Policy Advisory Committee

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.

City of San Joaquin TDA Claim 2024-25

2025-20 City of San Joaquin FY 2024-25 TDA Claim Resolution

Action: Approve Resolution 2025-20 adopting the City of San Joaquin’s FY 2024-25 Transportation Development Act claim totaling $260,705.

5307 & 5339 Formula 2025

Table-3-5307-5340-FY25-Full-Year

Table-12-Section-5339a-Apportionments-FY25-Full-Year

Summary: Each state and urbanized area (UZA) receives formula funding from the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) made available under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025. Formula grant programs allocate funding to states, urbanized areas and transit agencies based on formulas set by Congress. State governments and urbanized areas decide how much to provide to specific transit agencies and other providers.

As the regional transportation planning agency for Fresno County, Fresno Council of Governments has delegated authority from the governor as “designated recipient” for large urbanized area apportionments allocated by the Federal Transit Administration. Pursuant to this designation, Fresno Area Express is authorized to submit applications to FTA for:

FY25

FTA 5307 – $11,642,231

FTA 5339 – $1,031,759

Pursuant to this designation, the City of Clovis Public Transit is authorized to submit applications to FTA for:

FY25

FTA 5307 – $3,244,794

FTA 5339 – $287,560

For each urbanized area (UZA) to which FY 2025 Section 5307 and 5339 funds are apportioned, the designated recipient and the applicable metropolitan planning organization (MPO) should determine the allocation of funds fairly and rationally through a process based on regional and/or local priorities or needs that is agreeable to the designated recipient.

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

Eddie Hunsaker COC Application

Summary:  Fresno Council of Governments’ Policy Board, acting as the Fresno County Mayors’ Select Committee, along with the chairman of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, is tasked with appointing members to the Measure C Citizen Oversight Committee (COC) consistent with the November 2006 voter-approved Measure C Expenditure Plan.

The COC informs the public and ensures that Measure C program revenues are spent as promised.

The Measure C Expenditure Plan specifies that the COC shall comprise 13 members, including six at-large public members who respectively reside in each of the five Fresno County Supervisorial Districts. Three of the six must reside in the Fresno-Clovis metropolitan area and two must reside in the unincorporated rural area of the county (east and west). The remaining seven members must be representatives drawn from a diverse mix of interested community organizations.

Members serve four-year terms, with a maximum limit of eight years on the committee. Appendix G of the Measure C Extension Expenditure Plan (attached) states the Committee’s duties and responsibilities. Currently, there are five (5) vacancies on the Oversight Committee:

• Three positions for community organization representatives
  (Organization/agency/service clubs/chamber, etc. must provide applicant with a letter of recommendation.)

• Two public-at-large positions representing the following:
  • Unincorporated rural Area West of State Route 99 (Supervisorial District 1)
  • Fresno-Clovis Metropolitan Area (Supervisorial District 4)

Eddie Hunsaker is applying to serve as the representative for the “Fresno-Clovis Metropolitan Area (Supervisorial District 4).” His application will go for approval at the next scheduled Fresno Council of Governments Policy Board meeting to be approved by the Policy Board, acting as the Fresno County Mayors’ Select Committee, along with the chairman of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors on Thurs., June 26. If approved, his term would begin on June 27.

Fresno COG and Fresno County Transportation Authority staff will continue recruiting new members until all the positions are filled.

Measure C Citizen Oversight Committee webpage:  fresnocog.org/citizen-oversight-committee/

Action: Staff requests that the TTC/PAC recommend the Fresno County Mayors’ Select Committee appoint Eddie Hunsacker to the Measure C Oversight Committee as the Fresno-Clovis Metropolitan Area (Supervisorial District 4) representative. The Committee may provide additional direction at its discretion.

City of Coalinga TDA Claim 2024-25

2025-21 City of Coalinga FY 2024-25 TDA Claim Resolution

Action: Approve Resolution 2025-21 adopting the City of Coalinga’s FY 2024-25 Transportation Development Act claim totaling $1,266,005.

Summary: Two appointments to Fresno COG’s Social Services Transportation Advisory Committee (SSTAC) are lapsing and need to be reappointed. These include:

• Thomas Dulin, representative from the Local Consolidated Transportation Agency, Fresno/Fresno County
• Darlene Christiansen, representative from the Local Consolidated Transportation Agency, Clovis/Fresno County

Action:  Staff and the SSTAC requests that the Fresno COG Transportation Technical Committee (TTC) and Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) recommend and forward the re-appointments of interested SSTAC members for another two-year term to the Fresno COG Policy Board.

