SamTrans
Home Home Contact Contact Sitemap Sitemap
Schedules/FaresSchedules & Fares Special ServiceSpecial Service ShuttlesShuttles General InformationGeneral Information ParatransitParatransit NewsNews
SamTrans > General Information > Board of Directors and Citizens Advisory Committee Meetings > Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - March 10, 2005

Committees and Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - March 10, 2005

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

Board of Directors
Community Relations
Finance
Legislative

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

Committee Members Present: Adrienne Tissier (Committee Chair), Art Lloyd

Committee Member Absent: John Barbour

Other Board Members Present, Constituting Committee of the Whole: Shirley Harris, Jim Hartnett, Marc Hershman, Jerry Hill, Michael Nevin

Other Board Member Absent: Michael Guingona

Staff Present: Joan Cassman, Cheryl Cavitt, Monica Colondres, Gigi Harrington, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Ian McAvoy, David Miller, Michael J. Scanlon, Mark Simon, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

Pledge of Allegiance
Chair Jerry Hill called the meeting to order at 2:02 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Approval of Minutes of Community Relations Committee Meeting of February 9, 2005
The committee (Lloyd/Hershman) unanimously approved the minutes.

PCC, AL-Com, and ATAC Reports
Bill Welch, Manager of Accessible Transit Services, said in the certification process of Redi-Wheels patrons, SamTrans does not require applicants to complete an application. They are provided transportation to go to the interview. He also said rather than denying some applicants the service, they are given conditional eligibility, which requires them to use regular bus service when they are able.

Nancy Knific, Vice Chair, Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC), said she was covering for Dale Edwards, PCC Chair, who was indisposed. She said upon the joint efforts of the PCC and the SamTrans Accessible Transit Service staff, the San Mateo County Paratransit Rider's Guide was updated in January. The publication will be distributed and a copy posted on the PCC website. Ms. Knific said John Murphy, MV Transportation General Manager for Redi-Wheels, reported that Redi-Wheels operated over 500,000 miles without an accident.

Citizens Advisory Committee Liaison Report
Ken Feldstein, Chair, Citizens Advisory Committee, said Allison Schutte, legal counsel, gave a presentation regarding ad hoc committees in relation to the Brown Act. The El Camino Real, Connectivity, Quality Assurance and Shelter/Stops subcommittees are coming up with excellent ideas to improve the service, make it user-friendly and attract riders.

Caltrain Performance Report
Chuck Harvey, Chief Operating Officer, reported:
  1. On-Time Performance has been 97 to 98 percent every single month since the start of the Baby Bullet service, indicating that staff's hard work is paying off.
  2. Average Weekday Ridership was up in January 2005 by 14 to 15 percent compared to December 2004.
  3. Revenue from ticket sales was up in January 2005 by 15 to 20 percent compared to December 2004.
  4. Parking revenue was also good in January 2005 compared to December 2004
  5. Fatality was one in 2005 on the right of way.
  6. The construction project for parking on the east and west sides of the Hillsdale Baby Bullet Station will start soon. There will be a direct link to Bay Meadows. In Mountain View, the 340-space lot was converted to pay-by-space. Fifty parking spaces were added along Evelyn Avenue. There also are free parking spaces for people who are willing to walk two blocks north.
  7. Staff is looking at schedules, access and parking at different stations for possible Bullet Trains in the future to attract more customers.
Projects:
  1. Reconstruction of tunnels and bridges between South San Francisco and San Francisco is underway.
  2. Engineering work for grade separations is in progress in San Bruno and South San Francisco.
  3. Construction of crossovers and capacity improvements will start between San Jose Diridon and Santa Clara stations.
  4. Construction of the Centralized Maintenance Operating Facility (CEMOF) is underway. Award of the construction of the main facility will be taken to the board for action at its next meeting.
  5. The electrification project is in its Environmental Impact Report (EIR) stage.
  6. The Downtown Extension Project will proceed with the preliminary engineering work.
  7. Staff is working on the design of the Dumbarton Rail Corridor, integrating it with the Caltrain corridor.
Fiscal Year 2006 Budget:
Mr. Harvey said the Caltrain budget is running a deficit. Contributions from JPB funding partners have remained the same for four years. Staff will hold a workshop with the board to apprise them of the budget situation and seek guidance in finding ways to balance the budget. Staff will also meet with the Citizens Advisory Committee and the stakeholders. Community meetings will be held to discuss the issues. A public hearing will be held during the Joint Powers Board meeting of April 7 for the declaration of fiscal emergency to allow staff to adopt an expedited process in implementing fare increases and service changes. The declaration of fiscal emergency alleviates the requirement of an environmental assessment required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) prior to making fare and service changes.

