Summary:  FY 2011/12 Transportation Development Act Claims. The amounts claimed for Local Transportation Funds (LTF) and State Transit Assistance (STA) funds are:

 Resolution #        Member            Amt LTF           Amt STA             Other             Grand Total

2012-04                Fresno County $ 4,453,478       $  868,264         $   246,473        $ 5,578,815

2012-06                Orange Cove    $    245,465       $    47,814               N/A              $    293,279

Action: TTC/PAC recommend that these funding claims be approved as Resolutions 2012-04, and 2012-06.

Summary:  Included in your agenda packet is the FY 2011-12 Monthly Progress Report which is a summary of funds expended and work completed in each work element during the month of December, 2011. Due to requests from Caltrans, we are now submitting reports to our Committees monthly rather than quarterly. 

 Action:  TTC, PAC and staff recommend acceptance of the FY 2011-12 Monthly Progress Report for December 2011 as presented.

Summary:  The productivity evaluation is conducted annually to assess the progress of transit operators who receive State Transportation Development Act funds and to recommend potential productivity improvements.  The California Public Utilities Code 99244 requires that “Each transportation planning agency shall annually identify, analyze, and recommend potential productivity improvements which could lower the operating costs of those operator’s who operate at least 50 percent of their vehicle service miles . . . within the area under its jurisdiction.”  If operators fail to reasonably respond to recommended productivity improvements, local transportation funds cannot exceed the appropriation for the prior year.

 The FY2010-11 Productivity Evaluation assesses the following transit agencies:

1.  Fresno Area Express and Handy Ride

2.  Clovis Stageline and Roundup

3.  Fresno County Rural Transit Agency

4.  Consolidated Transportation Services Agencies for the Metropolitan and Rural Areas.

 The FY 2010-2011 Transit Productivity Report was reviewed and accepted by the Social Service Transportation Advisory Council (SSTAC) on January 17, 2012.

Action:  TTC and PAC recommend acceptance of the FY2010-11 Transit Productivity Evaluation Report.

Summary: On November 4 and 17, 2011, respectively, the TTC/PAC and the Fresno Council of Governments Policy Board voted in support of entering into a contract with the selected consultant (URS Corporation), not to exceed $461,550 payable from the Valley wide Prop 84 Round 1 grant, to assist Valley communities under 50,000 population with planning activities related to integrating the Blueprint Smart Growth principles into their planning processes, in accordance with the Round 1 Prop 84 Grant awarded to the Fresno COG (on behalf of the San Joaquin Valley RPAs) from the Strategic Growth Council (SGC).  Such a contract has been completed, reviewed by legal counsel and has been signed by the Fresno COG Executive Director and the authorized agent representing URS.  The contract length shall be through January 31, 2013.  Circuit planner activities associated with this grant program are to begin in February, 2012.  During the month of February, each COG Board/Commission will receive a presentation at their respective monthly meeting to introduce the circuit planning team, explain the program and answer questions related to planning activities.  Collaboration with the Smart Valley Places program is on-going, with joint activities tentatively planned to utilize various Valley-wide partnerships and avoid duplication of regional efforts.

On January 13 and 26, 2012, respectively, the TTC/PAC and the Fresno COG Policy Board voted in favor of signing a resolution supporting the preparation of a Valley-wide Prop 84 Round 2 grant application to seek grant funds being solicited by the SGC.  As with Round 1, this is a no match grant, with Fresno COG acting as the fiscal agent within a similar framework to that of the previous grant.  The proposal document is currently being prepared by Fresno COG staff, with staff support from each of the valley COGs.  The application will be submitted under focus area two, which is designated for MPO applications.  Greenprint, Valley-wide model improvements, SCS completion and local agency planning assistance will be included in the proposal, with a requested amount of 1 million dollars.  The submittal deadline for this grant application is February 15, 2012.

