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 vacancies on the Oversight Committee:

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

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

Fresno-Clovis Metropolitan Area (Supervisorial District 4)

Unincorporated rural area east of State Route 99 (Supervisorial district 5)

Fresno-Clovis Metropolitan Area (Any Supervisorial District)

After advertising the vacancies recently, three applications have been received from residents who wish to be appointed to the Oversight Committee and their term would begin on March 1, 2024. Donna Silva's application is for the unincorporated area east of State Route 99 (Supervisorial district 5) whereas Rickie Dhillion and David Martin's applications are for the Fresno-Clovis Metropolitan Area (any Supervisorial district).

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: Appoint member 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 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: Preliminary Local Transportation Fund (LTF) estimates are released each February to provide member agencies information to facilitate their budget process for the upcoming year. The final estimates will be adjusted for the Department of Finance’s 2024 population numbers and presented to the Board for adoption in May.  The Fresno County Auditor/Controller estimates 2024-25 LTF at $59 million, which is a $2 million (4 percent) increase from last year's estimate. 

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

Summary: Preliminary State Transit Assistance (STA) estimates are released each February to provide member agencies information to facilitate their budget process for the upcoming year. The final estimates will be adjusted for the Department of Finance’s 2024 population numbers and presented to the Board for adoption in May.  The State Controller’s Office has estimated the fiscal year 2024-25 State Transit Assistance (STA) apportionment at $14,273,034, a slight ($20,035) increase from last year's estimate. 

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

Summary: Preliminary State of Good Repair (SGR) estimates are released each February to provide member agencies information to facilitate their budget process for the upcoming year. The final estimates will be adjusted for the Department of Finance 2024 population numbers and presented to the Board for adoption in May.  The State Controller’s Office has estimated the fiscal year 2024-25 State of Good Repair (SGR) apportionment at $1,982,980, which is a $68,341 (4 percent) increase from last year's estimate. 

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

Summary:  Direct Pay is a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169) that allows local governments and other tax exempt and governmental entities to receive a payment equal to the value of new and expanded tax credits authorized by the law for a variety of clean energy projects. Eligible incentives organized by project area and outlined in a fact sheet provided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) include the following:

• Section 45 Production Tax Credit for Electricity from Renewables
• Section 45Y Clean Electricity Production Tax Credit
• Section 48 Investment Tax Credit for Energy Property
• Section 48E Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit
• Section 48(e) Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit (separate application required)
• Section 45Q Credit for Carbon Oxide Sequestration
• Section 45U Zero-Emission Nuclear Power Production Credit
• Section 48C Advanced Energy Project Credit (separate application required)
• Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit
• Section 45W Credit for Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicles
• Section 30C Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit
• Section 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit
• Section 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit

Direct Pay is available for projects and facilities placed in service in 2023. Pre-filing registration for those 2023 projects is now available through an online tool developed by IRS. The pre-filing registration process is required for eligible taxpayers to receive elective payments.  IRS released a User Guide and instructional video to assist taxpayers in completing the process. The registration tool will generate a registration number that must be included on the taxpayer’s annual return and filed by the appropriate due date before elective payments can be received. 

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

Summary: In December, Caltrans released the FY 22/23 Fresno County region's obligation authority (OA) funds delivery report. The 22/23 OA delivery target was $22.2 million, and the region was able to obligate $31.1 million, or 140.1% of Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) and Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funds. The remaining $3.4 million will carry over to the FY 23/24 delivery target.

The FY 23/24 OA delivery target is $19.5 million. Based on member agency discussions, Fresno COG is projecting to obligate $31.4 million and exceed the 23/24 target, as shown in the quarterly report. Staff will be scheduling obligation plan meetings in late February with all member agencies to discuss programmed projects and finalize the OA plan to submit to Caltrans by March 15.

Please keep Fresno COG staff updated on any changes to programmed projects that could possibly impact the region’s project delivery plan. Contact Matthew Shimizu at 559-233-4148 ext. 240 or mshimizu@fresnocog.org with any questions regarding fiscal year deadlines or the process of obligating project funds.