2026 Clovis CTSA OPB & Resolution - Final

Res 2025-25 Clovis OPB

Summary:  The Clovis Consolidated Transportation Services Agency’s (CTSA) FY2025-26 Operations Program and Budget (OPB) for the Clovis Urban area provides an overview of the services the CTSA will provide over the next fiscal year.  The proposed adoption is scheduled for Thurs., June 26 at the Fresno COG Policy Board meeting.

Action: Staff and the SSTAC request that TTC/PAC recommend the Fresno COG Policy Board approve Resolution 2025-25, adopting the Clovis Consolidated Transportation Service Agency’s Operations, Program and Budget for FY 2025-2026.

Res 2025-23 Urban CTSA OPB

Res 2025-24 Rural CTSA OPB

2026 CTSA OPB & Resolution - Final

Summary: The Consolidated Services Agencies’ (CTSA) Operations, Program and Budget (OPB) for fiscal year 2025-2026 provides an overview of how the CTSA will be providing service, with Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission as the subcontractor for these services, in both the urban and rural areas over the next fiscal year.  The proposed adoption is scheduled for Thurs., June 26 at the Fresno COG Policy Board meeting.

Action: Staff and SSTAC request that the TTC/PAC recommend two actions to adopt the Urban and Rural Consolidated Transportation Agency’s Operations, Program, and Budget: specifically, that the Policy Board approve:

Resolution 2025-23 for the Urban CTSA, and

Resolution 2025-24 for the Rural CTSA.

2025-28 OWP FY 25-26 Amendment No 1 Resolution

Amenbud

Summary: Fresno COG’s 2025-26 Overall Work Program Amendment No. 1 proposes to reinstate work elements that originally were expected to be completed in FY 2024-25 and were not carried over in the FY 2025-26 Overall Work Program.  The amendment increases the budget $735,994 to $35,996,700.  

WE 149 – SB 743 Impact Update – The work element increases $20,000 to carry over the contract with LSA Associates awarded in FY 2024-25.  

WE 421 Regional Early Action Plan Housing – The work element increases $715,994 to complete additional work authorized by HCD to expend previously awarded REAP 1.0 funds. 

Action: Staff requests the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board adopt Resolution 2025-28 approving the 2025-26 Overall Work Program Amendment No. 1. 

FY 24-25 OA Quarterly Report - (JAN -MAR 2025)

Summary: On February 27th, Fresno COG submitted its federal fiscal year (FFY) 2024/25 obligation plan to Caltrans’ Division of Local Assistance, which documents Fresno COG’s estimated project delivery for the remainder of the year. The obligational authority (OA) target for FFY 2024/25 was set at $19,788,364. Of that, the region has obligated $1,906,178

in combined Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) improvement funds as of April 1, 2025. This equates to roughly 9.6% of the OA target. Attached is the list of obligated and de-obligated projects from January 1, 2025, through March 31, 2025, totaling $1,395,610 in projects obligation during that quarter.

It is the State of California’s goal to exceed the OA target and, in August, receive additional federal funds redistributed from other states to projects pending authorization. Fresno COG continues to encourage all agencies to continue submitting their requests for authorization. If projects do not receive authorization approval in August, they will be delayed to October 2025, the beginning of the new federal fiscal year 2025/26.

Please keep Fresno COG staff updated on any changes that could impact the region’s project delivery plan. Contact Blake Rincon at 559-233-4148 ext. 203 or brincon@fresnocog.org with any questions regarding fiscal year deadlines or the process of obligating project funds.

Action: Information. The TTC/PAC may provide additional directions at its discretion.

2025_0626 FCMA SRTP Res 2025-27

FCMA SRTP - 2026-2030

Summary: The Short-Range Transit Plan (SRTP) for the Fresno-Clovis Metropolitan Area (FCMA) is the biannual update to the operating plan and capital programs for Fresno Area Express (FAX) and Clovis Transit.  The SRTP promotes a comprehensive, coordinated, and continuous planning process for transit service in the FCMA. It represents a short-range evaluation of transit needs and proposes specific recommendations for long-range objectives of Fresno County’s Regional Transportation Plan.  The Plan will guide transit service provision in the metropolitan area over the next five years.

