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SamTrans > General Information > Board of Directors and Citizens Advisory Committee Meetings > Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - March 13, 2003

Committees and Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - March 13, 2003

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

Board of Directors
Community Relations
Finance
Legislative
Planning and Development

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

Committee Members Present: Jerry Hill (Committee Chair), Shirley Harris, Albert Teglia

Other Board Members Present, Constituting Committee of the Whole: John Barbour, Michael Guingona (arrived 2:11 p.m.), Mary Janney, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin

Other Board Member Absent: Jim Hartnett

Staff Present: Michael Scanlon, David Miller, Joan Cassman, George Cameron, Roger Contreras, Howard Goode, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Martha Martinez, Ian McAvoy, Arlene Patton, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

Pledge of Allegiance
Vice Chair Janney led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

All Committee members were present. Director Hill called the meeting to order at 2:04 p.m.

Approval of Community Relations Committee minutes of February 12, 2003
The Committee (Teglia/Harris) recommended Board approval of the minutes.

PCC, Advocacy and ATAC Reports
Bill Welch, Manager, Accessible Transit Service, noted the PCC's hard work to move forward on stricter eligibility assessment for the Redi-Wheels certification. Staff is looking forward to the development of a Request for Proposal (RFP) to hire a contractor that would do a more professional assessment of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit eligibility.

Director Hill inquired into the selection process for the contractor who will evaluate the bidders. He asked what would be the criteria for the selection. Mr. Welch answered the criteria will be set up based on the bidders' knowledge and experience and their ability to do what staff expects them to accomplish.

Dale Edwards, Chair, Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC), noted that the PCC understands the need for improved efficiency and the establishment of cost saving measures. He stated according to staff proposal, an estimated $10,000 cost savings per month could be realized under each program. The PCC is working closely with staff on the details of the following programs:
  1. New Redi-Wheels Eligibility Certification Program: This is aimed at providing a more comprehensive eligibility screening process to insure that only eligible individuals will be certified for the service. The PCC feels that how this program is implemented is extremely important. At a recent PCC meeting, he learned that SamTrans is moving rapidly and is planning to issue an RFP to hire the contractor that will establish the eligibility certification process. The contractor will be hired in May and the program will be implemented in July. He expressed concern on this move without the PCC's involvement. He underscored the importance of a dialogue and close coordination between the PCC and SamTrans on this program.
  2. Feeder Service: The PCC strongly encourages the establishment of feeder service for long Redi-Wheels trips.
Mr. Scanlon commented that having an RFP is just the beginning of the process. The District is very sensitive to the issues raised by Mr. Edwards and expressed staff's willingness to work in full collaboration with the PCC. He advised that Redi-Wheels is spending over the budget and the reason why service is maintained is because fixed route is under budget. A point in time will come when there is not enough money available to provide the service to those who truly need it. Staff is trying to get a system in place that would insure the limited resources are preserved for those who truly need the service and direct those who do not need it to the fixed route service. Mr. Scanlon offered to address the PCC members if necessary to give them that assurance.

Director Hill requested Mr. Edwards to take Mr. Scanlon's comments back to the PCC.

Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) Liaison Report
Mary Lou Ciranni, CAC Chair, reported the committee passed a motion regarding revisions on the Absence Policy. The policy will be presented for Board consideration at a future meeting.

Presentation on Caltrain Performance
Chuck Harvey, Chief Operating Officer, introduced Chester Patton III, the newly appointed Manager of Bus Transportation.

He reported:
  1. On-time weekday end-to-end performance remained very good at over 95 percent.
  2. Ridership has dropped down on the 12-month rolling average to around 29,000. Last month, it was about 25,000.
  3. This month, fare collection is above, compared to last year's collection. Ticket Vending Machine (TVM) revenue this month is already up based on reports received on a daily basis.
  4. There had already been six fatalities this year, which is more than all of what it had been last year, despite a number of safety measures implemented and proactive approaches in order to address trespassing on the railroad to avoid accidents.
  5. On the fare collection side, three percent of the market share is sold on the train by conductors, 51 percent is on the TVM. The other 46 percent are sold by ticket by mail, staffed stations, Internet and the employers.
  6. He noted that the fare structure system is being changed to reduce and simplify the zones, make them equidistant in length, simplify the fare media and make it easy to understand, to be more efficient, to maximize fare revenue collection and reduce the cost of collection.
Director Nevin asked what measure was used to determine the zone changes. Mr. Harvey responded the average length and the cost of Caltrain rider trip was looked at, and they compared the zone system with other successful commuter railroads. The locations of the station zone were also considered. The length of zones selected gives the conductor ample time to get to the train and insure that a rider had bought a ticket.

