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:  A public notice was placed in the Fresno Bee on May 14, 2018, noticing this public hearing and inviting interested parties to submit comments regarding the Fresno Council of Governments Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) program public hearing on June 28, 2018. Any comments received will be read into the record during the public hearing.

The U.S. Department of Transportation, pursuant to revisions to 49 CFR Part 26,  issued rules affecting the implementation and management of the Departments DBE program requiring a three year goal setting methodology.  The three year goal for the period 2018-19 through 2020-21 will be updated annually to reflect adjustments in participation rates. The federal guidance also encourages DBE goals to be met with Race Neutral methodology however requires recipients to do a study to identify evidence of egregious discrimination.  A study by the State Department may be used.

A California State Department of Transportation Availability and Disparity Study determined three groups exhibited disparity indices substantially below parity and are presumed to be disadvantaged; Black American, Hispanic American and Native American. Two additional groups displayed disparity indices below parity but did not reach the threshold considered substantial; White Woman-Owned Business and Subcontinent Asian American.

Federal Transit Administration has issued new guidelines on preparing the Goal involving separating contract opportunities by NAICS code and applying a technical analysis of the California Unified Certification Program and the National Census County Business Patterns database. The result of that calculation creates a base goal of 19 percent; however the five year median for program participation is 13 percent. When adjusted for the five year median participation the adjusted goal is 16 percent.

Fresno COG staff mailed a notice to our entire consulting database requesting updates to their DBE status. The result of their response has been tabulated and our database now has 292 companies of which four (4) are African American, six (6) are Asian Pacific American, two (2) are Native American, nineteen (19) are women, thirteen (13) are Hispanic male, three (3) are Subcontinent Asian male and one (1) Other, suggesting the 16 percent anticipated DBE participation level calculated above is a valid reflection of DBE’s willing and able to do business in our market area.

Fresno COG’s fiscal year 2018-19 Overall Work Program and budget identifies $1,572,016 in contracting opportunities that will be subject to procurement during the fiscal year. In addition staff anticipates and additional $1,060,000 in contracting opportunities during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 fiscal years for a total of $2,632,016 subject to this goal.

During the 2017-18 fiscal year we did twelve procurements totaling $410,360. Overall DBE participation was $466,023 or 49 percent. The high DBE participation is attributed to the relatively low dollar amount of procurements entered into during the year.

Action:  Staff requests that the TTC/PAC recommend the Board approve Resolution 2018-13, adopting the 2018-19 through 2020-21 annual anticipated DBE participation level at 16 percent.

Summary: Fresno County Rural Transit Agency's budget has been prepared reflect Fresno COG's Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the Short-Range Transit Plan (SRTP) for the rural Fresno County area, 2018-2022.

The document recommends programmed service improvements and continuing existing services. This year's draft budget has been developed to include continued review, comment and action during its 45-day public review period that will culminate on June 28, 2018 with the scheduled FCRTA Board meeting. The numbers in the draft budget are subject to refinement following service contract negotiations, an opportunity for public presentations and a public presentation before the Board of Directors. The budget, which may require periodic amendments during the 2018-2019 fiscal year, is available on Fresno COG's website fresnocog.org and FCRTA's website ruraltransit.org.

Action:  Staff and SSTAC requests that the TTC/PAC recommend that the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency Board approve Resolution 2018-06 adopting fiscal year 2018-19 Fresno County Rural Transit Agency budget. 

Summary: The Consolidated Transportation Service Agency’s (CTSA) Operations Program and Budget (OPB), fiscal year 2018-19 for the Fresno Urban and Rural CTSA is available on the Fresno COG website at: http://fresnocog.org. The document is designed to provide an overview of how and in what manner the Consolidated Transportation Service Agencies will be providing service over the next fiscal year. The OPB's 45-day review process began on May 11, 2018 and the Social Service Transportation Advisory Council (SSTAC) approved the document on May 15, 2018. 

Action:  Staff and the SSTAC request that the TTC/PAC recommend the Fresno COG Board approve Resolution 2018-16 adopting the Urban and Rural Consolidated Transportation Service Agency’s Operations Program and Budget. 

Summary: The Clovis Consolidated Transportation Service Agency’s (CTSA) Operations Program and Budget (OPB) FY 2018-19 for the Clovis Urban Area is available on Fresno COG website at: http://fresnocog.org.  The document is designed to provide an overview of how and in what manner the Clovis Consolidated Transportation Service Agency will provide service over the next fiscal year. The OPB 45-day review process began on May 11, 2018 and was approved by the Social Service Transportation Advisory Council (SSTAC) on May 15, 2018. 

Action:  Staff and SSTAC request the TTC/PAC recommend that the Fresno COG Board adopt Resolution 2018-17, approving the Clovis Consolidated Transportation Service Agency’s 2018-19 Operations Program and Budget. 