 Action: Staff and the SSTAC request the TTC/PAC recommend that the Policy Board adopt Resolution 2025-27, approving the Fresno Clovis Metropolitan Area Short-Range Transit Plan.

Res 2025-26 FCRTA SRTP

Res 2025-26 FCRTA SRTP

Summary: In conjunction with the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency, Fresno COG has updated the Short-Range Transit Plan for the Rural Fresno County Area (SRTP) in cooperation with the cities of Coalinga, Firebaugh, Fowler, Huron, Kerman, Kingsburg, Mendota, Orange Cove, Parlier, Sanger, San Joaquin, Selma, and the County of Fresno.  The Plan will guide transit service in the rural Fresno County area over the next five years.

Action:  Staff and SSTAC request the TTC/PAC recommend that the Policy Board adopt Resolution No. 2025-26, approving the 2026-2030 FCRTA Short-Range Transit Plan for the Rural Fresno County Area.

FCRTA2526BUDGETDRAFT

Summary: The Fresno County Rural Transit Agency’s draft budget has been prepared to reflect Fresno COG’s Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the draft Short-Range Transit Plan (SRTP) for the rural Fresno County area, 2026-2030.

The document recommends continuing existing services and capital improvements. This year’s draft budget has been developed to include continued review, comment and action during its 30-day public review period that was initiated at the May 20, 2025 SSTAC meeting and will culminate on June 26, 2025 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 2025-2026 fiscal year, is available on FCRTA’s website www.ruraltransit.org

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

Summary: California’s Senate Bill 375 (SB 375) calls for each metropolitan planning organization (MPO) to prepare a sustainable communities strategy (SCS) as an integrated element of the regional transportation plan (RTP). The SCS is intended to show how integrated land use and transportation planning can lead to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from autos and light trucks. Working with the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) Roundtable, Fresno COG staff has developed five scenarios as part of the RTP update process. Each scenario has a unique focus, providing possible visions for what our county could look like in 23 years.

Staff has developed an educational online survey showing how each of the scenarios being developed will align with participant’s values based on their survey responses. Participants are then referred to the five scenario descriptions for review. The goal of the effort is to familiarize the public with the scenarios prior to viewing the scenarios’ transportation modeling results in the fall of this year. The survey opened on May 28, and data from the survey will be presented later this summer.

Fresno COG staff is working with a consultant to encourage community engagement.

The survey is hosted on Fresno COG’s dedicated RTP website, PlanFresno.com. Direct access to the survey and scenario descriptions is available at the following link: https://www.planfresno.com/sustainable-community-strategies-review-the-options/

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

Res 2025-22 TTC Unmet Transit Needs Report

FY2025-26 FCOG UTN Report FINAL TTC PAC

Summary: On Friday, April 9, the draft FY2025-26 Fresno COG (FCOG) Unmet Transit Needs (UTN) Report was released for public review and comment on the Fresno COG website and is available on the following web page:

https://www.fresnocog.org/unmet-transit-needs-assessment/

During a public hearing for the FY2025-26 FCOG Unmet Transit Needs process on Thurs., May 29 at the Fresno COG Policy Board meeting, the Board received no comments.

Public outreach is an essential part of the Unmet Transit Needs process. This year, public outreach consisted of six in-person public meetings: four in the urban area, two in rural areas (Fowler and Kerman), and one virtual event. One of the meetings held within the City of Fresno took place on a Saturday to provide more options for transit riders to participate.

In addition to the activities above, public outreach included flyers sent to the UTN mailing list, an online survey, and social media posts. The survey ran for most of February and all of March and was how most comments were received.  This year, 32 comments were received, with three determined to be unmet transit needs but none of which were found to be reasonable to meet.

The comments received, transit agency response, and the determination of unmet transit needs are included in the final FY2025-26 FCOG Unmet Transit Needs Report located at the URL listed above.

Action: Staff and SSTAC request the TTC/PAC recommend that the Policy Board adopt Resolution 2025-22, approving Fresno COG’s FY 2025-2026 Unmet Needs Assessment Report, and to find that there are three unmet needs, none of which are “reasonable to meet.”