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

Summary: The San Joaquin Valley region is one of the four major international trade regions in California. In 2007, The San Joaquin Valley Regional Planning Agencies developed the San Joaquin Valley Regional Goods Movement Action Plan.  The purpose of the plan is to provide a knowledge base for the understanding of freight and goods movement issues facing the San Joaquin Valley.  The Plan also provides a platform for promoting strategies to improve overall movement of goods in the Valley and identifies goods movement projects to compete for some of the $2.0 billion Proposition 1B Trade Corridor Improvement Funds.

 In June of 2011, the 24-month planning effort to develop a San Joaquin Valley Interregional Goods Movement Plan, including developing decision- making procedures to prioritize projects, and identify institutional arrangements and funding to implement the Plan, was officially kicked off.  The project has completed three phases of goods movement related studies in the Valley. The first phase of the study described the goods movement system and freight flows for the region and generated a list of key goods movement issues and problems. Phase II of the study developed the San Joaquin Valley Truck model tool.  In Phase III, the SJV truck model tested modified scenarios from Phase II and other goods movement scenarios in future years.

An "Importance of Goods Movement to the Valley" informational brochure was developed by the consultant team and included in the informational packet provided to congressional leaders during the eight-county September 2011 Valley Voice trip to Washington.  A Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) was formed with public, private and non-profit advocacy group representatives from throughout the Valley.  The first meeting of the SAC was held on September 26, 2011 in Fresno, with over 50 representatives attending.  Valley-wide outreach for the overall planning process has been conducted in numerous forums including a workshop at the SJV RTPA Fall Policy Conference, and status presentations to the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley.

A comprehensive Task One deliverable entitled Existing Conditions Assessment Technical Memorandum has been completed by the consultant team summarizing the population, demographic, economic and circulation components related to goods movement and its role in the SJV.  An industry profile has been completed by the consultant team detailing the tomato industry in the SJV.  Additional industry profiles are forthcoming.  An online survey has been established by the consultant team to further receive input from private carriers and shippers.  The second meeting of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee is being planned for March 2012 in Kings County.

Action: Information item only. Direction may be provided at the discretion of the Policy Board.

Summary: Fresno COG staff serves as the Valley-wide program manager for the SJV Blueprint activities.  Part of our role is to administer the entire grant-funded budget for the program according to directions from the Valley Regional Planning Agency (RPA) Directors and decisions of the Regional Policy Council by virtue of our Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  In accordance with these responsibilities, the following updates are being provided.

On October 14 and 27, 2012, respectively, the TTC/PAC and the Fresno Council of Governments Policy Board approved the selection of and authorized the Executive Director to enter into a contract, on behalf of the eight San Joaquin Valley MPOs, with The Planning Center for $49,680, payable from the Valley wide Blueprint grant, to provide consultation services to develop demographic forecasts for each of the eight counties that will provide unified and consistent forecasts the counties can use for both Blueprint and SB 375 purposes which will further the spirit and principles of the Blueprint effort.  The requested data were specifically chosen by the Valley MPOs to serve as inputs to the Blueprint and SB 375 process that take into account the economic downturn.  A draft report was submitted to the Fresno COG in mid-January with a final report due in mid-February, 2012.

On January 13 and 26, 2012, respectively, the TTC/PAC and the Fresno Council of Governments Policy Board approved the selection of and authorized the Executive Director to enter into a contract, on behalf of the eight San Joaquin Valley MPOs, with The Concord Group for $25,000, payable from the Valley wide Blueprint grant, to provide consultation services to determine the need and market demand for higher density residential housing types throughout the San Joaquin Valley, with a contract period of February 13, 2012 through May 31, 2012.  Such a contract has been drafted and reviewed by legal counsel and is awaiting the signature of the authorized agent representing The Concord Group.  The housing data gathered will utilize the most current demographic data provided by the Planning Center (as notated above).

