The TTC and the PAC will meet as a joint Committee to consider scheduled public presentations brought before the Committees.  This portion of the meeting is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.

Summary: Caltrans staff will give an update at the meeting.  A copy of the Caltrans Quarterly Report is included as an exhibit to this item.  

Action:  This is an information item.  Direction may be provided at the discretion of the Committee.  

Summary: Fresno COG is currently developing the Fresno County Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Plan update which is a critical component of a coherent plan to address the transportation needs of the county. As travel demand in the county increases, there is an increasing need to improve the transportation systems through better management of existing capacity, rather than continuing to add capacity to the system. In recognition of this, the Fresno Council of Governments (FCOG) and the various local communities in the county continue to invest in ITS. The updated ITS Plan will ensure that these investments address the important needs in the county and bring the maximum benefit to travelers while developing a specific implementation plan for the county. The updated ITS Plan will also reflect the changes in user needs and technology since the 1999 Plan was completed.  We will provide an overview and status of the project and request your input on our goals, vision, objectives and user needs that will help inform the updated plan.

Action:  Information.  Direction may be provided at the discretion of the Committees.

Karly Zimmerman, Program Manager, Strategic Energy Innovations will make a presentation.

Summary: Non-profit organization Strategic Energy Innovations together with Optony, Inc is launching a solar collaborative procurement effort regionally across the San Joaquin Valley. The Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Fund program leverages funding from the California Solar Initiative to defray upfront costs associated with project planning, site assessments, and procurement activities. Participants of the SEED Fund receive better pricing on their solar systems (10-12% total project cost savings), lower project risks with higher returns, reduced transaction costs, and reduced administrative effort (50-70% admin cost savings). 

The SEED Fund team has extensive experience working on public solar collaborative procurement projects in North Bay, Alameda County, and Silicon Valley. The success of these projects led to a Best-Practices Guide to Collaborative Solar Procurement for public agencies, co-authored by the team and the World Resources Institute (WRI).

Action:  Information.  Direction may be provided at the discretion of the Committees.

Summary: FY 2014/15 Transportation Development Act Claims. The amounts claimed for Local Transportation Funds (LTF) and State Transit Assistance (STA) funds are (handout at meeting):

Action: Staff requests that TTC/PAC recommend approval by resolution of the TDA Claims FY 2014/15 of the above listed member agencies.

Summary: The FY 2014-15 first quarter progress report is included for review and acceptance. 

Action: Staff recommends acceptance of the FY 2014-15 First Quarter Progress Report.

Summary: The Fresno COG meeting calendar for 2015 is included for approval.

Action: Approve.

Summary: Federal Transit Law, as amended by SAFETEA-LU, requires that projects selected for funding under the Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310), Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC), and New Freedom programs be derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan and that the plan be developed through a process that includes representatives of public, private, and non-profit transportation and human services providers and participation by members of the public.

As part of fulfilling the requirement to receive funding from any of these sources, Fresno County must complete a ‘Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plan’. The plan accomplishes the following:

• identifies resources currently in use for public transit
• surveys users to determine current needs and future expectation of users, and
• develop strategies to close gaps in perceived service levels.

The Federal funds are among the resources used to close the gaps identified in the plan. The Fresno County Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan was developed as a product of the Fresno County Public Transportation GAP Analysis and Service Coordination Plan completed by Mobility Planners Inc. 

Questions and comments can be directed to Jeff Long at the Fresno Council of Governments at jeff.long@fresno.gov.

Action: Staff recommends initiation of the required 45-day public review for the Fresno County Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan.

Summary: Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant for FY 2015-2016 were due October 31, 2014.  Caltrans staff estimates that preliminary grant award announcements will be made in March 2015, with official grant awards in April 2015.  Applications were accepted within two categories:

1)     Strategic Partnerships

Consistent with the intent of partnership planning, the Strategic Partnerships grant funds planning projects that encourage regional agencies to partner with Caltrans to identify and address statewide/interregional transportation deficiencies in the state highway system, strengthen government-to-government relationships, and result in programmed system improvements, all in an effort to achieve the Caltrans Mission and overarching objectives.

Eligible Primary Recipients – Metropolitan Planning Organizations/Regional Transportation Planning Agencies (MPO/RTPAs); Eligible Sub-recipients: Transit Agencies, Universities, Community Colleges, Native American Tribal Governments, Cities and Counties, Community-Based Organizations, Non-Profit Organizations, and Other Public Entities.