Climate Resiliency Final Plan Resolution No. 2025-29

FCCRP Final Report (Incl A1)

Background: The Fresno County Climate Resiliency Plan (FCCRP) is a subsequent plan to the Fresno County Transportation Network Vulnerability Assessment (TNVA) completed in 2020. The TNVA reviewed historical weather-related risks, e.g., wildfires, extreme heat, flooding, landslides, etc., and projected future climate changes. The data on climate and transportation assets was combined to create scores that represent the relative risks facing different assets. The scoring system prioritized the most vulnerable and critical assets. The FCCRP was built off this previous study by identifying specific improvements on the region’s transportation system to address climate risks identified in the 2020 TNVA.

Summary: In August 2023, Fresno COG was awarded a Caltrans FY 2023–24 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant to develop the Fresno County Climate Resiliency Plan (FCCRP). Building on the Phase I Fresno County Transportation Network Vulnerability Assessment, also funded by Caltrans, the FCCRP continued efforts to address the impacts of climate change on the region’s transportation infrastructure.

The FCCRP identified locations within Fresno County’s transportation system that are vulnerable to climate hazards (extreme heat, flooding, wildfires, and landslides) and developed a prioritized list of transportation improvement projects designed to reduce risks and enhance resilience to extreme climate events over the next 50 years. It also prioritized the identified improvements and conducted detailed climate risk assessments for the five most vulnerable locations.

Using a combination of technical analysis and direct input from Fresno County communities, Fresno COG assembled a list of candidate projects through the FCCRP. These projects will inform the 2026 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS). It plays a vital role in guiding investment priorities and enhancing the long-term resilience of Fresno County’s transportation network and its users. The FCCRP now serves as a foundational resource for local jurisdictions to advance conceptual planning and begin integrating climate adaptation strategies into the broader regional transportation planning process.

Action:  Staff requests that TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board approve Resolution 2025-29, adopting the Fresno County Climate Resiliency Final Plan.

Scope of Work - VE model - FresnoCOG ValleyWide

Summary: This is the first of two final projects funded through residual carryover from the Valleywide Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) Program, and will develop a Valleywide VisionEval model platform for the eight San Joaquin Valley metropolitan planning organizations for land-use scenario planning.

VisionEval is an advanced, open-source platform designed to support long-range transportation and land-use planning. The Oregon DOT initiated the VisionEval model to conduct long-range strategic planning, and is now operated by an FHWA pooled fund with state DOTs and MPOs across the country. The model enables planning agencies to rapidly assess a wide range of policy alternatives and better understand the implications of their policy options. This approach quantitatively supports a more creative and robust policy discussion at the outset of the planning process.

The VisionEval model will enable the eight SJV COGs to efficiently evaluate alternative transportation policies, climate impacts, and infrastructure investments by simulating travel behavior, emissions, and land use scenarios. The model would benefit regional and local planning agencies by allowing them to: (1) analyze the regional Impact of transportation supply and local land use policies on greenhouse gas emissions (2) assess the impacts of land use designation or housing element changes under uncertainty (3) test transportation and land use strategy combinations to support planning goal setting. Its flexible framework can coordinate with the various travel demand and land use models the SJV COGs are already using and complement ongoing valleywide planning initiatives.

RSG has been working with VisionEval framework’s design, development and application, and has extensive experience contracting with MPOs, state DOTs and FHWA Pooled Funds for VisionEval’s model development and enhancements. RSG has worked with Fresno COG, as well as other valley agencies to develop activity-based models, and to conduct the Central California Travel Survey for the eight-county San Joaquin Valley.

Staff recommends awarding the contract as a sole source to RSG, given the firm’s expertise with the model and its knowledge of transportation pattern in the San Joaquin Valley and due to the short timeline for deliverables remaining under the State’s REAP program. This model development is expected to be completed in six months. Attached is the scope of work.

Action: Staff requests that the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize the executive director to enter a sole source contract with RSG for the San Joaquin Valleywide VisionEval model development for an amount not to exceed $500,010.

Summary: Staff and DKS consultant Kendall Flint will provide an update of the 2026 Measure C renewal process and outreach summary during the meeting.

Action: Information

Circuit P-E Scope Final_2025-2026

Summary: Fresno COG’s Circuit Planner and Engineer Program, which provides technical assistance to small cities in Fresno County for efforts that further Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy goals. Such assistance may include but is not limited to: planning studies, project delivery, grant applications, environmental documents, engineering services (i.e., conceptual design or preliminary engineering), permitting needs assessment, and quality (QA/QC) reviews as needed. 