Launched in January 2011 as part of the Blueprint Roadmap, the Planners Toolkit (http://toolkit.valleyblueprint.org/) is a guide to California planning law and a set of tools in the form of topical case studies, templates, and other resources.  The tools are designed to help planners and other Valley city and county staff implement the 12 Blueprint Smart Growth Principles through policies, plans, programs, and regulations.  The tools range from agricultural easements to innovative zoning provisions.  At the heart of the toolkit are templates that can be easily customized to fit the individual needs of each jurisdiction.  The toolkit emphasizes tools for smaller cities, which typically have less staff to carry out the research and work necessary to implement the Blueprint principles. On October 14 and 27, 2012, respectively, the TTC/PAC and the Fresno Council of Governments Policy Board approved the selection of and authorized the Executive Director to enter into a one-year contract, on behalf of the eight San Joaquin Valley MPOs, with Mintier Harnish for $25,000, payable from the Valley wide Blueprint grant, to provide administration and management, refinement and continued expansion, long-term funding identification and public outreach and publicity regarding the Toolkit.  The Toolkit remains an important clearinghouse of information for planners throughout the Valley and will continue to play a vital role in Prop 84 Grant activities such as Blueprint integration and (Round 1) and Greenprint formation and implementation (Rounds 1 and 2), providing the central location for circuit planner activities and products, data, mapping and document templates.

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

Summary: Fresno COG staff continues to work with the Fresno County SB375 Task Force, a stakeholder group that consists of member jurisdictions, private sectors, and the public, on developing land use and transportation scenarios for greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in Fresno County. With the assistance of Fregonese Associates and inputs from the Task Force, building prototypes and development types are being developed based on the market conditions in Fresno County.

 Performance indicators were extensively discussed at the January Task Force meeting. Discussions also included the pros and cons of various target formats and a comparison of population projections developed by The Planning Center.

The Task Force will continue to provide guidance on the target setting process, and will make recommendation for targets for Fresno County to the Policy Board in spring, 2012.

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

Summary: Preliminary 2012/13 Estimates are provided for Local Transportation Fund:

Local Transportation Fund estimates are developed by the County Auditor Controllers Office. The 2012/13 estimate is $27,500,000, $2.5 million higher than the 2011/12 final estimate of $25,000, reflecting continued economic recovery currently underway.

Preliminary 2012/13 Estimates are provided for the State Transit Assistance Fund:

State Transit Assistance Fund estimates are developed by the State Controller’s Office. The 2012/13 estimate is $6,338,878; $629,097 higher than the 2011/12 final estimate of $5,709,781.  

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

Summary:  The California Department of Transportation’s Division of Mass Transportation is pleased to announce a call for projects for federal fiscal year 2011 and 2012.

Estimated federal funding is $13.5 million for JARC-Small Urban and JARC Non-Urban (Rural).

Estimated federal funding of $5.8 million for New Freedom Small Urban and New Freedom Non-Urban (Rural).

Applications from non-MOU small urbanized areas and rural areas are due to Caltrans on or before Friday, March 23, 2012.

Attached are program fact sheets.  Additional information is available at the Caltrans JARC and New Freedom Websites as well as the fresnocog.org.

 http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/MassTrans/5316.html

http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/MassTrans/5317.html

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

Summary: Fresno COG continues to process the Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee (RTMF), a component of the Measure C Extension approved by voters in 2006.  For the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011, 1,003 applications were received for Single Family Dwellings; fees were collected for 549 applications while 453 applications were exempt from the RTMF due to vesting protection and one application was not eligible for the fee.  This represents a total of $797,500 in fees collected for single family dwellings for the fiscal year.

 Within the January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011 time period, applications were received on 315 multi-family dwellings.  Of this, 245 units were non-exempt whereas 70 units were exempt because of vesting protections.  This represents a total of $249,410 in fees collected for the fiscal year.

In the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011, there was a fee reduction of $725.00 for projects meeting the criteria for ‘affordable housing’.  This applies to both single family and multi-family dwellings.

Fees for non-residential development of the Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee program for the period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011 are $283,591.54. The total Handling Fee collected during this period was $15,825.00. Please see schedule included in the package.

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

Summary: The Golden State Corridor project is approaching the completion of the first phase of work.  The project will be brought before the TTC/PAC Committees and the Policy Board in March to accept the current phase deliverables/studies/documents and to adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration.  A staff report is included in your packet and documents that have been prepared for this study are available at www.fresnocog.org.