David Miller, Legal Counsel, said the Legislature grants transit agencies an exemption from the CEQA requirements when they are able to establish that they have insufficient revenues to fund their programs and operations.

Mr. Harvey said that after the public hearing and board declaration of fiscal emergency, staff plans to implement the changes in July 2005 to coincide with the start of the fiscal year.

Director Tissier asked if the JPB partners are likely to increase their contributions in the future. Mr. Harvey answered there is a possibility. Mr. Scanlon said "the JPB partners" refers to all partners, including SamTrans, because SamTrans contributions also have remained flat in the past years.

Multimodal Ridership Report - January 2005
Mr. Harvey said
  1. Total Average Weekday Ridership (AWR) for all modes was up 3.8 percent.
  2. Paratransit AWR was down 2.5 percent.
  3. Caltrain AWR in San Mateo County was up 14.2 percent.
  4. Caltrain Shuttle AWR was strong at 17.5 percent.
  5. BART AWR was up 4.5 percent
  6. BART shuttle AWR was up 15.7 percent
  7. Year-to-Date, total AWR for the six transit modes was 2.5 percent more in 2005 than in 2004.
BART:
  1. On the extension side of the system (five stations), ridership was up 9.18 percent.
  2. On the six stations (including Daly City) ridership was up 4.5 percent. The monthly rate of growth of ridership on the BART line is decreasing as a result of some problems with the controls and switches between the South San Francisco station and SFO Millbrae. This is currently being investigated by BART.

Adjourned: 2:32 p.m.


FINANCE COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Committee Members Present: Marc Hershman (Committee Chair)

Committee Members Absent: John Barbour, Michael Guingona

Other Board Members Present, Constituting Committee of the Whole: Shirley Harris, Jim Hartnett, Jerry Hill, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin, Adrienne Tissier

Staff Present: Joan Cassman, Cheryl Cavitt, Monica Colondres, Gigi Harrington, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Ian McAvoy, David Miller, Michael J. Scanlon, Mark Simon, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

Director Hershman called the meeting to order at 2:32 p.m.

Approval of Finance Committee Minutes of February 9, 2005
The committee (Hartnett/Lloyd) unanimously approved the minutes.

Acceptance of Statement of Revenues & Expenses for January 2005 and Supplemental Information
Gigi Harrington, Chief Financial Officer, said the FY 2005 year-to-date revenues are on budget. Fare revenue is down 4.7 percent year-to-date compared to last year's. Expenditures are on budget primarily due to lower salaries and benefits, and insurance expenses. Staff is carefully monitoring changing and escalating fuel prices to make sure there is enough budget authority for the remainder of the fiscal year.

The committee (Lloyd/Harris) unanimously recommended board acceptance of the statement.

Approval of Assignment of the Remainder of the 5-Year Agreement for Investment Management Services from Harris Bretall Sullivan & Smith, LLC to Epic Wealth Management for an Annual Estimated Cost of $160,000
Ms. Harrington said Harris Bretall Sullivan & Smith is relocating from San Francisco to the East Coast. By assigning the contract to Epic Wealth Management, Mr. Bill Osher, who has been managing the district's portfolio for Harris Bretall will continue doing so for Epic Wealth until the end of the original contract, which has more than three years remaining.

The committee (Nevin/Lloyd) unanimously recommended board approval of the assignment of contract.

Approval of Award of Contract to Hartford Life Insurance Company for Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance for a 36-Month Period Beginning April 1, 2005 at an Annual Cost of $125,000
Monica Colondres, Director of Human Resources, said the accidental death and dismemberment insurance will cover district employees and the members of the board.

The committee (Nevin/Harris) unanimously recommended board approval of the proposed action.

General Manager/CEO Michael J. Scanlon said the cost of this coverage is going down.

Ms. Colondres said the District will save about $105,000 over the life of the contract.

Approval of Award of Contract to Folsom Lake Ford for the Purchase Through the State of California Contract of Three New Ford E350 Cargo Vans or a Total Estimated Cost of $79,000
Cheryl Cavitt, Director of Contracts and Procurement, said the purchase of the vans will be in conformity with the terms and conditions of the State of California's competitively bid contract procedure. SamTrans, as the administrative agency for the Joint Powers Board (JPB), budgets the acquisition and support of all service vehicles. The three cargo vans will be used in servicing Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) along the Caltrain rail line. SamTrans will hold title to the vehicles. The purchase price and expenses related to maintenance and fuel costs will be fully reimbursed by the JPB.

