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. There are seven vacancies with four-year terms to begin July 1, 2019:

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

• Three public-at-large positions representing the following:

• Unincorporated rural area west of State Route 99 (supervisorial district 1)
• Fresno-Clovis metropolitan area (supervisorial district 2)
• Fresno-Clovis metropolitan area (any of the supervisorial districts) 

The Measure C Citizen Oversight Committee’s webpage is: fresnocog.org/citizen-oversight-committee/

To date, four application forms have been received from residents who wish to be appointed to the Oversight Committee. Please see the attached forms for the following applicants:

1.  Sal Petrucelli, held one term representing public-at-large District 2. Would like to be reappointed.

2.  Karin Bushoven, applying for a community organization position.

3.  Ronald Dressler, applying for Fresno-Clovis metropolitan area (any of the supervisorial districts).

4.  Jim Hunter, applying for Fresno-Clovis metropolitan area (any of the supervisorial districts).

5.  Jennifer Hartwig, applying for Fresno-Clovis metropolitan area (any of the supervisorial districts).

Action: Appoint members to the Measure C Citizen Oversight 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 Policy Board 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 Policy Board concerning the item before action is taken.

Summary:  In accordance with Fresno County Transportation Authority procedures, Resolution 2019-23 adopts claims for ADA/seniors/paratransit ($643,532), farmworker vanpools ($472,466), ridesharing/vanpools ($472,466) and administrative/planning ($407,299) from the $1,995,763 in Measure C funds available in 2019-20 for programs Fresno COG administers.

Action:  Adopt Resolution 2019-23 approving Measure C Claims for ADA/seniors/paratransit, farmworker vanpools, ridesharing/vanpools and administrative/planning functions.

Summary:  Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission (FCEOC) is claiming $1,232,942 in Transportation Development Act funding in support of the $3,931,339 2019-20 Urban Consolidated Transportation Services Agency (CTSA) operating budget.

Action:  Adopt Resolution 2019-20 approving FCEOC's 2019-20 Transportation Development Act claim.

Summary: Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) and Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission (FCEOC) are claiming $550,952 in Transportation Development Act funding to support the $2,595,052 2019-20 Rural Consolidated Transportation Services Agency operating budget.

Action:  Adopt Resolution 2019-21 approving the FCRTA/FCEOC 2019-20 Transportation Development Act claim.

Summary: The Consolidated Transportation Service Agency’s (CTSA) Operations Program and Budget (OPB) for 2019-20 is available on Fresno COG's website at: http://fresnocog.org. The document is designed to provide an overview of how and in what manner the CTSA will provide social service transportation throughout Fresno County over the next fiscal year. The OPB consists of an urban component and a rural component. Co-designees for the urban CTSA are the City of Fresno/FAX and the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (FEOC). Co-designees for the rural CTSA are the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) and the FEOC. The OPB's 45-day review process began on May 7, 2019 and the Social Service Transportation Advisory Council (SSTAC) approved the document on June 25, 2019. 

Previously, at the June 4, 2019 SSTAC meeting, the City of Fresno, as the fiscal agent and co-designee for the urban CTSA, requested the SSTAC to defer action on the OPB until it could review accounting-related issues in the urban OPB. At issue was a funding carryover that had extended over several fiscal years. FCRTA, the fiscal agent and co-designee for the rural CTSA, supported deferring action on the rural OPB so that action could be taken on both OPBs at the same time.

Between the June 4 and June 25 SSTAC meetings, FAX and FEOC staff worked together to satisfactorily address the carryover issues. At the June 25, 2019 SSTAC meeting, both the City of Fresno and FCRTA recommended that the SSTAC approve the urban and rural CTSA OBPs with the stipulation that existing MOUs be reviewed, updated and revised accordingly for both the urban and rural co-designations.

Action:  Staff, the SSTAC and TTC/PAC recommend the Fresno COG Board approve Resolution 2019-16, adopting the Urban and Rural Consolidated Transportation Service Agency’s Operations Program and Budget. 

Summary: On April 11, 2019, Fresno COG issued a formal call for projects for $828,509 in Fresno Large Urban Area FTA Section 5310 funding. Staff received four applications requesting $1,220,665. A scoring committee comprising volunteers from the Social Service Technical Advisory Committee (SSTAC) evaluated the applications and issued funding recommendations. The full SSTAC unanimously approved the scoring committee’s recommendations on June 25, 2019, which include:

APPLICANT                                                                              RECOMMENDATION

Fresno Area Express                                                                          $257,030

Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission                             $257,030

United Cerebral Palsy of Central California                                            $257,030

WestCare California                                                                             $57,419

                                                                                           TOTAL    $828,509

Attached to this item is a spreadsheet detailing the project applications.