Fresno COG's Policy Board must determine that public transportation needs within Fresno County will be reasonably met in fiscal year 2018-19 prior to approving claims of Local Transportation Funds for streets and roads. The Fresno COG Social Service Transportation Advisory Council (SSTAC) is responsible for evaluating unmet transit needs. 

Each year the SSTAC begins soliciting comments by sending approximately 400 letters to agencies and individuals interested in providing feedback on their public transportation needs within Fresno County. The request for comments letters, in English and Spanish, were sent on February 2018.

In addition to the request for written comments, SSTAC increased the number of outreach meetings from three last year to eight formal, and one informal, information-gathering meetings. Formal meetings were split evenly with four held in the Fresno-Clovis metropolitan area and four in rural communities (two east side and two west side). The informal meeting was held at the request of the Jakara Movement, a Sikh community group.

The unmet transit needs meeting schedule was publicized in Fresno COG’s e-newsletter; via public notices in the Fresno Bee and Vida En La Valle newspapers; through Fresno Metro Ministries' e-news to 2,000 public and community agencies and; posted on Fresno COG’s social media channels.  The meetings were also publicized in the Fresno Area Express’ e-newsletter reaching almost 300 subscribers.  Attendance ranged from just a few people to upwards of 25 people. 

After thorough review of all items, the Social Services Transportation Advisory Council (SSTAC) found there to be no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet in Fresno County.

Action:  Staff and SSTAC request the TTC/PAC recommend that Fresno COG's Board approve Resolution 2018-18, and find that there are no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet in Fresno County.

Fresno COG's Policy Board form the Social Services Technical Advisory Committee (SSTAC) in May 1988 to: respond to State legislation and coordinate social service transportation, assist the Board in identifying transit needs throughout Fresno County, review and recommend action for Fresno COG to address at its unmet transit needs hearing and advise Fresno COG on any other major transit issues. The Board appoints SSTAC members for a term of three years.

SSTAC new member appointments to the Council are:

Hector Medina, Fresno County Department of Social Services

Sonia Del La Rosa, Fresno County, Principal Administrative Analyst

SSTAC member reappointments to the Council are:          

Carlos Duarte, Fresno Area Express-Handy Ride

Bill Hyatt, Central Valley Regional Center

Moses Stites, Fresno County Rural Transit

Judith Nishi, Fresno Area Express          

The Transportation Development Act Article III, Section 99238 requires a minimum number of SSTAC members in specific categories. There is no maximum number of members specified in the TDA, and in the interest of diversity, staff is seeking additional nominations. Specifically, staff is seeking members who represent minority groups, social service providers for seniors and potential transit users.  A complete list of SSTAC members in included in your agenda package.

Action:  Review and recommend the Board approve two new SSTAC member appointments.

Summary: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Public and Indian Housing has issued a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the fiscal year 2018 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant Program.

The program supports comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategies, known as Transformation Plans, that will result from robust civic engagement focused on addressing three core goals: housing, people and neighborhoods. The goal is to improve residents’ employment, education, health and safety outcomes by providing greater access to critical assets, amenities and community services.

HUD will award approximately $145 million through five grants of up to $30 million each. The NOFA provides directions for how to calculate the maximum award an applicant may request based on the development cost for the number of replacement housing units included and additional funding for non-housing activities. There is a match requirement of at least five percent, which may be provided in cash or in-kind donations.

Please see the attached memo, Choice Neighborhoods Website, or FY 2018 Full NOFA for more information. The application deadline is Monday, September 17, 2018.

Action: Information only. The committee may provide additional direction at its discretion.

Summary:  The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) in the Federal Register announcing a pilot program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning that supports comprehensive planning associated with new, fixed-guideway and core-capacity improvement projects, resulting in concrete, specific deliverables and outcomes.

Planning will cover the entire capital project corridor. Eligible fixed-guideway projects are facilities: using and occupying a separate right-of-way for the exclusive use of public transportation, using rail, using a fixed-catenary system, for a passenger ferry system or for a bus rapid transit (BRT) system. A core-capacity improvement project is a substantial corridor-based capital investment in an existing fixed guideway system that increases corridor capacity by at least 10 percent; it does not include project elements necessary to maintain a state of good repair. Applicants are limited to FTA grantees, either existing direct and/or designated recipients.

FTA will award approximately $25.79 million through grants ranging from $250,000 to $2 million each. The nonfederal local cost share requirement is at least 20 percent, which can be satisfied through cash or in-kind contributions from state, local or private resources. The maximum federal share is 80 percent.

For more information, see the FTA Press Release or Full NOFO. The application deadline is Monday, July 23, 2018.