The committee (Nevin/Lloyd) unanimously recommended board approval of the proposed action.

Adjourned: 2:37 p.m.


LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Committee Members Present: Art Lloyd (Committee Chair), Jim Hartnett, Michael Nevin

Other Board Members Present, Constituting Committee of the Whole: Shirley Harris, Marc Hershman, Jerry Hill, Adrienne Tissier

Other Board Members Absent: John Barbour, Michael Guingona

Staff Present: Joan Cassman, Cheryl Cavitt, Monica Colondres, Gigi Harrington, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Ian McAvoy, David Miller, Michael J. Scanlon, Mark Simon, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

Director Lloyd called the meeting to order at 2:37 p.m. He said the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA 21) is on its way for approval.

Approval of Minutes of Legislative Committee Meeting of February 9, 2005
The committee (Hartnett/Harris) unanimously approved the minutes.

Verbal Update on State Legislative Program
Ed Stewart, Legislative Analyst, said SB 1024 introduced by Senator Perata of Oakland, is introduced a $3.2 billion bond measure to cover the entire Bay Bridge seismic program cost overrun. There is a possibility the bill may be amended to include other projects in California because this is a statewide bond measure that will need support from voters outside the Bay Area. In contrast, AB 1714 would require the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to pay for the cost overruns through an increase in bridge tolls or other means without state assistance. Negotiations on the Bay Bridge issue between the governor and the administration will continue.

Mr. Stewart said the administration is working on the "GO California" initiative that promotes the construction of toll lanes and authorizes the use of design-build contracts through Caltrans for state highway projects. They also are looking at protecting transportation funds by eliminating the Proposition 42 suspension clause. The Senate Democrats are proposing a "Smart Growth" package to promote housing and transit oriented development (TOD). There is also another bill that would allow transit oriented development projects to use tax increment financing.

Verbal Update on Federal Legislative Program
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote today on the new $284 billion TEA 21 reauthorization. This provides funds for the Highway 101 auxiliary lane projects, including $2.25 million for the Marsh Road to Santa Clara County segment and $5 million for the 3rd Avenue to Millbrae Avenue segment. The House bill also provides funding for the Grand Boulevard initiative in the amount of $3.5 million.

Director Hartnett asked how the $284 billion budget for TEA 21 compares with the prior year's budget. Mr. Stewart said TEA 21 previously was a six-year bill for $218 billion. The TEA 21 reauthorization bill, known as TEA-LU is $284 billion, a 30 percent increase. The White House is supporting the budget.

Adjourned: 2:45 p.m.


SAN MATEO COUNTY TRANSIT DISTRICT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Board Members Present: Jerry Hill (Chair), Shirley Harris, Jim Hartnett, Marc Hershman, Arthur Lloyd, Michael Nevin, Adrienne Tissier

Board Members Absent: John Barbour, Michael Guingona

Staff Present: Joan Cassman, Cheryl Cavitt, Monica Colondres, Gigi Harrington, Chuck Harvey, Rita Haskin, Aurora Jose, Ian McAvoy, David Miller, Michael J. Scanlon, Mark Simon, Ed Stewart, Bill Welch

Chair Jerry Hill called the meeting to order at 2:45 p.m.

CONSENT CALENDAR
Motion
The board (Lloyd/Tissier) unanimously approved the following:
  1. Adoption of Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting of February 9, 2005
  2. Acceptance of Statement of Revenues and Expenses, January 2005 and Supplemental Information
PUBLIC COMMENT:
  1. Patricia Gray, Green Party of San Mateo County, said she did not have a chance to apply for vacant position on the board last time. Now that it has opened up (sic), she has to apply. She said the board should write a bylaw. She questioned why the transit expert, Director Lloyd, is a voting member of the Board. She said the term of Director Lloyd expired two years ago and he continued serving on the Board without the benefit of reappointment. She said he should be removed from the Board and not allowed to vote or participate as a member unless he is reappointed by the County Board of Supervisors.
  2. Jerry Grace, Oakland, said the Zero Emissions Bus is special. He thanked SamTrans for working together with the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) on this project.
On the comments of Ms. Gray, David Miller, Legal Counsel, said that as reflected in the minutes of the previous meeting, it is clear that the District is not under obligation to adopt Bylaws. Instead, the District's enabling legislation calls for Board adoption of Rules of Procedure and an Administrative Code. The District has complied with these requirements which constitute the equivalent of Bylaws, as determined by the State legislature. Additionally, the voting rights of the Transit Expert on the board, are governed by statute.