Estimated Budget: $1.5 Million, Federal Highway Administration – SPR, Part I

Local Match: 20% of the total project amount

2)     Sustainable Communities

The Sustainable Communities grant funds transportation planning projects that identify and address mobility deficiencies in the multimodal transportation system, encourage stakeholder collaboration, involve active public engagement, integrate Smart Mobility 2010 concepts, ultimately result in programmed system improvements, and achieve the Caltrans Mission and overarching objectives.

Eligible Primary Recipients: MPO/RTPAs, Transit Agencies, Cities, Counties, and Native American Tribal Governments; Eligible Sub-recipients: Transit Agencies, Universities, Community Colleges, Native American Tribal Governments, Cities and Counties, Community-Based Organizations, Non-Profit Organizations, and Other Public Entities.

Estimated Budget: $8.3 Million Total ($2.8 Million, Federal Transit Administration, Section 5304; $5.5 Million, State Highway Account)

Local Match: 11.47% of the total project amount

Fresno COG submitted two applications as the lead applicant.  One under the Strategic Partnerships category to conduct a Long-Range Transit Plan covering all of Fresno County, in partnership with Fresno Area Express (FAX), Stageline Transit and Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA), Caltrans and others; and another under the Sustainable Communities category to analyze the minimizing of GHG emissions of existing business commuting systems, in partnership with Fresno State and University of Colorado at Denver.  In addition to these lead applications, Fresno COG was also a sub-applicant for two additional applications, and provided various letters of support for applications being submitted by agencies throughout the Valley.

For additional information regarding Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grants, please visit Caltrans Grants Website at: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/grants.html.  Or, contact Priscilla Martinez-Velez, Caltrans HQ Division of Transportation Planning at (916) 651-8196 or via email at priscilla.martinez.velez@dot.ca.gov.

For any questions regarding Fresno COG activities relating to Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grants, please contact Rob Terry at (559) 233-4148 Ext. 222 or via email at rterry@fresnocog.org.

Action: Information item.  Direction may be provided at the discretion of the Committee.

Summary: (Prop 84 Round 2) Following is a brief report on the status of Round 2 activities:

• (Task 1) Please see the individual Greenprint Update item found within this same agenda for additional information.

 For any questions regarding the Greenprint, please contact Clark Thompson at (559) 233-4148 Ext. 203 or via email at clarkt@fresnocog.org.

•  (Task 2) Model Land-Use Revalidation activities (Model Improvement Program Phase 2) began in January 2014.  Fehr and Peers, as the selected consultant, began the activities associated with the project, including data collection and processing, refinement of model input data; and model estimation, calibration, validation, evaluation and associated training activities.  In addition, the consultant is overseeing all project management and information sharing details.

For any questions regarding Model Land-Use Revalidation efforts, please contact Mike Bitner at (559) 233-4148 Ext. 216 or via email at mbitner@fresnocog.org.

• (Task 3) SCS Implementation efforts have begun at each of the valley MPOs.  Due to the completion of several anticipated Round 2 activities within Round 1, DOC representatives have approved the re-allocation of line item funds to increase the amount of funding for both SCS printing/duplication for outreach and public involvement, as well as the amount available to assist with RHNA coordination.  A total of $55,000 for RHNA coordination and $88,674 for SCS printing/duplication reflect the new line items.  These amounts are to be allocated to each COG based upon population percentages (utilizing the Planning Center data), similar to other valley activities in the recent past.  With 24% of the Valley’s overall population, Fresno COG’s proportion of these funds is $20,841.54 for SCS activities, and $13,200 for RHNA activities.

For any questions regarding SCS Implementation activities, please contact Rob Terry at (559) 233-4148 Ext. 222 or via email at rterry@fresnocog.org.     

Action: Information item.  Direction may be provided at the discretion of the Committee.

Summary: The Active Transportation Program (ATP) was created by Senate Bill 99 (Chapter 359, Statutes of 2013) and Assembly Bill 101 (Chapter 354, Statutes of 2013) to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation, such as biking and walking. Legislation creating the ATP was signed by the Governor on September 26, 2013.

On March 20, 2014 the California Transportation Commission (CTC) adopted ATP guidelines that specified two components of the program; the Statewide and the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The MPO component was to account for 40% (or $147.232 million) of the available ATP funding; Fresno COG’s allocation was $3.9 million for FY 13/14 and 14/15 combined as well as FY 15/16.

On May 29, 2014 the Fresno COG Policy Board adopted the Fresno COG Regional Competitive Active Transportation Program guidelines for the MPO component implementation. The CTC approved Fresno COG’s guidelines on June 26, 2014 and a call for projects was issued on the same day. Upon commencement of the call for projects, on August 27, 2014, thirty projects were submitted, totaling $15.9 million of requested ATP funds. This total included most of the projects that were submitted to the state and where automatically entered into the regional call for projects as per state law.