Rincon Consultants Inc. has completed projects in nearly all rural cities. Projects include: zoning code reviews and revisions, assistance with the HCD requirements and objective design standards, updates to general plans, identifying gaps to fulfill projects or plans, and preparation of documents for board hearings. 

All 13 rural cities have used the program at some point, and Rincon Consultants assisted in preparing the Fresno COG grant for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Program, which led to 103% of the current contract being expended. The program has been successful in providing resources for planning and engineering projects and also filling staffing gaps on regional efforts. 

Action: Staff requests the PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize Fresno COG’s executive director to renew the contract with Rincon Consultants for $120,000 for FY 25/26. 

Summary:  Senate Bill 743 (SB 743, 2013), requires that the traffic congestion metric level of service (LOS) within the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process be replaced with a metric that would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), develop a multi-modal transportation system and increase land use diversity. The Office of Planning and Research (OPR) recommended vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as the most appropriate metric to measure the transportation impacts for developments, considering it is more aligned with the state’s goals of reducing GHG emissions through infill development, active transportation and other sustainable land use and transportation projects.

Fresno Council of Governments (Fresno COG), with the help of the consultant LSA, developed the SB 743 regional guidelines for Fresno County and implemented it in July 2020. This document has been serving as a guide to the local governments and the consultants for the traffic impact studies along with CEQA related studies. While the city of Clovis has adopted its own SB 743 guidelines, all remaining 15 agencies have adopted the regional guidelines, developed by COG.

Fresno COG’s Activity Based Model (ABM) has been used as a primary tool to develop the regional VMT guidelines. From the formulation of the regional, as well as the agency-specific, VMT thresholds to VMT mitigation strategies, the ABM has been the core of these tasks. As the ABM is updated, there is also a need to update the regional guidelines because of changing VMT thresholds. In addition, the SB 743 VMT analysis within CEQA itself has evolved from 2020-2024, justifying changes in our regional guidelines. Therefore, this is the right time to update the existing regional guidelines and the VMT thresholds. The updated document will also help phase two of the VMT mitigation program, which Fresno COG will develop in FY2025-26.

LSA is an established environmental firm with expertise in CEQA and SB 743. As a recognized leader on SB 743, LSA has in-depth knowledge and understanding of the regulatory environment and has been closely following SB 743 implementation throughout the state. LSA has also been serving as an on-call consultant since 2020 and is very familiar with the local land-use and VMT assessment in Fresno County. While most of the analysis and document updates have been completed as of May 2025, there will be a public review to address the comments and feedback from the member agencies, developers, and consultants. Staff will also be holding workshops to inform member agencies and stakeholders. Upon the completing the regional guidelines and VMT thresholds update, LSA will provide on-call support through the end of 2025-26 as the budget allows. This necessitates extending the contract to FY 2025-26 to complete the remaining tasks. Attached is the scope of work.

Action: Staff requests that PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize the executive director to amend the existing contract by extending the term through June 30, 2026 with no additional cost.

Summary: Fresno COG was awarded $1.75 million from the U.S. DOT Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (RIA) program to conduct the TradePort California Site Feasibility study in Fresno County. TradePort California project (formerly, California Inland Port) is a public-private platform to transform the California logistics system to become the cleanest, most sophisticated supply chain system in the world. TradePort California would establish higher efficiencies through new strategic mobility hubs, sustainable technologies, and business partnerships. The Port will be a multi-modal network of integrated clean and automated truck, rail, and cargo facilities underpinning a next-generation ecosystem of goods movement and radically boosting California’s economic competitiveness. This approach would be a paradigm shift from current conditions, and serve to cut greenhouse gases, improve air quality, reduce road congestion, increase traffic safety, increase investment and jobs, and forever reshape California’s extraordinarily large intra-state freight movement system.

The contract with Mark Thomas (consultant firm) which is developing the plan was executed on August 1, 2024, however the period of performance from the grantor (RIA) is until April 28, 2026. Fresno COG would like to extend the contract to coincide with the grant term from U.S. DOT.

Action: Staff requests the PAC recommend the Policy Board to authorize the Fresno COG executive director to extend the contract with Mark Thomas to April 28, 2026.