Action: Staff, the SSTAC, Transportation Technical Committee (TTC) and Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) recommend the Policy Board approve the recommendations for the 2019 FTA Section 5310 program of projects. Approved projects will be programmed for funding in the 2019 Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP).

Summary:  On June 4, 2019, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted Resolution No. 19-236, which included homelessness priorities for 2019.  The list, which is not in priority order, was compiled through meetings with incorporated cities and the directors of the departments of Behavioral Health, Public Health, and Social Services.

Fresno County Administrative Officer Jean Rousseau requests the 14 priorities be adopted to affirm the Fresno Council of Governments' commitment to work collaboratively with the incorporated cities and the County to strategically address homelessness countywide. The list addresses: jurisdictional boundaries, transportation, outreach, housing, data collection, direct services, and preserving public health and safety. These priorities will allow County staff to focus on seeking funding, recommending for allocation and/or using flexible homeless funding to deliver related services. The list will be updated based on data-driven outcomes at least once each calendar year.

Action:  Staff and the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board approve Resolution 2019-18 adopting the Countywide Homelessness Priorities For Calendar Year 2019.

Summary: The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has announced final guidelines for the approximately $5 million available under this round of Assembly Bill 617 (AB 617) Community Air Grants. Community Air Grants projects build capacity in communities by supporting community-based organizations’ and community members’ participation, including methods to acquire new or better information regarding air quality and related health impacts, as well as measures to reduce air pollution in over-burdened communities and to facilitate greenhouse gas emission reductions.

The full set of guidelines is available at https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2019-06/2019_Air_Grant_Guidelines_Final.pdf

Applications for AB 617 Community Air Grants are due by 5 pm, Monday, September 30, 2019.

Questions may be submitted via email to AirGrants@arb.ca.gov by 5 p.m., Thursday, July 11, 2019.  After this date, CARB will not accept questions on the guidelines or application process.  CARB will release a complete question-and-answer document by Wednesday, July 31, 2019, and will post it on its website.

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

Summary: Fresno COG released a request for proposals (RFP) in May for a combined 2019-20 Circuit Planner and Engineer Program with a $100,000 budget. The Circuit Planner and Engineer Program is intended to provide technical assistance to the small cities in Fresno County. Such assistance could include planning studies, project deliveries, grant applications, environmental documents, engineering services, etc.

Fresno COG received two proposals from planning and engineering firms. The consultant selection committee, comprising representatives from the Cities of Kingsburg, Reedley, San Joaquin, and Fresno COG, reviewed both proposals and interviewed both teams on June 19. Although both teams were highly qualified, the committee chose the Rincon Consultants Inc., which includes Collins & Schoettler and VSCE as sub-consultants, as the preferred contractor. The Rincon team’s areas of expertise and its extensive history working with small cities in Fresno County will provide a good foundation for understanding and addressing the cities’ needs.

The Rincon team will begin reaching out to each of the small cities in August to solicit projects for this program year. Please contact Meg Prince, Associate Regional Planner, at mprince@fresnocog.org or (559) 233-4148 x203 to discuss project assistance needs.

Action: Staff, TTC, and PAC recommend the Board approve Rincon Consultants, Inc. and authorize Fresno COG’s executive director to enter into a contract with that firm for $100,000.

Summary: Fresno COG, in partnership with the Fresno Metro Ministries, was awarded $543,950 through Caltrans' Fiscal Year 2019-20 Strategic Partnership Grant for the Better Blackstone Design Challenge.

The Better Blackstone Design Challenge (BBDC) is a strategic partnership aimed at increasing investment in sustainable transportation projects by developing tools for transit supportive land uses; objectives and policies for complete streets; multi-modal systems, and; protecting regional facility capacities. The project will produce alternative, feasible transit-oriented development design scenarios for more than 200 mixed-use designated parcels. It includes gap-financing-related economic, real estate and urban footprint analyses translated into useful web-based tools and ongoing technical assistance for property owners, developers and funders.

This grant award leverages Overall Work Program (OWP) work element 146, which is funded with Senate Bill 1 formula funds. Work elements 146 and 160 will be closely coordinated; both will be completed concurrently and without duplicating tasks or deliverables. 