Fifteen projects were recommended for funding and CTC staff is recommending to the Commission, approval of the Fresno COG Regional Competitive Selected Program of Projects at the November 12^th meeting in Sacramento. Following CTC approval of the program of projects, project sponsors are required to obtain a funding allocation from the CTC for each phase of the project. Project sponsors must review the CTC allocation calendar to determine the request submittal deadlines which can sometimes be 2 months in advance of a meeting.   In order to be placed on the agenda for a funding allocation, please visit the Office of California Transportation Commission Liaison’s website and review the 2015 Preparation Schedule at http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/transprog/ctcliaison.htm.  You must also contact your Caltrans District Local Assistance Engineer.

For complete information please see the enclosed memorandum.

Action: Information. Direction may be provided at the discretion of the Commmittee.

For the latest information on grants, contact Ishmael Herrera at isherrera@csufresno.edu

In effort to assist Fresno COG member agencies and partnering agencies in finding grant opportunities, Fresno COG has recently subscribed to EfficientGov.com’s GrantFinder database to offer their services, free of charge to our member agencies for a trial period of one year.

GrantFinder is a real-time, comprehensive database of all federal, state, foundation and corporate grants available to municipalities, counties and non-profit partners.  The database is updated daily with new grants as well as updates to existing grants within the system.  Additionally, the service provides for unlimited access to EfficientGov news, articles and the GrantIntel newsletter, which focuses specifically on grant funding.

A list of the transportation grants in California that are currently shown in the database is enclosed.

If you or someone from your agency is still interested in signing up for this service or if you have any questions please contact Lindsey Chargin at 559-233-4148 ext. 205 or lindseyc@fresnocog.org.

Summary: The Fresno COG Policy Board approved feasibility studies in 2013 to explore providing Transit Service to Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks. Based on the studies and at the direction of the Fresno COG Policy Board, CMAQ Funding Grant Applications were prepared on behalf of Fresno COG and the City of Sanger for transit demonstration projects to the national parks. The City of Sanger is the lead agency for the Fresno-Sanger to Sequoia-Kings Canyon Transit Demonstration Project, and Fresno COG is the lead agency for the Fresno to Yosemite Transit Demonstration Project. The Policy Board awarded CMAQ funds (Yosemite: $2,692,527 and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks: $462,127) to provide for the first two years of operations of both projects, and the Air District provided matching funds for (Yosemite: $367,040 and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks: $59,873) both projects.  In order to implement the service County Counsel is requiring an amendment to the Fresno COG JPA.

Per Policy Board direction at the September 25^th Board meeting, Fresno COG JPA Amendment #9 was submitted to each of our member agencies for  individual City Council and Board of Supervisors action. The amendment was ratified per the Fresno COG Bylaws by a majority of the members representing a population share of at least 40% and is now in effect. The JPA amendment allows Fresno COG to act as lead agency to apply for and receive grant funding, enter into agreements to provide funding, administration and oversight for interregional public transportation services.

Current staff activities are underway to do the initial planning and start up marketing in preparation and support of operations of the Fresno to Yosemite Transit Demonstration Project. These planning activities are supported by a $100,000 planning grant awarded by Caltrans, and an agreement to receive these funds on behalf of YARTS services to be rendered was approved at the September 25^th Policy Board meeting.  The plan calls for the service to begin in spring of 2015 however there are several important steps to be taken before the CMAQ operating funds can be obligated and committed to YARTS. Time is of the essence if the service is to begin in the spring as planned  so various approvals are requested at this time which staff will work on concurrently to avoid approval delays.

1.  A Memorandum of Understanding detailing the Organizational Agreement must be executed between Fresno COG and Yosemite Area Regional Transit Service (YARTS) for the two agencies to work together to establish public transit service on Hwy 41 between the City of Fresno and Yosemite National Park. This item is on the current agenda below as an action item.
2. An FTIP listing which includes the project is scheduled for FHWA approval in December.
3. Following FTIP approval staff may request Caltrans to transfer the CMAQ funds to the Federal Transit Administration.
4. Staff must execute a Grant with FTA obligating the operations funds.
5. A Contract must be executed with the Air District for additional operating funds.
6. An amendment to the agreement between Fresno Cog and YARTS must be executed to provide the operating funds for YARTS to operate and administer the transit service. This amendment to the agreement for contractor services is on the current agenda contingent on successful execution of the operating grants with FTA and the Air District.

Action:  Information.