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

Summary: At the beginning of each fiscal year, Fresno COG determines the Local Transportation Fund amounts (LTF) available to local agencies within Fresno County from Transportation Development Act (TDA) funds. Allocations are provided in four categories: bicycle and pedestrian facilities, social services transportation, regional transportation planning, and public transportation. Prior to allocating LTF funds for local streets and roads in individual jurisdictions, Fresno COG must identify any unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet in that jurisdiction. The annual Unmet Transit Needs Assessment is conducted for that purpose and to make any related findings. 

The FY 2024-25 Unmet Transit Needs Assessment kicked off at the Fresno COG Social Services Transportation Advisory Committee (SSTAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.

Public outreach is an essential component of the Unmet Transit Needs Assessment. This year, the public outreach component will consist of an online survey, six in-person events, a virtual event, and a public hearing.  The online survey is available in English and Spanish until Friday, March 29, 2024, at:

English – https://publicinput.com/2024utn

Spanish – https://publicinput.com/2024spanishutn

The dates, times, and locations of each public outreach meeting are as follows:

Meeting #1: Rural Westside Fresno County
5:30 p.m. Tues., Feb. 27
Granada Commons Apartments
14570 West California Ave.,
Kerman, CA 93630

Meeting #2: City of Fresno
5:30 p.m. Wed., Feb. 28
Mosqueda Community Center
4670 E. Butler Ave.,
Fresno, CA 93702

Meeting #3: City of Fresno
10:30 a.m. Sat., March 2
Maxie L. Parks Community Center
1802 E. California Ave.,
Fresno CA 93706

Meeting #4 – Online
1:30 p.m. Mon., March 4
Register in advance at:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EkE-RiT7QlOdJRyomUOfEg
Registrants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Meeting #5: City of Fresno
5:30 p.m. Tues., March 5
Pinedale Community Center
7170 N. San Pablo Ave.,
Pinedale, CA 93650

Meeting #6: City of Clovis
5:30 p.m. Wed., March 6
Armstrong Transit Center-at Landmark Square Transit Training Room
785 Third St.
Clovis, CA 93612

Meeting #7: Rural Eastside Fresno County
5:30 p.m. Tues., March 12
Paseo 55
1764 12^th St.
Reedley, CA 93654

Public outreach events for the FY 2024-25 Unmet Transit Needs Assessment concludes with a public hearing at the Fresno COG Policy Board meeting on Thursday, April 25, 2024. 

Transit riders and stakeholders can submit comments via email that are aggregated with the survey, in English or Spanish, at 2024utn@publicinput.com. They can also submit comments via voicemail (855) 925-2801, entering project code: “1470”, when prompted or text "unmet needs" to 73224. See the attached flyers for all details.

Marketing activities for the FY 2024-25 Unmet Transit Needs assessment include flyers to the FAX unmet transit needs mailing list, articles published in the Fresno COG and FAX newsletters, flyers and postcards distributed to Fresno County Department of Social Services offices and social media posts through Fresno COG and FAX social media channels. A community hub is also available at https://publicinput.com/unmet.transit.needs

More information about the FY 2024-25 unmet transit needs process -- including outreach activities, meeting times, addresses, and call-in information for the virtual events -- can be found at www.fresnocog.org/unmet-transit-needs-assessment/ and the Public Input Community Hub at https://publicinput.com/unmet.transit.needs.

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

Summary:  A member appointment to Fresno COG's Social Services Transportation Advisory Committee (SSTAC) is lapsing.  Staff requests reappointment for:

• Matthew Gillian, a Fresno resident, representing the general public in Fresno County

Action:  Staff, the SSTAC and the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board reappoint SSTAC member Matthew Gillian to another two-year term.

Summary: Fresno COG's Regional Microtransit Feasibility Study is exploring how shared, flexible, and on-demand public transportation known as "microtransit' can improve access to jobs, healthcare, shopping, and other community destinations. With the public's help, staff and consultants have identified limited "zones" or sets of destinations where service could be available. A new community survey opened Feb. 2 requesting the public's input on the zone locations and interest in using microtransit service. 

English and Spanish survey flyers are attached. Staff requests committee members share the survey request with their contacts and communities. 