Action: Information only. The committee may provide additional direction at its discretion..

Summary:  Fresno COG staff is poised to apply for FTA Section 5311(f) financial assistance for intercity travel to help fund YARTS operation from Fresno to Yosemite.  Caltrans requests a resolution authorizing Fresno COG staff to file and execute the applications, execute and file all certification of assurances, contracts or agreements and submit and approve the request for reimbursement of funds.

Action:  Staff requests the TTC/PAC recommend that Fresno COG Policy Board adopt Resolution 2018-19 authorizing Fresno COG staff to submit and approve all necessary documents for FTA Section 5311 (f) funding with Caltrans.

Summary: Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) is claiming $7,889,056 inTransportation Development Act fundingin support of their $11,240,308 2018-19 fiscal year budget.

Action:  Staff recommends the TTC/PAC adopt Resolution 2018-20 approving FCRTA’s fiscal year 2018-19 Transportation Development Act Claim.

Summary: Active Transportation Program (ATP) funds are separated into three main categories: the statewide competitive program, the small-urban and rural area competitive program (State-managed) and the large-urbanized area competitive program, managed by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and also known as the Regional Competitive ATP. Large MPOs such as Fresno COG may develop their own policies, procedures and project selection criteria that differ from those the California Transportation Commission (CTC) adopts, provided they are CTC-approved.

The Cycle 4 Fresno COG Regional Competitive ATP will cover four years of funding -- FY 19-20 through FY 22-23. The CTC adopted the ATP Cycle 4 fund estimate at its May 2018 meeting, which provides about $4.77 million over four years to the region. This is nearly double what was available in past ATP cycles due to new funding from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (SB 1). Following ATP legislation, at least 25 percent of the program funds must benefit projects in disadvantaged communities.

Per state ATP guidelines, ALL applications must be submitted to the statewide competition to be eligible for the regional competitive program. The Call for Projects was initiated on May 16 and will close on July 31.  Supplemental documents will need to be submitted to the region as listed on the timeline in the regional guidelines.  The Multidisciplinary Advisory Group (MAG) will convene on February 8, 2019 to score and deliberate on the recommended program of projects.

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) adopted final 2019 ATP Guidelines on May 16, 2018. There were many changes at the statewide level from ATP Cycle 3 to the current ATP Cycle 4, including new and revised language in categories such as project/program amendments, project reporting, baseline agreements and project signage.  Major program changes include:

• Extended programming cycle: The ATP will cover four fiscal years. New programming capacity for the 2019 ATP will include state fiscal years 2019/20–2022/23.
• Updated project application types: There will be five different applications to complete, depending on the project type and size. 
• No points for leveraging funding for plans, small infrastructure, and non-infrastructure projects.

The MAG agreed that the regional guidelines and criteria should match the adopted statewide guidelines as closely as possible. Only a few minor differences remain between the statewide guidelines and Fresno COG’s regional guidelines.  As in previous cycles, the MAG agreed to continue with no minimum funding floor and to encourage a maximum funding ceiling less than $1.5 million. Both of these issues differ from the statewide guidelines. The MAG also added some clarifying language but otherwise, they are consistent with the statewide guidelines.

These documents are all included for review and approval and will be posted to the Fresno COG website. The MAG and staff recommend several changes that have been identified in the guidelines, shown in red. These changes are consistent with the statewide guidelines.  Enclosures for this item include:

1.       Resolution 2018-14

2.       Table outlining specific changes between Cycle 3 and Cycle 4

3.       Final Draft Regional ATP Guidelines with proposed, MAG-approved changes

4.       Fund estimate

5.       MAG membership list

The electronic ATP Cycle 4 statewide application and other guidance documents can be found at: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/LocalPrograms/atp/cycle-4.html.  If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Soliz via email at JSoliz@fresnocog.org or via phone at 559-233-4148 ext. 223.

Action: Staff requests that the TTC/PAC recommend that the Policy Board approve Resolution 2018-14 for the Fresno COG Regional Competitive Active Transportation Program Guidelines and accept of the Multidisciplinary Advisory Group membership list.

Summary: Fresno COG issued a request for proposals in April 2018 for consultant services to develop the Fresno County Multi-jurisdictional Pavement Management Systems (PMS). The multi-jurisdictional PMS will build a pavement management system for each of the nine participating cities: Coalinga, Fowler, Firebaugh, Huron, Kingsburg, Mendota, Orange Cove, San Joaquin and Selma.

Four proposals were submitted. All four consultant teams are from outside the region. The consultant selection committee, comprising Fresno COG staff and representatives from participating local governments and a local agency with an existing PMS, reviewed the proposals and interviewed the consultants on May 24.

