transit Services, stated neither the PCC nor the Technical Advisory Committee met in August. Thus, there are no minutes attached to the agenda. He reported staff continues to look for various ways to make Redi-Wheels more efficient because ridership and demand continue to increase. It was recently determined that some adjustments could be made in the scheduling process and this is being pursued to increase service efficiency.

Nancy Knific, PCC Vice Chair, distributed copies of the newsletter "On the Move". On the cover is a tribute to Marianne Mannia for all the works she had done through the years. Dale Edwards, the new chair, is also featured. An article was dedicated on safety, relative to wheelchair securement and other informational pieces. She noted per the Consumer Corps Report, there were 155 reports submitted by 18 monitors during the quarter March to May 2002, indicating the highest level of participation over two years. Indicators were very good this quarter. No denials were reported. Availability of comment cards on the vehicles was 95 percent. Telephone access was good and the percentage of rides completed within an hour continues to exceed the standard level. On-time pick up fluctuates near the standard of 90 percent. Overall, it was very good. She noted that the Executive Committee is finalizing the PCC workplan. They hope to extend their outreach effort over the next two years and promote the Paratransit Escort Program.

Chair Hill congratulated MV Transportation and Redi-Wheels staff for the tremendous increase of ridership. There were no denials and the service was excellent.

Citizens Advisory Committee Liaison Report
Dick Poe, CAC, reported Richard Cook, Rail Shuttle Bus Coordinator, presented the SamTrans shuttle program at their September 4th meeting. The Committee suggested advertising on shuttle buses and sharing employee parking revenue to increase shuttle bus revenue. One of several initiatives of the CAC is the draft Bus Rider Survey that will be presented to the Board once completed. Mr. Poe indicated staff had published the flyer that contains the telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of CAC members for the public to contact for any input.

SamTrans Performance Report
Chuck Harvey, Chief Operating Officer, reported average weekday ridership is tracking the trend of the economic downturn. Overall ridership is down about eight to 10 percent. Token usage remains very strong. Missed schedules are down at a reasonable level. New operators are graduating. Their employment will help bring missed schedules further down. SamTrans took over the operation of the main line. Riders will see the same level of service regardless of the route and what bus they get on. The advanced communications system is now operating. All fixed route buses have the radio and GPS system installed. Installations just began for Redi-Wheels. Field testing of automated next stop and destination announcements will start in October. Computer instead of physical counts will track on-time performance. New articulated buses are coming. Fifty-five buses are on order. The pilot bus is now complete. The production buses will be received next week. They will be shown to the Board in the next couple of meetings. Staff is working on the procurement of new 40-foot low floor buses that will replace the oldest fleet of vehicles. They have the lowest emission diesel engines, lower than the CNG. The manufacturer indicated they could deliver those buses next year. Under the repower program, 96 buses have been completed. Training of bus operators by full simulation mode is coming on line. On the CTX bus bridge, the RRX is carrying about 2,500 on Saturdays and about 2,000 on Sundays; and the BB, about 500 passengers per baseball game.

Multimodal Ridership Report
Mr. Harvey reported SamTrans ridership continues to be down by 9 percent. Paratransit numbers include Coastside ridership. SamTrans shuttles are down 23 percent and Caltrain shuttles within the county are up 1.9 percent. Statistics on shuttles vary widely because services are relocated where they can be of better use. Overall, the trend is down around 100,000 total riders per day.

Adjourned: 2:24 P.M.

FINANCE COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Committee Members Present: Mary Janney (Chair), Shirley Harris

Other Board Member Absent: Michael Guingona

Other Board Members Present: John Barbour, Jerry Hill, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin, Steve Schmidt, Al Teglia

Director Guingona, Committee member, was absent. Committee Chair Mary Janney called the meeting to order at 2:24 p.m.

