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:  Fresno COG, through its Circuit Planner and Engineer Program, has developed a Zoning Ordinance Assessment Tool to provide a simple and streamlined way for jurisdictions to assess which parts of their zoning ordinance may need to be updated to meet performance standards, State regulations, and best practices. This tool is intended to provide a high-level assessment and resources, and is not a substitute for professional or legal advice.

Users are directed to simply answer each question. If a response indicates an update may be needed, the tool provides examples and resources on the next screen. At the end of the survey, users are provided with a summary of responses by email for recordkeeping.

https://forms.gle/DJRJWNjXSEsaduPb7

In addition to this assessment, a model zoning ordinance is being developed tailored for small cities in the San Joaquin Valley under this program. Staff may access the model zoning ordinance by contacting Circuit Planning Project Manager Eric VonBerg (evonberg@rinconconsultants.com 559-704-5569) as well as for any questions regarding results and/or possible next steps.

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

Summary:  The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) administers the Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) program and provides one-time grant funding to jurisdictions for technical assistance, preparing and adopting planning documents, and process improvements. The overarching goals are to 1) accelerate housing production; and 2) facilitate compliance to implement the sixth cycle of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA).

Grants are available to eligible applicants on a non-competitive, over-the-counter (OTC) basis, and will be accepted up to January 31, 2021.

Maximum award amounts are based on population estimates as of January 1, 2019. The minimum award amount is $25,000. The maximum amount that a jurisdiction may receive is as follows:

For more information, please visit: hcd.ca.gov/grants-funding/active-funding/leap.shtml

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

Summary: Each year the Fresno region must meet obligation authority (OA) delivery targets for federal funding streams and comply with AB 1012's “use it or lose it” provisions, which gives local jurisdictions three years to obligate Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) and Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funds.

At the end of the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2019/20, the Fresno region delivered less than its target OA of $27,822,393. Final numbers are pending Caltrans release. Because the region did not exceed its delivery target for FFY 19/20, it was unable to take advantage of additional August redistribution funding. The unobligated OA will be added to the FFY 2020/21 OA target. Attached is the final quarterly report for projects programmed in FY 2019/20, outlining the obligation status of each project.

In preparation for the 2020/21 OA delivery plan and 2021 FTIP update, COG staff met with all member agencies in October to confirm all programmed projects will be obligated as programmed for FY 2020/21. Attached is the new FY 2020/21 quarterly report. Fresno COG staff will continue working with each member agency to ensure that projects are obligated on time.

Please keep Fresno COG staff updated on any changes to programmed projects that could possibly impact the region’s project delivery plan. Contact Jennifer Soliz at 559-233-4148 ext. 223 or jsoliz@fresnocog.org with any questions regarding fiscal year deadlines or the process of obligating project funds. 

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

Summary: The Strategic Growth Council (SGC) has launched this year’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Technical Assistance (TA) Program to support prospective applicants during AHSC’s sixth funding round. The AHSC TA program provides statewide, no-cost, direct application assistance and capacity-building services.  Enterprise and its TA team will provide the technical assistance on behalf of SGC.

Interested applicants should fill out the Survey to Request AHSC Technical Assistance.

AHSC funds shovel-ready projects proposing both affordable housing and transportation improvements. To assess if AHSC is a good fit, check out the AHSC Webinar Series. 

The final AHSC guidelines will be adopted on November 17, 2020 and the deadline for the applications is February 23, 2021.

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

Summary: Fresno COG, in partnership with Madera County Transportation Commission (MCTC), is conducting a study to determine the future transportation needs of the State Route 41 corridor in the City of Fresno and the southern segment of SR 41 in Madera County. In addition, the study will analyze the future transportation needs of the Avenue 9 corridor in Madera County between SR 41 and SR 99.

The study will identify existing and future issues along the two corridors, including safety, mobility, congestion, etc., and recommend sustainable improvements that will address residents' transportation needs in both counties through multi-modal approaches.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has put a hold on traditional in-person workshops, the project team has developed an online "digital engagement center". Anyone can use the following link to participate through a computer, tablet, or mobile phone. Participants may also toggle between English and Spanish at the top of the page.

LINK: https://www.ibiviz.com/41_9InfoCenter/

This is an interactive tool, and participants can virtually "spin" around the room to see and click into the different activities, which include:

• The project introduction infographic
• The engagement process infographic
• "Gains and Pains" poll
• "Corridor Goals" poll
• "Corridor Challenges" interactive map where people can place pins on places along the corridors where they have experienced challenges.
• A general "comment box" where participants can tell us a little more about themselves and leave any comments they may have.

Staff encourages Board members to share this information with your constituents. This represents the first of three rounds of engagement for this study.