Action: Staff, TTC and PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize Fresno COG's executive director to enter into a contract with Fresno Metro Ministries for the Better Blackstone Design Challenge Strategic Partnership Grant for an amount not to exceed $519,948, which includes $62,391 in non-reimbursable matching funds.

Summary:  During 2018-2019, Fresno COG contracted with multiple community-based organizations to conduct diverse and extensive grassroots outreach among people who may qualify for subsidies under Measure C's Ag Worker Vanpool (AVP) program. The goal was to double annual participation and ridership from an average of 45 vanpools to more than 100.

The outreach contracts expired on June 30, 2019; however, the contracted agencies have agreed to an  extension through June 30, 2020, to continue the outreach with a renewed focus. The two agencies are:

• Binational Center for the Development of Oaxacan Indigenous Communities (CBDIO) 

• Office of Community and Economic Development- Fresno State (OCED)

Program background:

Approximately 0.6 percent of Measure C funds are applied to AVP (formerly known as the Farmworker Vanpool Program), as subsidies to help farm laborers pay for their transportation to job sites when they ride in an approved vanpool. Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis until exhausted. All participating groups are required to use an authorized vanpool provider or form an employer-sponsored vanpool. Owner-operator vanpools are not eligible.

Measure C funds subsidize ag worker vanpools that originate within Fresno County. These funds are designed to spark new vanpools. A weekly lease subsidy pays $30 for each day of operation (not to exceed $150 in one week) for up to one year. This subsidy may be renewed on an annual basis.

Work accomplished in the 2018-2019 fiscal year:

During the contract year, CDBIO (Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indigena Oaxaqueno) (Binational Center for the Development of Oaxacan Indigenous Communities) conducted an extensive and direct outreach from June–December 2018. The strategy consisted of community and targeted-area outreach events. Such events included: several dates at the Mexican Consulate's “Ventanilla de Salud” (Window of Health) and “Sabatino Health Fair” (Saturday Health Fair) days; community events in Kerman, Parlier, and several workshops in Fresno elementary schools. CBDIO staff dedicated eight days toward door-to-door contacts in six targeted zip codes. CBDIO referred ten interested people to CalVans to get vetted as CalVans drivers. Two completed all requirements specified by CalVans. Neither driver, however, picked up the two vans that were set aside for them.

CSUF Fresno Foundation through the Office of Community and Economic Development (OSED) contacted several labor contractors from April-June, 2018. Ten identified labor contractors showed interest in learning more about the Measure C program. OCED was to conduct follow-up workshops to go over the information and sign up contractors. The proposed schedule was September 11 in Mendota; September 13 in Huron; October 16 in Parlier, and; October 18 in Fowler.  The ten contractors were also referred to CalVans as well to learn about the pros and cons of using vans provided by CalVans in place of their own ag-labor transportation vehicles.  OCED suffered staff turnovers after June 2018 and was unable to complete its proposed objectives within the grant period.

Debrief discussions with the outreach agency staff revealed that grantees understood that CalVans was the only vanpool provider qualified to receive the Measure C ag worker subsidies. Lack of available vans from the assumed provider (CalVans) during the last six months of 2018 and the first months of 2019 also dampened the grantees' outreach progress. A large percentage of newly-acquired CalVans vans are already committed  before they are delivered, with about 50 percent of them being used to transport H2A workers through the various counties where CalVans operates.

Therefore, Fresno COG staff and representatives from the two outreach agencies would like to continue working together to correct misunderstandings and continue outreaching to ag workers and farm labor contractors using grant dollars previously approved. Outreach would continue through the end of the fiscal year 2019-20.

Action:  Staff and the TTC/PAC recommend the Board authorize the executive director to extend two $25,000 contracts for the community-based organizations listed above, through June 30, 2020, on behalf of the Measure C Agricultural Vanpool program's public outreach services.

Summary: Senate Bill 743 (SB 743, 2013), requires that the transportation measure of level of service (LOS) be replaced in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process 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.

The California Natural Resources Agency approved the CEQA update implementing SB 743 in December 2018. The new CEQA guideline sections created under SB 743 will take full effect statewide on July 1, 2020, although lead agencies may choose to opt-in earlier. SB 743 will have profound impacts on how local governments and other lead agencies approve land use and transportation projects.

Fresno COG has developed an SB 743 Local Assistance Program to assist member agencies. Approximately $270,000 has been set aside to develop regional guidelines for local governments to update their traffic impact study policies. The guidelines will be advisory, and the local governments can endorse the entire document or some components of it based on their individual needs. The guidelines will take into consideration large and small cities, as well as urban and (county) rural areas.