Mr. Harvey also reported on the public meetings held regarding the proposed fare changes. He stated the CAC supported the proposal. There is an ongoing public comments period at this time. Staff's recommendations on fare and proof of payment will be taken to the Joint Powers Board at a later date for consideration. Implementation of the changes is scheduled for September.

Mr. Harvey showed a photo of the new Baby Bullet locomotive that is arriving next week. He gave a brief update on the Caltrain Express (CTX) Project. He informed that the weekend shutdown would continue until March 2004. Alternate bus service will be scheduled. The replacement baseball bus service will begin on March 29 for the pre-season game. Ambassadors will be used to assist customers. Mr. Harvey gave a progress report on the CTX Project and the Caltrain/BART coordination at the Millbrae Intermodal Station. He mentioned the Caltrain modified schedule that will start on March 24, and the preparations that are being done for the BART opening. He informed that BART has not announced an opening date because the contractor has not turned over the extension to BART for final testing and acceptance. Mr. Scanlon added that BART is required to give the District 45 days advance notice.

Multimodal Ridership Report, January 2003
Mr. Harvey indicated that overall, ridership is only down five percent when it had previously been down close to double digits. Caltrain ridership is only down 1.9 percent within San Mateo County, indicating that ridership is coming back. Paratransit continues to be very strong at 31 percent increase over a year ago. Shuttles are mixed because they are always moved around.

Adjourned: 2:34 p.m.


FINANCE COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Committee Members Present: Shirley Harris (Committee Chair), John Barbour

Committee Member Absent: Jim Hartnett

Other Board Members Present, Constituting Committee of the Whole: Michael Guingona, Jerry Hill, Mary Janney, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin, Al Teglia

Staff Present: Michael Scanlon, David Miller, Joan Cassman, George Cameron, Roger Contreras, Howard Goode, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Martha Martinez, Ian McAvoy, Arlene Patton, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

Committee members were present except Director Hartnett. Director Harris called the meeting to order at 2:34 p.m.

Approval of Finance Committee Minutes of February 12, 2003
The Committee (Hill/Guingona) recommended Board approval of the minutes.

Acceptance of Statement of Revenues and Expenses for January 2003
Roger Contreras, Chief Financial Officer, reported operating revenues are on target for the year's revised budget. Sales tax numbers have not yet been received from the State Board of Equalization. A report on this will be made next month. Staff is waiting for the December holiday numbers. They will be the basis for all the adjustments to all staff projections.

On the expenditure side, the total expenses are lower by almost $.5 million when compared to the year-to-date budget. There are savings in operations of $.8 million. There is however, an overrun of $343,000 in the ADA section of the budget that reduces the amount of savings. Mr. Contreras anticipates that the overrun in the ADA budget will reach approximately $600,000 to $650,000.

The Committee (Hill/Lloyd) recommended Board acceptance of the statement.

Contracts:
George Cameron, Chief Administrative Officer, presented the following contracts:
  1. Award of Contract to Ross Financial for Providing Independent Financial Advisory Services for a Five-Year Term
  2. Award of Contract to Guardian Life Insurance Company for the Provision of Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance Coverage for a 24-Month Period Beginning April 1, 2003 at an Estimated Cost of $160,000 Per Year
  3. Authorizing Purchase from Gillig Corporation of Up to Five, 40-Foot, High-Floor, Suburban Transit Buses Through Competitive Negotiation at a Total Estimated Cost of $1,677,031
  4. Authorizing Award of Contract to Professional Inventory Management for the Provision of Physical Inventory Services for an Initial Three-Year Contract Term at a Price of $106,740 with Up to Two Successive One-Year Options
  5. Approval of Change Order to Contract with Granite Rock Company dba Pavex Construction Division for Additional Pavement Rehabilitation of South Base Facilities for an Increase in Contract Authority by $11,168
  6. Authorizing Rejection of Single Bid from Sierra Detroit Diesel Allison, Inc. dba Stewart & Stevenson for Being Non-Responsive
The Committee having no questions (Teglia/Lloyd) recommended Board approval of the six contract items above.

Adjourned: 2:37 p.m.


LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Committee Members Present: Arthur Lloyd (Committee Chair), John Barbour, Michael Nevin

Other Board Members Present, Constituting Committee of the Whole: Michael Guingona, Shirley Harris, Jerry Hill, Mary Janney, Al Teglia

Other Board Member Absent: Jim Hartnett

Staff Present: Michael Scanlon, David Miller, Joan Cassman, George Cameron, Roger Contreras, Howard Goode, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Martha Martinez, Ian McAvoy, Arlene Patton, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

All Committee members were present. Director Lloyd called the meeting to order at 2:37 p.m.

Approval of Legislative Committee Minutes of February 12, 2003
The Committee (Janney/Nevin) recommended Board approval of the minutes.

Support for Lowering Two-Thirds Vote Requirement for Transportation Sales Taxes
Ed Stewart, Legislative Analyst, reported the half-cent sales tax in San Mateo County levied by the Transportation Authority generates about $60 million for transportation projects. In order to reauthorize the measure, California law, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, requires 2/3 votes in the ballot. Assemblyman John Dutra, chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee has introduced a measure that would lower the vote requirement to 55 percent. On the Senate side, Mr. Tom Torlakson has introduced a bill that would lower the requirement to a simple majority but dedicating 25 percent of the funds raised to Smart Growth planning. Senator Torlakson is expected to amend this bill to change the requirement to 55 percent and eliminate the requirement for Smart Growth funding set aside. The two bills would in effect have the same provisions. Mr. Stewart stated staff is proposing that the Committee recommend Board support of the bills as well as support of the general concept of lowering the 2/3 votes requirement.

The Committee (Nevin/Hill) recommended Board support as indicated.

Mr. Scanlon added that Carl Guardino from the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Association announced that his group is going to spearhead an effort, statewide, to get the 2/3 threshold reduced to the 55 percent level. If they will be unsuccessful in the legislature, they will take on the job of getting 900,000 plus signatures that they need to get it on the ballot. Mr. Scanlon stated he actually signed one. This project is one of the highest priorities of the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Association.

Support for SB 760 (Scott): Sales Tax Exemption for Lease/Leaseback Transactions
Mr. Stewart reported that lease/leaseback transactions effectively allow public transit operators to sell to a private investor the depreciation rights over their capital equipment. Transit districts are tax exempt and cannot write off the depreciation but the private sector can. In exchange for that, the transit district receives an up-front payment, a lump sum payment that could be used for capital or operating cost. This has been a popular financing technique for a number of years. Recently, State and Federal regulations changed and made the transaction subject to State sales tax. Having to pay the State sales tax effectively eliminated the value to the transit operation of pursuing the transaction. SB 760 would continue the current sales tax exemption and allow the District to continue to pursue this technique. Mr. Stewart stated it is important to have this financing tool at this point, given the economic times that transit operators throughout the state are going through.

Director Lloyd asked if this is the same as the "Safe Harbor." Mr. Scanlon responded it has the same effect.

The Committee (Harris/Guingona) recommended Board support of the bill.

Verbal Update on State Legislative Program
Ian McAvoy, Deputy Chief of Development, reported there has been a lot of discussions on the State Program and the State Budget, but no action. Also, there has been no movement in the 2004 State Budget as it pertains to transportation. He expects a delay in the adoption of the 2004 State Budget. The good thing in this is that the longer it takes the legislature to work, the more time staff has in submitting invoices and getting paid. Staff is very closely following up the Traffic Congestion Relief Program (TCRP), that funds the Baby Bullet Project. The State is expected to have a potential shortfall on the program. In a recent California Transportation Commission (CTC) meeting, Caltrans informed the CTC that the TCRP would be running out of money. It is projected that by the end of June 2004, there will be a $250 million deficit. There has been no funds identified to pick up this shortfall.

Verbal Update on Federal Legislative Program
Mr. McAvoy reported Congress is working on the Federal Budget. There are troubling issues in the administration's proposal. For one, money that was originally distributed through congressional earmarks is proposed to be spread to a series of formula programs. The impact is that agencies like SamTrans will not be able to compete for discretionary earmarks because the money will not be there. Another issue is that the Rail Modernization Program, which is the program that Caltrain utilizes for Caltrain improvements, is proposed to be merged into the general formula program. As a result, agencies like Caltrain, Muni and BART may end up having to compete with one another. Also, eligibility for the New Start Program could be changed to give the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects the ability to compete in that program. The MTC may revisit its priorities if other projects attempt to enter the New Starts Program. Mr. McAvoy stated staff will keep a close eye on the development of the FY 2004 Federal Budget as well as the efforts of the American Public Transportation Association to influence TEA21 reauthorization. He also noted that this Friday is the deadline for the members to submit their earmark requests.