Summary: A Memorandum of Understanding  (MOU) has been prepared between Fresno COG and YARTS to provide a basis for the organizational relationship between YARTS and Fresno COG. The agreement provides two Fresno COG Board members who will attend the YARTS Board meeting as non-voting members and three technical members will attend the YARTS Advisory Committee. If the demonstration project proves successful and continues into the future, YARTS will amend their JPA and Bylaws and invite Fresno COG to become a full voting member.

Action: Staff recommends execution of the MOU between Fresno COG and YARTS.

Summary: An amendment to the funding agreement between Fresno COG and YARTS will provide up to $3,059,567 in operating funds for the first two years start up service. Approval of this contract amendment is contingent on Fresno COG executing grant agreements with Federal Transit Administration and the Air District to provide the operating funds

Action:  Staff recommends approval of the contract amendment to provide $2,832,860 in operating funds  for YARTS as service provider, and Fresno COG as funding administrator, contingent upon Fresno COG executing grant agreements with Federal Transit Administration and the Air District.   

Summary: Caltrans has recently resumed a past practice of requesting cities to collect a “fee” to mitigate impacts from new development on the State highway system. These pro-rata shares are being determined on a project-by-project basis utilizing a traffic impact study prepared by the developer’s engineer and a Caltrans cost estimate for the identified freeway interchange improvements. To date, Caltrans has not conducted an overall nexus study for traffic impacts to the State highway system and unlike the RTMF, no indemnification currently exists for agencies being requested to collect or to require the collection of the pro-rata mitigation shares. In certain situations, the City of Fresno has incorporated the improvements at City/State intersections into the City’s development impact fee program, such as the signalization of stop-controlled freeway ramp intersections. However Caltrans has also identified the need for mitigation at locations throughout Fresno County that are not included in any local agency’s development impact fee programs, which may involve correcting existing deficiencies. Correcting existing deficiencies may further require the identification of public funding for the portion not attributable to new development. Caltrans has pointed to Kern County and the City of Bakersfield as an example of a regional traffic impact fee program which could be implemented in Fresno County. Considering the recent increase in letters requesting fee collection from new development projects, the City of Fresno has requested a regional discussion rather than having cities deal with the issue in isolation.

Action: Discussion.  Direction may be provided at the discretion of the Committee.

1.

Resolution 2014-02 – Infill Development [Beshears] [APPROVE]

2.

Resolution 2014-03 - RTMF NEXUS Five Year Update [Beshears] [APPROVE]

All items on the consent agenda are considered to be routine and non-controversial by COG staff and will be approved by one motion if no member of the Committee or public wishes to comment or ask questions.  If comment or discussion is desired by anyone, the item will be removed from the consent agenda and will be considered in the listed sequence with an opportunity for any member of the public to address the Committee concerning the item before action is taken.

Summary:

To locate current and past year state bill information go to the Official California Legislative Information webpage at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/

To locate current and past year federal bill information go to THOMAS, The Library of Congress’s bill information website (in the spirit of Thomas Jefferson) at: http://thomas.loc.gov/

Please contact staff person, Melissa Garza, if you have any questions or comments. Report will be handed out at the meeting.

Summary: The Legislative Platform is a document that includes the advocacy priorities of the Fresno COG in state and federal legislative matters.  It represents a unified voice when communicating legislative priorities to our state and federal lawmakers as well as to relevant state and federal agencies.  It also provides guidance to the Fresno COG staff and the lobbying partners when advocating on behalf of the Policy Board. Staff requested comments and input for the update of the legislative platform.  No comments were received.  The current legislative platform  reflects the most current priorities for advocacy during the 2014/2015 state and federal legislative sessions. Please provide staff with any additional comments.  Staff is recommending approval of the 2015 Legislative Platform.

Action: Staff recommends approval of the 2015 Legislative Platform.

Summary:  Your agenda package includes this month’s Clearinghouse Calendar containing “Project Notification and Review Reports” for grant proposal.

 1.     Head Start/Early Head Start 2015 Refunding Application: $33,020,706 – Federal; $8,255,176 – Applicant – Total $41,275,882

Action:  Per Board procedure, unless an item is pulled from the Consent Calendar, tacit authorization is given for staff to forward any comment(s) received, or any Committee/Board comment(s) generated as a result of this informational item, to the appropriate agency. It is understood that if in the event this item should be pulled from the consent calendar, discussion and comment by the Committee members and the public will be taken.

Summary:  2014/15 OWP Amendment #2 increases the budget $279,620 to $13,172,760 to recognize revenue for a state ATP grant and to adjust various planning grants carried over from last year. 