Additional resources:

• The Fresno COG project website has complete information about the study: https://www.fresnocog.org/project/fresno-madera-state-route-41-and-avenue-9-sustainable-corridors-study/
• Our Facebook page has updates about all COG projects and engagement opportunities: https://www.facebook.com/FresnoCouncilOfGovernments

For any questions about this project, please contact Braden Duran (bduran@fresnocog.org or 559-233-4148 Ext. 217)

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

1.

Demographic Forecast Update (Seth Scott) [APPROVE]

2.

2022 Regional Transportation Plan Call-for-Projects (Suzanne Martinez) [INFORMATION]

3.

2022 RTP/SCS Fall Outreach Summary Report (Brenda Veenendaal) [INFORMATION]

Summary: Fresno Council of Governments administers the Fresno County Transportation Development Act Trust (TDA) per the Public Utilities Code.  Under the PUC, TDA claims may be filed for community transit services, such as transit for the disabled, who cannot use conventional public transit services. In February 1982 the Fresno COG Board adopted Resolution 82-04 approving the Council of Fresno County Governments Assembly Bill 120 Action Plan, which created the Consolidated Transportation Service Agencies (CTSA), consisting of an urban CTSA, a rural CTSA and the Clovis CTSA to provide community transit service for Fresno County. 

The City of Fresno (FAX) and Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (FEOC) were co-designated as the urban CTSA partnership, while Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) and FEOC were designated as the rural CTSA partnership.  Pursuant to the designations, FEOC became an eligible claimant of TDA funds, which are apportioned to the incorporated cities and Fresno County.  The designation of two separate CTSAs was deemed appropriate because funding from the urban CTSA derives from the City of Fresno’s area of apportionment and parts of the county within Fresno’s sphere of influence. The funding for the rural CTSA derives from the rural incorporated cities and the unincorporated county’s area of apportionment. The co-designation occurred so FAX and FCRTA could oversee the operation of the annual Overall Program and Budget (OPB) that FCEOC submits annually. The OPB designates the services CTSA provides and ensures those services are appropriately addressing the need.

In 2016/17 a compliance audit that FEOC provided revealed that a significant amount of TDA funding intended for community transit remained unspent, bringing into question the level of services provided. Staff from FAX and the City of Fresno administrative office became involved in a protracted discussion with FEOC over the nature of services provided.

During that discussion, city officials have come to the conclusion the community would be better served if FAX took the lead in administering the urban CTSA. Per an October 23, 2020 letter from the Fresno City Manager’s office, the City of Fresno has requested the partnership with FEOC be dissolved and FAX designated as the urban CTSA.

The relationship on the rural side was a little more complex. FEOC not only served as FCRTA’s CTSA partner but also until recently, provided turn-key transit operations pursuant to contracts with the FCRTA for dispatch, bus drivers, and vehicle maintenance.  In September 2018 the FCRTA Board terminated its contract service arrangements with FEOC for safety and liability reasons. When the public transit operations contracts were canceled, it brought into question the level of community transit service FEOC was providing to rural cities in Fresno County. In July 2020, the FCRTA Board adopted resolution 2020-13, requesting FCOG to dissolve the rural CTSA co-designation and recognize FCRTA as the rural CTSA.

Both FAX and FCRTA intend to administer the CTSA pursuant to their internal transit budgets similar to the way Clovis Public Transit has administered its CTSA function since 1982.  FAX and FCRTA plan to issue a request for proposals for community transit services. FEOC is eligible to bid on that RFP, which may result in uninterrupted CTSA service by FEOC.

This item has been reviewed and recommended by the Social Services Technical Advisory Committee.

Action:  Staff, SSTAC, FCRTA, FAX and the TTC/PAC recommend that the Policy Board approve Resolution 2020-34 approving re-designation of the urban and rural CTSAs with Fresno designated as the urban CTSAs  and FCRTA designated as the rural CTSA for FY 2021-22.

Fresno County and the Fresno Council of Governments are developing the Fresno County Regional Trails Master Plan Update (Plan).  The project team has developed goals and draft recommendations for connections that create safe and comfortable hiking trails and Class I bikeways in the unincorporated portions of Fresno County (outside of city boundaries). 

Over the summer, the project team worked to develop a set of recommendations for trails throughout the county. These recommendations are based on the Plan’s goals, community input (over 200 comments), existing trails, data from field visits, and best practices in trail planning.

Staff would like public opinion on the recommended trails. An interactive, online map allows users to review and comment on the proposed trails. Click here for a link to the map  Comments can be made by clicking on the trail segments and commenting in the window that opens.

Staff is also seeking input on the “Five in Five” activity.  Participants can choose which five trails they would like to see built in the next five years.