Director Lloyd asked if the BRT is considered a "New Start." Mr. McAvoy responded it is his understanding that BRT programs would be eligible under the New Start Program.

Director Lloyd further inquired if the rebuilding of the Transbay Terminal facility is considered a New Start. Mr. McAvoy responded the New Start projects in the Bay Area are established by MTC's Resolution 3434. BART to San Jose and the Muni Chinatown Extension are projects proposed for the New Starts Program after funding is appropriated to the BART extension to the San Francisco Airport. Other projects in Resolution 3434 are being funded from a combination of other Federal programs, local sales taxes, and regional and State funds.

APTA Legislative Conference
Director Lloyd reported on his observation from the APTA Legislative Conference recently held in Washington DC. He stated regardless of party affiliation, the elected representatives were cautiously optimistic about the reauthorization of Transportation Efficiency Act 21 (TEA21).

Director Janney noted that the SamTrans representatives composed of Directors Lloyd, Harris, and herself and staff member Ian McAvoy visited the offices of Senators Anna Eshoo and Tom Lantos. Then, they joined the MTC delegation and visited several other members of Congress. They were impressed with the knowledge and expertise of some of their staff members. Director Janney appreciated Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi's and Anna Eshoo's presence at the reception that MTC hosted and took the time to talk with visitors on an informal basis. She also noted the heightened sense of security over the City of Washington, hotels included, which she considered a good thing.

Director Harris stated that from the speakers in the conference, one message was resoundingly clear for everyone - that transit agencies need to be creative in finding financing and that they should work together and support one another regionally for the good of the whole, to move projects forward.

Director Lloyd commented that Mr. Paul Weyrich did a good presentation. He suggested staff give each Board member a copy of the presentation material. He further reported that he spent an hour at Amtrak with Messrs. Dave Gunn and Gil Mallery on Tuesday. It was productive as well.

Adjourned: 2:55 p.m.


PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Committee Members Present: Mary Janney, Jerry Hill

Committee Member Absent: Jim Hartnett (Committee Chair)

Other Board Members Present, Constituting Committee of the Whole: John Barbour, Michael Guingona, Shirley Harris, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin, Al Teglia

Staff Present: Michael Scanlon, David Miller, Joan Cassman, George Cameron, Roger Contreras, Howard Goode, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Martha Martinez, Ian McAvoy, Arlene Patton, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

In the absence of Director Hartnett (Committee Chair), Board Chair Guingona requested Director Janney to preside over the meeting. Director Janney called the meeting to order at 2:55 p.m.

Approval of Minutes of Planning and Development Committee Meeting of February 12, 2003
The Committee (Hill/Teglia) recommended Board approval of the minutes.

Approval of Grant of Easement to JSM Enterprises on District-Owned Property Located Near the Colma BART Station
Arlene Patton, Real Estate Officer, reported this item demonstrates the cooperation between BART and SamTrans as well as the developer for the Transit Oriented Development Project near the Colma BART Station. It involves the grant of access over a piece of property that is currently owned by SamTrans but has the overlay of the BART operating easement. The developer is willing to take on additional landscaping capital improvements in the area to make it a really first class project.

The Committee (Hill/Teglia) recommended Board approval of the grant of easement.

Adjourned: 2:57 p.m.


SAN MATEO COUNTY TRANSIT DISTRICT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board Members Present: Michael Guingona (Chair), Mary Janney (Vice Chair), John Barbour, Shirley Harris, Jerry Hill, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin, Albert Teglia

Board Member Absent: Jim Hartnett

Staff Present: Michael Scanlon, David Miller, Joan Cassman, George Cameron, Roger Contreras, Howard Goode, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Martha Martinez, Ian McAvoy, Arlene Patton, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

Board members were present except Director Hartnett. Chair Guingona called the meeting to order at 2:55 p.m.

CONSENT CALENDAR
Motion
The Board (Lloyd/Harris) unanimously approved the items under the Consent Calendar as follows:
  1. Adoption of Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting of February 12, 2003
  2. Acceptance of Statement of Revenues & Expenses, January 2003
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Norma Elias, San Bruno, stated so many people in San Bruno want the Caltrain Station to stay at Sylvan Avenue. This station is in the heart of the City and is upper class.

REPORT OF THE CHAIR
None at this time.

REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER/CEO
Michael Scanlon introduced and thanked the following awardees, while Chair Guingona and Vice Chair Janney presented the awards and plaques:
  1. 25 Years Safe Driver Awards to Kent Hoelscher and Eric Rutland
  2. Annual Operations and Maintenance Base Safety Awards: The North Base Operations team won the Operations Safety Award. John Gerbo, Superintendent, Bus Transportation, North Base, received the award on behalf of the North Base operators. The South Base maintenance team won the Maintenance Safety Award and Darrel Scott, Superintendent, Bus Maintenance, South Base, received the award on behalf of the South Base maintenance crew.
  3. Maintenance and Operator Employees of the Year Awards: Greg Reschke was selected the Maintenance Employee of the Year and Kitty Mae Mansfield, the Operator of the Year.
Mr. Scanlon gave the following reports:
  1. Vehicle accidents continue to be good news. The Operations Training Department conducts individualized training and makes very good use of the new bus simulator. He invited the Board members to see the bus simulator.
  2. At South Base, Maintenance worked 33,000 plus hours without a lost day during the last eight months.
  3. The last six weeks have not been good as far as fuel budget is concerned. It has been significantly over budget. Staff is watching the situation very carefully.
  4. He thanked the Board members who attended the APTA Conference in Washington D.C. He stated he would not be surprised if the reauthorization is not dealt with this year because of issues that are pending. The Middle East and particularly the North Korean situations are issues of great concern to the elected officials and their staffs.
  5. Mr. Scanlon thanked Director Nevin for his assistance in helping the developer secure permits for the landscaping of the development in Colma.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE
Motion
 The Board (Hill/Janney) unanimously approved the minutes of Community Relations Committee meeting of February 12, 2003.

Subjects Discussed
 Director Hill reported the Committee discussed the following:
  1. PCC, Advocacy and ATAC Reports
  2. Citizens Advisory Committee Liaison Report
  3. Caltrain Performance Report
  4. Multimodal Ridership Report, January 2003
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Resolutions
 The Board (Harris/Teglia) unanimously passed the following:
  1. Resolution No. 2003-7: Authorizing Award of Contract to Ross Financial for Providing Financial Advisory Services for a Five-Year Term
  2. Resolution No. 2003-8: Approving Placement of Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance Coverage with the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America for Two Years at an Estimated Annual Cost of $160,000
  3. Resolution No. 2003-9: Authorizing the Use of a Competitive Negotiation Process and the Purchase of Up to Five 40-Foot, High-Floor, Suburban Transit Buses from Gillig Corporation Through the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority's Competitively Negotiated Contract for a Total Estimated Amount of $1,677,031
  4. Resolution No. 2003-10: Authorizing Award of Contract to Professional Inventory Management for Providing Physical Inventory Services for a Three-Year Term at the Estimated Total Price of $106,740
  5. Resolution No. 2003-11: Authorizing a Change Order to the Pavement Rehabilitation Contract with Granite Rock Company dba Pavex Construction Division in the Amount of $23,817.33
Motions
 The Board unanimously approved the following:
  1. Minutes of Finance Committee meeting of February 12, 2003
  2. Rejection of Single Bid from Sierra Detroit Diesel Allison, Inc. dba Stewart & Stevenson for Being Non-Responsive
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
Motions
 The Board (Lloyd/Nevin) unanimously approved the following:
  1. Minutes of Legislative Committee meeting of February 12, 2003
  2. Support for Lowering Two-Thirds Vote Requirement for Transportation Sales Taxes
  3. Support for SB 760 (Scott): Sales Tax Exemption for Lease/Leaseback Transactions
Subjects Discussed
 Director Lloyd reported the Committee discussed the State and Federal legislative programs and heard reports regarding the APTA Legislative meeting in Washington earlier this week.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Resolution
 The Board (Janney/Lloyd) unanimously approved the following:
Resolution No. 2003-12: Authorizing the General Manager to Grant an Easement to JSM Enterprises for Fire Truck Access, Landscaping, Maintenance and Graffiti Abatement Purposes Near the Colma BART Station
Motion
 The Board (Janney/Barbour) unanimously approved the minutes of Planning and Development Committee meeting of February 12, 2003.

GENERAL COUNSEL PROPOSAL
None at this time.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Already distributed.

DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, April 9, 2003 at 2 p.m., SamTrans Administrative Office, 1250 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos, California

Adjourned: 3:27 p.m.



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