Direct links to the survey: 

English:  Fresno County Regional Microtransit Feasibility Study, Phase 2 Survey - PublicInput

Spanish:  Estudio de viabilidad del microtransporte regional del condado de Fresno, encuesta de la fase 2 - PublicInput

Community members may also submit their thoughts via voicemail at (855) 925-2801, code 3313 or via email:

English:  microtransitsurvey@publicinput.com

Spanish:  microtransitsurveyespanol@publicinput.com

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

Summary: Fresno COG developed a Regional Active Transportation Plan (R-ATP) to provide a comprehensive document outlining the future of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in Fresno County. The R-ATP was developed in coordination with Fresno COG’s member agencies, the general public and stakeholder groups, such as local bicycling groups, walking advocates, educational institutions and disadvantaged communities. 

The R-ATP is intended to help Fresno COG’s member agencies better compete for funding sources that support ATPs and to satisfy California Transportation Commission (CTC) requirements. The cities of Clovis, Fresno, Selma and Reedley have recently prepared or will soon complete their own ATPs; conclusions from those plans are incorporated into this R-ATP. The participating agencies for this update are: Firebaugh, Fowler, Huron, Mendota, Orange Cove, Coalinga, Kerman, Kingsburg, Parlier, Sanger, San Joaquin, and the County of Fresno, each of which can rely on the R-ATP to satisfy CTC requirements. 

One of the project's main goals is to detail a potential network of safe and attractive trails, sidewalks and bikeways that connect Fresno County residents to key destinations -- especially local schools, parks and transit. The networks include: shared-use paths, bike lanes and routes, sidewalks and crosswalk improvements. Other goals are to create a network of regional bikeways that allow bicyclists to safely ride between cities and other regional destinations, and to increase regional walking and bicycling trips by creating user-friendly facilities. The draft Regional ATP is now available for public comments, which will be incorporated into the final plan to be adopted in April 2024. 

Due to the file size, a link to the Draft Fresno County R-ATP Update can be found here: https://www.fresnocog.org/project/active-transportation/

The first four chapters contain:

1. Introduction
2. Existing conditions
3. Planned networks and program
4. Implementation

Chapters 5–16 are devoted to each jurisdiction's status and future plans. Chapter 17 includes community connections that describe the conditions and future plans for walking and biking connections among incorporated and unincorporated communities in Fresno County and with other counties.

The Appendix contains:

(A)  Plan conformance with the CTC's ATP guidelines

(B)  Public participation

(C)  Relationship to other plans and policies

(D)  Projects, priorities, and cost estimates

(E)  Funding sources

(F)   Fact sheets **

(G)  Safe routes to school inventory

(H)  Jurisdictional resolutions *

* Jurisdiction resolutions are one of the ATP components the CTC requires. Fresno COG staff will follow up with city and county staff on this matter.

** Fact sheets will be included in the final draft

The initial study/negative declaration, in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) along with the final Regional Active Transportation Plan will be presented to TTC/PAC and Policy Board in April 2024. The presentation from the Fehr & Peers team will outline the framework of the Fresno County Regional Active Transportation Plan.

Action: Information and discussion. The Policy Board may provide additonal direction at its discretion.

Summary: Fresno COG developed a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), which is the first component of the Regional Climate Action Plan required under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant. The PCAP includes: a regional greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory, a public outreach process, priority GHG emissions reduction measure identification and quantification, a benefit analysis for low-income and disadvantaged communities, and identifies implementing authorities.    

Fresno COG staff used a three-pronged approach to developing the PCAP. First was a public outreach process with a multi-media platform, especially targeting low-income and disadvantaged communities. As a parallel process, a stakeholder steering committee provided input and guidance on the overall process. The third and final step was to present the PCAP to Fresno COG’s three standing committees, including the Transportation Technical Committee, the Policy Advisory Committee and the Policy Board, for final approval.   

The PCAP was the first regional climate action planning effort addressing multiple economic sectors in Fresno County, and provided valuable educational experience to the region's communities and municipal staff on climate action planning. However, due to its constrained timeline (five months), the process for many components was shortened or simplified. The next step is to develop a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) that will build on the PCAP. Significantly, $4.6 billion in federal funding is available to implement GHG mitigation measures, and only regions with an established PCAP are eligible.

FINAL Priority Climate Action Plan

Action: Staff and the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board approve the Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) for submission to EPA through Resolution 2024-07. 