For more information, visit https://www.fresnocog.org/project/active-transportation/ or email parnest@fresnocog.org. The online map will be open until December 4.

Action: Information. Additional direction may be provided at the Policy Board's discretion.

Summary:  Approximately $914,700 of the funds that Fresno COG received from the State through the Regional Early Action Planning grant program (REAP) will be used for a competitive local housing planning grants program.

In accordance with State requirements, these funds must be used for planning efforts that will accelerate housing production and meet sixth-cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation Plan requirements.

Comments on the draft guidelines can be submitted to Meg Prince at mprince@fresnocog.org through December 18, 2020.

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

Summary:  Fresno COG will convene a Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) Subcommittee comprising local government representatives and key stakeholders to advise Fresno COG in developing an allocation methodology for the sixth cycle RHNA Plan. The RHNA Subcommittee will begin meeting in early 2021.

The proposed subcommittee structure will include

• Staff from each of the 16 jurisdictions in Fresno County
• Three at-large members

Fresno COG will begin reaching out to potential subcommittee members within the next couple of months and will keep Fresno COG’s website up to date with relevant information for those interested in the process.

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

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 mid-October, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) deposited approximately $10.2 million in Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) funds into Fresno COG’s accounts. Following direction from the San Joaquin Valley REAP Committee, with Fresno COG acting as fiscal agent, approximately $3.62 million will now be distributed to the seven other Valley regional planning agencies (RPAs) through memorandums of understanding (MOU). 

Fresno COG’s share of funds totals $1,114,737, of which approximately $200,000 will be reserved to develop Fresno COG’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process.

As a reminder, the 2019-20 Budget Act allocated $125 million in REAP funding to regions statewide. REAP provides one-time grant funding to regional governments for planning activities to accelerate housing production and assist with implementing RHNA, which is expected to include a considerably larger share of housing units than previous cycles.

Of the $10.2 million initial payment, at least $5.5 million is reserved by statute for Valleywide tasks, activities and deliverables, which are anticipated to be managed through multiple consultant contracts and overseen by Fresno COG staff.  Last month, the Board approved the first of those contracts with Sigala, Inc. for program management.

The remaining $3.62 million will be distributed via MOU to the seven other SJV planning agencies on a pro-rata basis. The schedule of exact amounts is listed below. Together, the eight RPAs – through the Valley REAP Committee – will file a second and final application in late January 2021 for the remaining $8 million allotted to the Valley.  That funding is expected to be distributed primarily to the RPAs’ member jurisdictions through individually developed programs and policies.

Member jurisdictions may – and are encouraged to – leverage REAP funds with companion shares from the Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) program, which were designated directly to cities and counties, and for which many Fresno jurisdictions have already applied.

Action: Staff and the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board approve and authorize the executive director to sign memorandums of understanding in various amounts with the seven other San Joaquin Valley regional transportation planning agencies, totaling $3,629,093.13.

Summary: November would normally mark the kick-off for Fresno COG to begin its One Voice program call for projects. In 2020, the lack of specific, transportation-related proposals, grant applications or other legislative requests made it difficult for staff to justify planning for a One Voice program, given previous Board direction that the trip maintain its transportation focus. The advent of COVID in March confirmed what staff had already determined -- that 2020 was a bad year to advocate in Washington, D.C.

Unfortunately, 2021 is shaping up much the same.  As COVID cases begin their anticipated winter spike, along with the uncertainty of a new administration and a lack of specific transportation-related requests, staff is again recommending that the normal One Voice program be postponed. Should a new, comprehensive transportation funding bill arise in 2021 or other federal legislation that requires Fresno COG's input, staff is confident that it can plan a trip that would be limited in scope within a short timeframe.

Action: Staff requests the that the Board postpone One Voice 2021 indefinitely, with the understanding that the program may be revived quickly should the need arise.

Summary:  Fresno COG staff is now accepting proposals for any transportation-related project, program, study, or plan that may be funded through normal revenue streams in the 2021-22 Overall Work Program. Staff will begin developing next year's OWP in December and the executive director will consider any proposal that member jurisdictions or the public may wish to suggest.  Some examples may include but are not limited to:

• Freight and rail studies

• Corridor or interchange studies

• Transit studies or plans, and

• Requests for technical assistance

The Overall Work Program (OWP) is an annual administrative document developed to meet state and federal guidelines. Projects requested by local, state and federal agencies that address regional issues and concerns are included in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the annual Fresno COG program. Project scope is limited by available funding.

Requests should be submitted in writing to the executive director no later than December 31, 2020. All requests will be reviewed for project eligibility and budgetary impacts. Eligible projects will be Fresno COG’s Board by February 2020.

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

1.

No December Policy Board Meeting

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 three minutes.