Approval of Minutes of Finance Committee Meeting of August 14, 2002
The Committee (Harris/Lloyd) recommended Board approval of the minutes.
                                                                                                                               [MOTION]

Approval of Statement of Revenues and Expenses Report, July 2002
Roger Contreras, Chief Financial Officer, reported the revenues year to date are on target. On the expenditure side, the volume of expenditures is not enough to develop a meaningful trend. The report reflects budget amounts, and a similar report will be issued for the month of August. For the quarter ending September, which will be presented in November, actual amounts will be reported. Mr. Contreras, referring to the column entitled "% of Year Elapsed", stated this gives information regarding how much of the budget has passed for the month reported.
                                                                                                                                [MOTION]

Authorize an Amendment to Increase the FY 2003 SamTrans Capital Budget by $117,000 for a New Total Budget of $17,871,508
April Chan, Capital Programs and Grants, reported staff was able to secure a grant with Caltrans to purchase two replacement vehicles for Route 17. There are no local sales taxes required. The local match is within the existing budget.

The Committee (Lloyd/Harris) recommended Board approval of the amendment to the budget.
                                                                                                                  [RESOLUTION]

Approval of Intention to Approve an Amendment to the Contract between the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the San Mateo County Transit District
George Cameron, Chief Administrative Officer, reported that to accommodate the proposed change in the PERS retirement formula for employees, a certain procedure is required. Staff proposes that the Committee recommend Board adoption of the resolution authorizing notification of the public and employees, of the District’s intent to change the retirement formula for all employees to a 2% @ 55 Full and Modified formula effective December 29, 2002. The total employer’s rate for this fiscal year and for the foreseeable future will remain the same.

The Committee (Nevin/Lloyd) recommended Board approval of the amendment.
                                                                                                                  [RESOLUTION]

Authorize the General Manager to Enter into a Five-Year Agreement with Fred Duncan to Lease 1655 and 1745 El Camino Real in San Carlos with a Five-Year Option
Arlene Patton, Real Estate Officer, reported the lessee requested an extension of an existing lease and to combine it with another lease of which he is also the tenant. Said lessee has an excellent credit record with the District. The terms of the lease are acceptable to both parties and are at fair market rate.

The Committee (Nevin/Lloyd) recommended Board approval of the lease.
                                                                                                                                [RESOLUTION]

Authorize the Purchase of Up to Sixty-Five 40-Foot, Heavy-Duty, Low-Floor Transit Buses from Gillig Corporation Through the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority’s Competitively Negotiated Contract for a Total Estimated Amount of $20,404,211

Award of Contract to Wait Motor Supply Company for Furnishing and Servicing Shop Supplies and Related Items for a Total Estimated Cost of $166,815 for a Three-Year Term with Two Additional One-Year Option Terms

There being no questions from the Board, the two foregoing contract items were taken up at one time. The Committee (Teglia/Lloyd) recommended Board approval of the proposed actions.
[RESOLUTIONS]

Adjourned: 2:28 p.m.

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Committee Members Present: Arthur Lloyd (Committee Chair), Michael Nevin, Stephen Schmidt

Other Board Members Present: John Barbour, Shirley Harris, Jerry Hill, Arthur Lloyd, Al Teglia

Other Board Member Absent: Michael Guingona

All Committee members were present. Committee Chair Art Lloyd called the meeting to order at 2:28 p.m.

Approval of Minutes of Legislative Committee Meeting of August 14, 2002
The Committee (Schmidt/Teglia) recommended Board approval of the minutes.
[MOTION]

State Legislative Affairs
Ed Stewart, Legislative Analyst, advised that the Legislature adjourned its session on August 31 after passing the State Budget which was signed earlier today by the Governor. He reported the State Transit Assistance Program is going to be funded at $98 million for this fiscal year, consistent with the District’s estimate. The Traffic Congestion Relief Program is going to lend $1 billion to the General Fund to help relieve the State’s overall budget deficit. A portion of that $1 billion will be repaid through State Highway Account funds to meet the cash flow needs for the TCRP projects. The Legislature approved Assembly Constitutional Amendment 11, which would require that one percent of the State‘s General Fund be reserved for infrastructure improvements starting in 2006. The measure will have to be approved by the voters in 2004.