REPORT OF THE CHAIR
Chair Hill thanked the Accessible Transit Services department for the success of the certification program. The unsuccessful attempt of the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in doing the same activity speaks highly of the sensitivity of the district in providing service to those who need them most, he said.

REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER/CEO
General Manager/CEO Michael Scanlon:
  1. Thanked the board members who took time to view the new paratransit cutaway van and minivan. He said in procuring these types of vehicles, staff took into consideration the input of the community.
  2. Commended Roi Kingon, SamTrans bus operator, for reprogramming within 48 hours the Advanced Communication System to notify bus passengers of the last stop of the KX Route on El Camino Real before it transitions from a local bus to an express service.
  3. Presented the Annual Operations Base Safety Award to South Base Bus Transportation.
  4. Presented the Annual Maintenance Base Safety Award to the North Base maintenance team.
  5. Presented the 2004 Operator of the Year Award to Vincent Gavin.
  6. Presented the 2004 Bus Maintenance Employee of the Year Award to David Carlson.
  7. Said the district is working in collaboration with the Board of Education on an art competition called "Art Takes a Bus Ride" for kids from kindergarten to eighth grade. The winning entries will be displayed inside the buses and the grand prize winner will be displayed on the exterior of the buses.
  8. Said "Be Our Guest Card" is part of the district's marketing campaign to attract more bus riders. This mailer will be sent to residents of Burlingame, Millbrae, San Bruno, and South San Francisco.
  9. Thanked Directors Shirley Harris and Arthur Lloyd for joining SamTrans staff in Washington, D.C. for the Legislative Conference.
  10. Said the Aņo Nuevo ridership this year is up 7.3 percent. Last year, the increase was 4.4 percent.
Director Hartnett thanked Directors Harris and Lloyd for contributing their time and effort by attending the APTA Legislative Conference. He said the presence of board members at the conference makes a difference in the presentation.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE
Director Tissier said the committee received the following reports:
  1. PCC, AL-Com and ATAC Reports
  2. Citizens Advisory Committee Liaison Report
  3. Caltrain Performance Report
  4. Multimodal Ridership Report, January 2005
FINANCE COMMITTEE
Resolutions
 The board (Hershman/Hartnett) unanimously approved the following resolutions:
  1. Resolution No. 2005-10: Approval of Assignment of the Remainder of the 5-Year Agreement for Investment Management Services from Harris Bretall Sullivan & Smith, LLC to Epic Wealth Management for an Annual Estimated Cost of $160,000
  2. Resolution No. 2005-11: Approval of Award of Contract to Hartford Life Insurance Company for Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance for a 36-Month Period Beginning April 1, 2005 at an Annual Cost of $125,000
  3. Resolution No. 2005-12: Approval of Award of Contract to Folsom Lake Ford for the Purchase Through the State of California of Three New Ford E350 Cargo Vans for a Total Estimated Cost of $79,000
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
Director Lloyd said Mr. Ed Stewart gave an update on the State and Federal legislative programs. He also said the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-LU) is scheduled for approval.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: No meeting.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Already distributed.

BOARD MEMBER REQUESTS: None.

DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 at 2 p.m., SamTrans Administrative Office, 1250 San Carlos Avenue, San Carlos, California

GENERAL COUNSEL PROPOSAL
David Miller, Legal Counsel, said the Board is permitted to convene in closed session to discuss the labor negotiations.

THE MEETING ADJOURNED INTO CLOSED SESSION AT 3:20 P.M. AND RECONVENED IN OPEN SESSION AT 3:48 p.m.

Closed Session: Conference with Labor Negotiator - Closed Session pursuant to Government Code Section 54957.6, Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1574

Mr. Miller said the board of directors met in closed to hear reports from Chief Labor Negotiator Doug Burton as well as Monica Colondres, Director of Human Resources and General Manager/CEO Michael Scanlon. The upcoming negotiations will remain on the calendar and will be on the board agenda for the coming months. No board action is necessary at this time.

ADJOURNMENT: 3:50 p.m.



© 2008 San Mateo County Transit District. All rights reserved.