The committee unanimously recommended that NCE be selected to develop the multi-jurisdictional PMS. NCE is a nationally recognized firm with extensive experience in working with regional transportation planning agencies as well as small cities in implementing and updating pavement management systems. It has completed similar projects for more than 200 public agencies throughout California.

Action: Staff requests that TTC/PAC recommend to Fresno COG's Policy Board that NCE undertake the multi-jurisdictional Pavement Management Systems and authorize the Executive Director to enter into a contract with NCE for the amount not to exceed $322,228.

Summary: Fresno COG, in partnership with City of Fresno and Fresno County, applied to Caltrans' Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program for funding to conduct a study and develop a plan for the Industrial Triangle (commonly known as the Reverse Triangle) area bounded by State Route (SR) 41 to the west, SR 99 to the east, Church Avenue at the north and American Avenue to the south. This area is the future home to an Amazon e-commerce distribution center and an Ulta Beauty distribution center. It is also the potential location for the California High-Speed Rail Heavy Maintenance Facility.

The grant's primary objective is to develop a plan that will address potential impacts from the new development and respond to the area's multi-modal transportation needs. The study will identify strategies to mitigate the impacts from the growing industrial centers, move people and goods efficiently along SR 99 and SR 41 and local and regional roadways in that area, engage stakeholders and develop implementation plans.

Caltrans has awarded Fresno COG $298,800 from the 2018-19 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant program for the project, which is expected to kick-off this summer or early fall after Caltrans' clearance on some standard conditions. All interested local governments, transit agencies, the High-Speed Rail Authority and other transportation entities will be invited to participate. Key stakeholders and representatives from the impacted communities will be included in the planning process and extensive outreach efforts will be undertaken to solicit input from these communities.

Any questions about this project can be directed to Kristine Cai at kcai@fresnocog.org or 559-233-4148 ext. 215.

Action: Information only. The committee may provide further direction at its discretion.

Summary: Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) - The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 - allocated $17 million for the 2018-19 Sustainable Communities Competitive Grants program. This program funds local and regional multimodal transportation and land use planning projects that further the region’s RTP/SCS goals (where applicable), contribute to the State’s greenhouse gas reduction targets and also help achieve Caltrans' Mission and Grant Program Overarching Objectives.

Fresno COG has been awarded a $179,929 Caltrans Sustainable Communities Planning Grant to develop a Regional Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Network Plan (The Plan). Fresno COG and Fresno County Rural Transit Agency assess the region's public and transit electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The Plan requires robust public engagement to develop the coordinated plan connecting the region to the statewide network, map current and planned chargers, provide prioritized site locations and identify funding for future charger deployment in Fresno County. Strategic regional planning will help to avoid conflicts with a duplicate or lack of charging sites and ensure that disadvantaged communities receive an equable benefit in accessing charging infrastructure.

The project will begin in late 2018, pending contract execution with Caltrans, and will conclude in early 2020. Fresno COG will reach out to local agencies and stakeholders to participate in the EV Charging Network.

Contact Trai Her-Cole at traih@fresnocog.org at 559-233-4148 x205 with any questions.

Action: Information only. The committee may provide additional direction at its discretion.

Summary: Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) - The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 - allocated $7 million for the 2018-19 Caltrans Adaptation Planning Grant cycle to advance climate adaptation planning on California’s transportation infrastructure, including but not limited to roads, railways, bikeways, trails, bridges, ports and airports.

Adaptation planning aims to anticipate and prepare for impacts to reduce damage from climate change and extreme weather events. Adaptation is distinct from, but complements, climate change mitigation, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Fresno COG has been awarded a $216,456 Caltrans Adaptation Planning Grant to develop a Fresno County Regional Transportation Network Vulnerability Assessment. The assessment will identify regional areas where the multimodal transportation network is vulnerable to impacts such as: increased precipitation, extreme heat and wildfire, and to identify strategies to remedy those impacts.

Senate Bill 379 and the State's General Plan Guidelines direct cities and counties to address climate adaptation and resiliency in their general plans' safety elements. The Vulnerability Assessment will provide valuable information that jurisdictions may incorporate into their safety elements with regard to the transportation network, as well as a regional summary of climate projections that jurisdictions can use to evaluate potential impacts on other functions and assets.

The project will begin in August 2018 and conclude in early 2020. Fresno COG will reach out to local agencies in fall 2018  to participate in the Vulnerability Assessment Working Group.

Any questions about this project can be directed to Meg Prince at mprince@fresnocog.org or 559-233-4148 x203.

Action: Information only. The committee may provide additional direction at its discretion.

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.

1.

Renova Home Improvements, Inc. (Jose Marron & Sal Cuevas) [INFORMATION]

2.

Caltrans Report (CALTRANS) [INFORMATION]