Mr. Stewart noted the following:

AB 2048, exempting transit properties from the requirements for video tapes for on-board security cameras is on the Governor’s desk.AB 2184, allowing transit operators to cite and fine offenders who enter the property or interfere with the safe operation of the vehicle, is pending with the governor.
AB 2582, allowing paratransit vehicles to use carpool lanes with less than the required number of passengers was signed into law last week.
SB 873, which codifies MTC’s regional transit expansion program, was signed by the Governor last week.SB 1856 would provide $9 billion for the construction of a High Speed Rail System linking the Bay Area and Southern California. It passed the Assembly and is heading to the Governor’s desk. The bill now identifies San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal as the northern end point for the Bay Area to Los Angeles segment. The bill specifies that the San Francisco to L.A. segment is the first priority for the use of the bond funds. The bill also includes $950 million, in addition to the $9 billion for High Speed Rail, for other passenger rail carriers including Caltrain for capacity enhancement and modernization projects.

Josh Shaw of Shaw/Yoder, noted that of the 11 bills either supported or opposed by the Board, 3 of the support bills died, but the contents of two of those went into something else that ultimately was successful. Three measures were signed by the Governor and another 3 are still on the Governor’s desk. A bill to create a Regional Transit Policy Board that would duplicate MTC’s functions died in the Assembly Transportation Committee. One bill opposed by the Board that would restrict the District’s ability to contract for certain transit services is on the Governor’s desk awaiting his action.

AB 1677 by Assemblyman Koretz was presented in the Board packet as an informational item. However, Mr. Shaw recommended that the Board oppose that bill. The bill would impact the District’s recent labor agreement with the bus drivers. It is an attempt by the state labor unions to take off the District’s ability to manage the details of bus schedules and how and when bus drivers are paid. Approval of the bill would make it difficult for the District to operate service and would increase costs. The bill passed both houses of the Legislature last week and will be sent to the Governor. Mr. Shaw reported staff spent a lot of time and worked hard to oppose the bill. It was defeated in the Assembly, but the next day the bill was brought back up for reconsideration and was passed. Staff needs to ask the Governor to veto the bill and allow for negotiation of a reasonable compromise.

Director Lloyd inquired what needed to be done. Mr. Shaw suggested a follow up of the letter sent by Mr. Scanlon to the delegation to the Governor detailing the adverse impact to the District and to request a veto.

The Committee (Janney/Teglia) recommended that a letter be written to the governor opposing AB 1677 and asking that the Governor veto the bill.
[MOTION]

Verbal Report on Federal Legislative Affairs
Mr. Stewart reported Congress was in recess last month. When it comes back in session, it will be dealing with the transportation appropriations bill and other federal budget items for the next fiscal year. Staff will provide an update as matters develop.

Adjourned: 2:40 p.m.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Committee Members Present: John Barbour (Committee Chair), Stephen Schmidt

Committee Member Absent: Michael Guingona

Other Board Members Present: Shirley Harris, Jerry Hill, Mary Janney, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin, Al Teglia

Director Guingona, Committee member, was absent. Committee Chair John Barbour called the meeting to order at 2:40 p.m.

Approval of Minutes of Planning and Development Committee Meeting of May 8, 2002
The Committee (Janney/Teglia) recommended Board approval of the minutes.
[MOTION]

Update on BART Service Levels and Fare Surcharges
Carter Mau, Senior Planner, reported the Board previously approved the BART/SFO Extension parking charges and the BART/SFO Extension fare structure. Also, this Board approved the parking program for the Colma/South San Francisco/San Bruno/Millbrae BART stations - a $2 daily charge, $42 monthly charge and $63 monthly reserve program. The BART Board adopted the same parking program for its extension stations and will be selecting a parking vendor to install the parking machines. Previously, the SamTrans Board also directed staff to work with BART and Caltrain to set aside spaces at the Millbrae station for the Caltrain monthly parking permit holders. A tentative agreement has been reached with BART and Caltrain to separate the parking spaces on the west side of the Millbrae station for Caltrain monthly permit holders. The agreement will be formalized and signed by BART, Caltrain and SamTrans. BART also will be instituting a long-term parking at the El Cerrito Del Norte, Walnut Creek and Bayfair BART Stations. The long-term parking program would allow riders to park their cars longer than 24 hours at the three stations, for an initial cost of $7 per day. Those revenues will accrue solely to BART. The long-term program should benefit SamTrans and San Mateo County by getting more BART ridership out to the airport. In addition to the parking program, the SamTrans Board approved a fare structure for the SFO Extension. In addition to the base fare, the SFO premium fare, the Board approved a $1 San Mateo County surcharge that would be waived by the District for trips between the San Mateo County stations and the airport. The BART Board also approved this fare structure contingent upon some of the operating cost issues being worked out. When these issues have been resolved, the SFO Extension fare structure will be ready for revenue service in January.

