Social Services Transportation Advisory Committee – AMENDED

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

It is January and with the New Year comes another cycle of the Unmet Transit Needs (UTN) Assessment.  January’s SSTAC meeting serves to officially kick off the current cycle of this important process.

Public outreach is an essential and required component of the UTN.  This year, the public outreach component of the UTN will consist of virtual and in-person events, an online public survey, and culminate in a public hearing.

Public outreach activities are being scheduled for the second week of February through the first week of March.  Tentative details for in-person public outreach in the Fresno-Clovis Metropolitan Area satisfying the Urban component of the UTN include:

• Monday, February 24, 2025, at 5:30 PM at the Pinedale Community Center in Fresno
• Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at 5;30 PM at the Mosqueda community center in Fresno
• Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at 5:30 PM at the Clovis Transit Center in Clovis
• Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 11:00 AM at the Maxie L. Parks Community Center in Fresno

For the Rural in-person component, meetings are being scheduled at Housing Authority properties in Reedley and Kerman.  The proposed dates are Tuesday and Thursday on February 18 and 20, 2025, or March 4 and March 6, 2025, at 5:30 PM.  Two online virtual events will be scheduled for the alternative week to the in-person rural public outreach meetings.

The most popular component of the public outreach process has been the online survey.  This year’s survey will reuse last year’s survey in its entirety and be available in several languages.  The online survey remain online through Friday, April 4, 2025.

Public outreach of the Unmet Transit Needs process concludes with a public hearing scheduled for Thursday, April 24, 2025 at the Fresno COG Policy Board meeting.

An essential component of the public outreach process is the stakeholder mailing list.  The most recent stakeholder list was shared with the committee on December 10, 2024 with feedback received before the Holidays.

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

Summary: Under California Public Utilities Code 99244, Fresno COG annually conducts a productivity evaluation to assess transit operators in the region that receive State Transportation Development Act funds and to recommend potential productivity improvements. The evaluation identifies, analyzes, and recommends potential productivity improvements that could lower transit providers’ operational costs. If Fresno COG determines that an operator has not made a reasonable effort to implement the recommended improvements, then local transportation funds allocated to that operator cannot exceed the appropriation from the prior year.

The FY 2024 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.

Action: Staff request the SSTAC accept the FY 2024 Transit Productivity Evaluation Report.

With a new cycle of the Unmet Transit Needs Assessment comes reappointments.  Three appointments expired in June, 2024 and one is up next month.  The current Chair, Amy Hance, representing Clovis Transit will be stepping down at this meeting and appointing Bethany Berube, as her replacement.  As a result, the Committee will need to nominate a new Chair.  Appointments requiring action include:

There are also a few vacancies on the SSTAC.  As a result, we encourage you to discuss SSTAC and the possibility of serving with your qualified friends and acquaintances.

Action: Staff requests that SSTAC recommend the Fresno COG TTC and PAC approve the re-appointments of interested SSTAC members for a 2-year term.

Please call Todd Sobrado at (559) 621-1532 or by email at harold.sobrado@fresno.gov for more information or to RSVP.