Staff issued an RFP in May and received two proposals. A scoring committee comprising representatives from COG, Fresno, Clovis, County of Fresno, eastside cities and westside cities interviewed the consultant teams. The committee recommended LSA be selected to develop the regional guidelines. 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.

Attached is the scope for the SB 743 regional guidelines development project.

Action: Staff and the TTC/PAC recommend that the Policy Board authorize the executive director to enter into a contract with LSA for an amount not to exceed $ 269,605.58.

Summary: Earlier this month, TTC and PAC were informed that the 2019 Federal Transportation Improvement Plan (FTIP) and 2018 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) would have to be amended to extend the schedule for the City of Fresno’s Veteran’s Boulevard project.  The change to this project requires a formal Type 5 amendment to the FTIP/RTP and a new conformity determination based on the project’s regional significance.

Given the uncertainty surrounding the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule and its potential to cause severe delays in Fresno COG’s ability to deliver regionally significant, capacity-increasing, and non-exempt projects, it is in the region’s interest to fast-track this upcoming amendment before the final SAFE rule is released. Further information on the SAFE Vehicles Rule is provided as an attachment.

Consequently, staff is requesting that the Board grant delegated authority that authorizes the Executive Director to approve the upcoming formal Type 5 FTIP/RTP amendment and corresponding air quality conformity analysis. Staff plans to release the amendment for a 30-day public review period in early August with a public hearing in mid-August. Once all public comments are sufficiently addressed, this action would give the executive director the authority to approve the amendment and the conformity analysis, and submit to Caltrans and FHWA for State and Federal approval.

Please note that should the SAFE Vehicles Rule be released without any grace period for compliance, the amendment may not be approved by FHWA.

If approved today, staff will bring the director-approved formal Type 5 amendment to the TTC, PAC, and Board as an informational item in September 2019.

Action: Staff recommends that the Fresno COG Policy Board grant delegated authority authorizing the Executive Director to approve the upcoming formal Type 5 FTIP/RTP amendment and corresponding conformity analysis to be released for public comment in August 2019.

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 Policy Board 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 Policy Board concerning the item before action is taken.

Summary:  The Regional Clearinghouse calendar contains “project notification and review reports” for grant proposals.

Action:  Forward any comment(s) received or any committee/Board comment(s) generated as a result of this informational item to the appropriate agency.

Summary: Attached is the most recent legislative report for the California State Legislature 2019-20 session and a federal report from Simon and Company.  To locate current and past-year state bill information, go to the Official California Legislative Information webpage at leginfo.ca.gov/

To locate current and past-year federal bill information go to THOMAS, the Library of Congress’s bill information website at http://thomas.loc.gov/

Action: Information. The Policy Board may provide further direction at its discretion.

Summary: On June 13, 2019, the California Legislature approved the 2019-20 state budget, which included $900 million in housing incentive funds. On July 5, trailer bill language addressing the incentive funds was approved within AB 101, which designates $250 million for cities, counties and COGs to use toward preparing for the sixth cycle of Regional Housing Needs Assessment.

The $250 million in housing planning funds is further divided in half, with $125 million intended for COGs and regional agencies to use and/or distribute on a grant basis to local jurisdictions. Eligible expenditures include education and outreach strategies, developing improved methodologies for RHNA funding distribution, technical assistance, and establishing regional or jurisdictional housing trust funds, among other uses.

Overseeing the entire process is a working group that is required to include at least one large city representative, one small city representative and one county supervisor from each participating county. The city representatives are to be appointed through the county’s city selection committee. Fresno COG is requesting the County's City Selection Committee meet in September to appoint Fresno's regional representatives. The San Joaquin Valley is receiving an additional $6 million to offset costs associated with convening this working group. The SJV’s share of funds is anticipated to be somewhere between $18.5 and $20.5 million.

Regional entities have approximately five months (November 30, 2019) to seat the working group.  After that, funding allocations may be requested.  Staff is recommending an assertive timeline for determining: a) how to best complete the initial application for funding and working group administration (staff or consultant); b) how much, if any, funding will be held regionally or passed down to jurisdictions, and; c) how funding will be allocated among the eight SJV COGs. 

The SJV COG Directors have been briefed on this issue and the associated critical timelines, with particular regard to working group assignments. The Directors recommended Fresno COG as the fiscal agent for this grant funding. Over the last month, Fresno COG staff and coordinator Michael Sigala have brainstormed options for the three immediate questions presented above.

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

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