RSG ON-CALL FY25-26 EXHIBIT A_05-13-2025 (002)

Summary: Fresno COG’s activity-based model (ABM) is a cutting-edge, travel-demand forecasting model that has been used to develop the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP)/ Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), conduct air quality conformity analyses, and analyze traffic and vehicle-miles-traveled impacts. The ABM is an essential planning tool for COG and the Fresno County region.

Since 2019, Fresno COG has maintained an on-call contract with RSG, which built the ABM for Fresno COG and has been providing technical assistance to COG modeling staff. The RSG team helps COG staff troubleshoot the model, provides training on new model enhancements, and fixes any bugs in the scripts/coding. Last year, Fresno COG completed the base year update of ABM along with multiple modeling enhancements like managed lanes, TNC, truck restriction, and new transit modes.

Fresno COG is developing the 2026 RTP/SCS using the newly updated ABM. RSG will be assisting with  troubleshooting during the SCS scenarios model runs and VMT analysis. The 2026 RTP/SCS scenarios development will start in June/July 2025. COG staff will be testing out high-capacity commuter rail services like light-rail transit (LRT) and regional rail services for the 2026 SCS scenarios. These features are new, and staff will require some guidance and sensitivity tests for the SCS modeling. For this, COG has budgeted $80,000 for on-call services for fiscal year 2025-26. Attached is the scope of work for the FY 2025-26 on-call support contract.

Action: Staff requests that the PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize the executive director to enter into an on-call support contract with RSG for an amount not to exceed $80,000 through June 30, 2026.

GHD Engagement Letter 2025_FCOG verB

Summary:  Fresno COG administers the Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee for the Fresno County Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee Agency and remits the proceeds to the Fresno County Transportation Authority to be used for projects in the Regional Transportation Program Capital Projects program.  From time to time, questions come up regarding fee implementation and Fresno COG keeps an on-call contract open with GHD to provide technical advice.

Recommendation:  Staff requests that the PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize the executive director to execute a contract with GHD for on-call RTMF services for FY 2025-26 at a cost not to exceed $50,000.

Fresno COG 2026 RTP-SCS On-call Scope LSA FY25-26

Summary: Staff is seeking to extend its contract with LSA Associates, a consultant firm capable of providing detailed modeling and other technical support for Fresno COG’s 2026 RTP/SCS. The recommendation is to establish a not-to-exceed budget of $100,000 that would be billed on an on-call basis for the 2025/26 fiscal year ending on June 30, 2026.

Action: Staff requests the PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize the executive director to execute a contract extension with LSA through June 30, 2026 for an amount not to exceed $100,000.

Scope of Work

Summary: In July 2023, Fresno COG signed a contract with Southwest Strategies to market and advertise the following Measure C programs:

• Carpool Incentive
• Commuter vanpool subsidies
• Agworker vanpool subsidies
• Senior Scrip

Participation information for these programs is made available to the public through Fresno COG’s Valleyrides website. Southwest Strategies has completed a digital and traditional marketing and advertising campaign throughout Fresno County resulting in an increase in participation in the Measure C Carpool Incentive and Senior Scrip program Fresno COG administers.

Fresno COG requests a time extension for the existing contract, carrying over the remaining balance into the new fiscal year to continue program outreach. Fresno COG will continue to administer all programs and monitor work contracted through Southwest Strategies to increase program participation.

Action: Staff requests that PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize the executive director to extend the contract with Southwest Strategies through June 30, 2026.

Summary: Following a cooperative agreement with the Fresno County Transportation Authority (FCTA), Fresno COG entered into a contract with Mark Thomas to design the Golden State Corridor project. The project is divided into three phases: Phase 1, which includes pavement improvements, is in construction and currently 97% complete.  Phase 2, which addresses intersection “gap” improvements not involving the railroad right-of-way, began construction on April 28 and is expected to take six months. Phase 3 includes the remaining improvements that impact the railroad right-of-way and is under review by Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

While Phases 1 and 2 are progressing, final design approval for Phase 3 is still pending. In addition, continued construction support is required for the earlier phases. Therefore, a time extension of the contract with Mark Thomas is necessary to allow work to continue into the next fiscal year.

Action: Staff requests that the PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize the executive director to extend the contract with Mark Thomas through June 30, 2026. No budget adjustment is requested at this time.