WE 125 FCMA Transit Service Evaluation – The consultant made better progress on the study than anticipated so there will be $55,260 less grant funding required to complete the project. In addition the City of Fresno identified $51,827 in additional Transportation Network Implementation they wish the consultant to compete. This is work in excess of grant and will be paid for by the city.

WE 150 Other Modal Elements – Staff submitted and was awarded $150,000 from the state ATP program to develop a regional plan as required by the program. The plan will benefit small cities who don’t have resources to develop their own document. 

WE 314 Ventura Kings Canyon – A late start on this study resulted in the project requiring $96,883 more in authorized grant funding to carry over into the current year.

WE 940 Freeway Service Patrol – We are increasing the budget $36,170 consistent with the bid awarded by the board to Fresno Budget Towing.  80% of the increase comes from our state Freeway Service Patrol apportionment. 

Action:  Staff recommends authorizing 2014/15 OWP Amendment #2.

Summary:   The Request for Proposals (RFP) from qualified consultants for Phase II of the San Joaquin Valley Greenprint project was issued on September 15, 2014.  By way of background, the recently concluded Phase I compiled and evaluated a large collection of publicly funded maps and data that portray the Valley’s water, agricultural, and ecological resources to create a single repository of information.  The maps are publicly available through a single point of access, the SJV Greenprint website (http://sjvgreenprint.ice.ucdavis.edu), which provides an interactive mapping portal to create maps and explore conflicts and solutions related to the Valley’s natural resources and non-urban spaces.  Phase I concluded with the publication of a “State of the Valley” report that uses the collected maps to tell the story of the San Joaquin Valley, a unique, geographically-large, resource-rich, and growing region that faces both challenges and opportunities with impacts ranging from local to national significance.  The report provides baseline information on the current conditions and trends of natural resources on the valley floor, foothills and watersheds – water, agriculture, biodiversity, and energy.  The map and data collections span the full extent of the eight San Joaquin Valley counties.

Phase II of the Greenprint project will build on and extend the work completed in Phase I, by focusing on applications of the data and maps through the development of a “pilot projects program” and the subsequent selection and implementation of pilot projects.  The objectives of Phase II are as follows:

•             To convene panels of qualified experts to explore the implications of and offer informed opinions on the status of the Valley’s resources and the resource management challenges implied by the maps and data compiled in Phase I.

•             To describe existing major policies, program and implementation tools relating to the resource land of the Valley, including conflicts which may exist.

•             To enhance relevance of the Greenprint project by identifying opportunities to align it with ongoing, new, and potential state and federal initiatives.

•             To outreach, to increase awareness of the Greenprint resources and the state of the Valley’s resources and possible future implications of current trends, and to solicit ideas for resolution of key resource conservation and management challenges.

•             To select and fund pilot projects that incorporate Greenprint map resources into local land use planning.

•             To publish a guide for resource management to provide a range of specific strategies and implementation tools to address economic and resource objectives.

In response to the RFP for Phase II of the Greenprint project, Fresno COG received the following four qualifying proposals:

1.  Placeworks (formerly The Planning Center/DC&E) with the Local Government Commission and Randall Arendt (dba “Greener Prospects”)

2.  Mintier Harnish with Applied Development Economics, Flint Strategies, and Planning Partners

3.  First Carbon Solutions (formerly Michael Brandman Associates) with VRPA and Circlepoint

4.  University of California, Davis with Ag Innovations Network and Spiral PR & Communications

On October 30, 2014 a proposal evaluation team comprised of four evaluators interviewed and scored the four proposals received.  The four evaluators were John Wright, former Planning Director for the City of Clovis and current chair of the Greenprint Steering Committee; Bernard Jimenez, Deputy Director of Planning for the County of Fresno; Carole Combs, Secretary and Executive Director for the Tulare Basin Wildlife Partners; and, Denny Grossman, Senior Advisor to the California Strategic Growth Council.  The proposals were distributed to the evaluation team members in advance of the October 30^th meeting for the purpose of reviewing the proposals prior to convening as a group.  Because of the late date of the evaluation team meeting staff is not able to propose a consultant recommendation at this time.  The recommendation of the evaluation team will be presented by staff in a handout and verbally at the PAC meeting.

Action:    Staff recommends the PAC authorize the Executive Director to negotiate a scope of services and enter into a contract with the recommended consultant in the amount proposed to conduct the San Joaquin Valley Greenprint Phase II project.   

1.   Recognition - Cruz Ramos, City of San Joaquin - Retirement December 2014.

2.   No December meetings scheduled.

This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the Committee on items within its jurisdiction but not on this agenda.  Note:  Prior to action by the Committee on any item on this agenda, the public may comment on that item.  Unscheduled comments may be limited to 3 minutes.