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

Summary:  Since the September 6, 2011 approval date of the Grant Agreement between the State Department of Conservation and the Fresno COG for the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Roadmap Program, including the Greenprint project, there have been several accomplishments.  A Steering Committee has been established to assist with the project and it has given consensus approval to two products.  The first is a Statement of Intent for the San Joaquin Valley Greenprint, describing its purpose and objective, geographic scope, process and steps, and project management.  The second is a detailed description of Greenprint project tasks and deliverables, a necessary component for contract development with the University of California, Davis (Information Center for the Environment or ICE).  The contract has been prepared and, as this is written, is being reviewed for approval by Fresno COG legal counsel prior to transmittal to UC Davis for their approval.  The Steering Committee has also discussed a comprehensive Greenprint “roll-out” strategy that will be implemented as soon as the contract has been approved.

Please contact Fresno COG staffperson Clark Thompson at 233-4148 x203 or clarkt@fresnocog.org if you have any questions about the Greenprint project.       

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

Summary:  The update to the 2011 FTIP included changes to project descriptions, open to traffic dates, grouped projects, funding and phase changes.  An update to the RTP and a corresponding conformity analysis was required.  The final document was adopted by the Fresno COG Policy Board on July 29, 2010 and received Caltrans approval on November 12, 2010 and FHWA approval on December 14, 2010.

Formal Amendment No. 9 (Type 3): Included cost project changes greater than 40% of the total project cost, phase and scope changes, technical corrections, and updates to the grouped project listing including the Highway Bridge Program, the Safe Routes to School Program, and the Highway Maintenance Program back up lists.  FTIP Amendment No. 9 is consistent with the 2011 RTP and changes do not interfere with air quality conformity.  The 14-day public review period was completed on December 2, 2011. One comment from Caltrans was received; the comment and response are in the final amendment. The Executive Director of Fresno COG approved this amendment, as authorized by the Policy Board, on December 5, 2011.  Caltrans approval was received on December 16, 2011 and FHWA approval was received on December 22, 2011.

We are currently working on the next Formal and Administrative amendments.  Proposed project changes may be submitted via Fresno Trak for inclusion in the amendment.  Only changes that do not impact conformity may be submitted.  Please submit all project changes ASAP.

The development of the 2013 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) has also begun.  The RSTP and CMAQ Call for Projects scoring committees will meet in late February and the selected projects from both programs will be included in the new 2013 FTIP.

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

Summary: The 2011 CMAQ and RSTP Call for Projects closed on January 6, 2012.  COG staff is currently reviewing the applications and scoring committees will meet later this month to score and select projects to recommend for inclusion in the 2013 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP).   The RSTP scoring committee was originally scheduled to meet on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 but will now meet on Tuesday, February 28, 2012.  The CMAQ Scoring Committee was originally scheduled to meet 2/15/2012 but will now meet Wednesday February 29 and if needed March 1, 2012. Final call recommendations will be sent out following the scoring committee meetings.  The Policy Board will approve projects for funding 3/29/2012.

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

Summary: Local agencies are requested to submit their requests for authorizations for bridge projects to Caltrans.  If a local agency has any bridge projects that are ready for obligation of HBP funds, it is very important to obligate the funds programmed in FFY 11/12 and to start advancing projects from the future years.  The current available funding is limited this year due to last year's federal continuing resolution of SAFETEA-LU.  California only received a prorated amount of apportionment through March 31, 2012, instead of September 30, 2012.

If local agencies are experiencing delays in FTIP amendments, please submit the request for authorization packages to your District Local Assistance Engineer (DLAE) anyway so that the Department may initiate its review process.  Please indicate in your transmittal letter when the amendment will be approved and what FTIP amendment the project will be programmed.

The web link below will direct you to a web site containing links to the project list for your agency:  http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/LocalPrograms/hbrr99/4yearstatus/.  These lists show all programmed federal funds in the 4 year element (FFY 10/11 - 13/14) of the FTIP that could be obligated in FFY 11/12.  The lists also show proposed changes by local agencies and what has been obligated to date.

After March 30th, projects programmed in FFY 11/12 will lose their reservation of funds so that projects in FFY 12/13 and 13/14 may be advanced.

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