Director Schmidt asked what is the current long-term parking charge at SFO. Mr. Mau responded the charge varies depending on where the long-term lot is. According to studies, long-term parking charges are between $12 and $18 a day.

Update on SamTrans/Redi-Wheels/Caltrain Service and Fare Changes
Chuck Harvey, Chief Operating Officer, reported:

SamTrans: Since the service changes, the consumer reports received by the Customer Service Center were between 50 and 60 total, a very modest number. The complaints are what staff expected to hear as a result of school routes that have been eliminated, the deletion of some of the express routes and the change in service frequencies from 30 minutes to one hour. Loads are being monitored and staff is doing its best to make adjustments. Two issues that came out after the public meeting were: Cabrillo Unified School District eliminated all school busing; and Laguna Salada in Pacifica, built a new intermediate school. SamTrans is carrying part of the load for them. The net result is that the existing routes that were designed to serve the community for regular service did not suit well to feed the schools. Adjustments have been made and they are doing well.
Redi-Wheels: the taxi pilot program will be extended for another 90 days. Slight adjustments will be made to make sure taxi drivers are adequately compensated, still with cost advantage for the District. Mr. Bill Welch is actively pursuing the certification and recertification processes of Redi-Wheels patrons. The AC systems are being installed.
Caltrain: Service was reduced from 80 to 76 daily. Weekend shutdown and fare increase were also put into effect. Off-board discount from $1 to $3 was implemented to encourage people to use the TVMs. There were complaints of overcrowding on trains 27 and 76. Schedules were adjusted and the size of the consists was increased to 5 cars on those crowded trains. Now, nobody is standing except by choice. On-board ticket purchase has been reduced by 40 percent. As a result, TVM revenue is now over $1 million a month. On-board conductor revenue is less than $100,000.

Adjourned: 2:49 p.m.

SAN MATEO COUNTY TRANSIT DISTRICT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board Members Present: Jerry Hill (Chair), John Barbour, Shirley Harris, Mary Janney, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin, Stephen Schmidt, Al Teglia

Other Board Member Absent: Michael Guingona (Vice Chair)

Board members except Director Guingona were present. Chair Hill called the meeting to order at 2:49 p.m.

CONSENT CALENDAR
Motions
The Board (Janney/Lloyd) unanimously approved the following items under the Consent Calendar:

Adoption of minutes of Board of Directors meeting of August 14, 2002
Approval of Statement and Revenues and Expenses, July 2002

Motion
At this point, Attorney David Miller requested Board approval of adding a closed session item involving a possible initiation of a litigation matter. The item is not listed on the agenda. However, Section 54954.2(b)2 of the Brown Act allows the addition if the matter arose subsequent to the issuance of the agenda and there is immediate need for action.

The Board (Nevin/Lloyd) unanimously approved the addition of the item.

PUBLIC COMMENT– None at this time.

REPORT OF THE CHAIR– None at this time.

REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER/CEO
General Manager/CEO Michael Scanlon reported as follows:

He recognized the Roadeo Committee that put together the recent SamTrans Roadeo competition. The committee members are William Snell, Frank Powell, Jeff Johnson, Starlet McGill, John Gerbo, Jerie Moeller, Andrea Suarez and Sandie Wong. He also recognized the following winners in the competition:

Maintenance Team: Gary Cox, Greg Reschke, and Ashok Singh
Instructor Team: William Snell and Ron Jordan
Individual Instructor: Ron Jordan
Operator Team: Edwin Freeman, Bernardo Hernandez, and Mark Greene

49er Football games begin again and the District will be running special services.
SamTrans once again received the Government Finance Officer’s Association Certificate of Achievement for their Comprehensive Annual Report, a very meaningful award that puts the District in a more favorable light for its financing and bonding needs. Mr. Scanlon recognized Roger Contreras, Susan Stark, Stanley Arend, Jim Shelton and Dina Stewart for their efforts.
Fuel prices went fairly high due to the tension in the Middle East, causing the District to be slightly overbudget.
Next month, Director Art Lloyd will be honored in Washington D.C. with the "President’s Service and Safety Award" by the President/Chief Executive Officer of Amtrak. Director Lloyd will receive the "Champion of the Rails" award. The Captain of the Amtrak Police Force who also serves Caltrain will receive the "Charles Luna Memorial for Safety Achievement" award. Director Nevin remarked the JPB is proud of them in winning national awards that most agencies never receive. He also said that Mr. Scanlon is the finest CEO in the country in transportation.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE
Motion
The Board (Nevin/Teglia) unanimously approved the minutes of Community Relations Committee meeting of August 14, 2002.

Subjects Discussed
Director Nevin reported the Committee discussed the following:

PCC and PCC Advocacy Reports
Citizens Advisory Committee Liaison Report
SamTrans Performance Report
Multimodal Ridership Report, July 2002

FINANCE COMMITTEE
Resolutions
The Board (Janney/Teglia) unanimously passed the following resolutions:

Resolution No. 2002-55: Authorizing an Amendment to the Fiscal Year 2003 Capital Budget in the Amount of $117,000 for a Total Budget of $17,871,508

Resolution No. 2002-56: Resolution of Intention to Approve an Amendment to Contract Between the Board of Administration, California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the Board of Directors, San Mateo County Transit District

Resolution No. 2002-57: Authorizing General Manager to Execute a Five-Year Agreement to Lease District Property Located at 1655 and 1745 El Camino Real in San Carlos to Fred Duncan

Resolution No. 2002-58: Authorizing the Purchase of Up to Sixty-Five 40-Foot Heavy Duty, Low-Floor Transit Buses from Gillig Corporation Through the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority’s Competitively Negotiated Contract for a Total Estimated Amount of $20,404,211

Resolution No. 2002-59: Authorizing Award of a Contract to Wait Motor Supply Company, Inc. for Furnishing and Servicing Shop Supplies and Related Items for a Three-Year Term at an Estimated Total Cost of $166,815.26

Motion
The Board (Janney/Harris) unanimously approved the minutes of the Finance Committee meeting of August 14, 2002.

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
Motions

The Board (Lloyd/Nevin) unanimously approved the Legislative Committee meeting of August 14, 2002.
Director Lloyd stated after a full report on the State Legislative Affairs, staff asked the Committee to consider AB 1677. Based on the recommendation of the Committee, the Board (Lloyd/Harris) unanimously approved that a letter be sent to Governor Davis to veto AB 1677 as this Board stands opposed to AB 1677.

Subjects Discussed
Director Lloyd stated that the Committee meeting concluded with a verbal report on the Federal Legislative Affairs by Mr. Stewart.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Motion
The Board (Lloyd/Nevin) unanimously approved the minutes of the Planning and Development Committee meeting of May 8, 2002.

Subjects Discussed
Director Barbour reported that the Committee discussed the Update of BART Service Levels and Fare Surcharges, and Update on SamTrans/Caltrain Service Changes.

GENERAL COUNSEL PROPOSAL
Attorney Miller stated the Board earlier today authorized the addition to the agenda of an item of potential litigation.

THE BOARD ADJOURNED INTO CLOSED SESSION AND RECONVENED IN OPEN SESSION AT 3:15 P.M.

Closed Session: Conference with Legal Counsel – Anticipated Litigation – One Case

Attorney Miller advised that as permitted by the Brown Act, a report was made to the Board regarding a matter of potential litigation. Instructions have been given to counsel and the General Manager/CEO. A report will be provided at a future meeting.

Adjourned: 3:45 p.m.