Summary: The fiscal year (FY) 2024-25 Overall Work Program (OWP), totaling $45.2 million is submitted for Board and public review. A summary memorandum is attached to this annotated report. In short, the proposed budget decreased $12.6 million from last year. Operational revenues remain intact and reserves are adequate.

The largest part of the decrease is attributed to $9.6 million in one-time anticipated funding from the Regional Early Action Plan (REAP) 2.0 funds provided by the California Department of Housing and Community Development, California Air Resources Board, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and the Strategic Growth Council. Another $3,734,971 decrease reflected draw down of cash match from Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA) as it constructed its Selma maintenance facility. These were one time grants that are largely spent down and have no effect on normal operating expenses.

Federal revenues increased a net of 7 percent  or $938,161; however the largest increase of $1.7 million resulting from another round of bus procurements through the FTA 5310 program offset several decreases from revenue sources that were drawn down from one time projects.

State revenues decreased 34 percent, ($9.7 million) primarily due to the REAP 2 grant.   

Local revenues decreased 25 percent ($3.8 million), resulting from  the FCRTA drawdown.  

Fresno COG added an accounting position in 2024, which is jointly shared 70/30% with FCRTA; however, high employee turnover resulted in lower salary and benefit rates. Contingencies are carried for merit-based salary increases, as well as for anticipated health insurance increases. The overall proposed budget for salaries increased by 2 percent and benefits by 1 percent.

The overall consulting budget is $22.1 million, which decreased $5.7 million.

The OWP and budget will return for final approval in April.

Action: Staff and the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board release Fresno COG's draft 2024-25 Overall Work Program and budget for public review, with final approval scheduled for the April Board meeting.

Summary:  Senate Bill (SB) 743 requires that level-of-service (LOS), used in measuring transportation impacts in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), be replaced with vehicle miles traveled (VMT).

Fresno COG developed its SB 743 Implementation Regional Guidelines in 2020, which provided tools for local governments to implement SB 743, should they decide to institute the recommendations. However, due to a lack of clear guidance, VMT mitigation remains an outstanding issue within SB 743 implementation. Projects with significant VMT impacts can’t move forward due to a lack of defined, quantifiable and feasible mitigation measures.

It is believed that a regional-level VMT mitigation program will be most effective in providing the pathways for VMT reduction. In 2023, Fresno COG finalized the Regional VMT Mitigation Program Feasibility Study that explored options such as VMT mitigation bank, VMT mitigation exchange, regional VMT impact fees, etc., and identified pros and cons for the various techniques. The study outlined a framework for potential implementation of such a regional VMT mitigation program.

The study evaluated potential regional VMT mitigation programs to meet the CEQA transportation mitigation needs for the 16 jurisdictions comprising Fresno COG. Existing VMT mitigations that often rely heavily on existing transportation demand management (TDM) options are inadequate to fully mitigate many of the planned land use and transportation projects. As such, the study considered whether a programmatic approach, primarily through fee assessments to pay for VMT-reducing projects, is a feasible solution to address transportation-related CEQA mitigation needs within the Fresno region.

Several programmatic approaches to VMT mitigation, including VMT banking, VMT exchanges, and VMT mitigation impact fee programs were considered and analyzed. After completing the project analyses, outreach, framework evaluations, and reviewing all considerations, the study determined that a fee-based VMT mitigation program is a feasible option for the Fresno COG region, and that VMT banking would be the most appropriate initial program framework.

Implementing a fee-based VMT mitigation program adds a new fee that may further increase the cost of housing and other development, as well as increase the cost of any capacity-enhancing projects. However, in the absence of more VMT mitigation solutions, significant uncertainty will remain for many projects, including those that might align with other plans and programs, continuing to impede their ability to progress. This regional program will be adopted by individual jurisdictions at their discretion and does not exclude them from doing their own VMT mitigation program.

As a follow up to the feasibility study, staff are recommending a Regional VMT Mitigation Program Implementation Plan which seeks to establish a regional VMT mitigation program in Fresno County.

The overall efforts of this program are consistent with the RTP/SCS goals of VMT/GHG reduction and will further the state’s climate goals and the other overarching goals in the California Transportation Plan.  When clarity is provided to developers and stakeholders regarding VMT mitigation, a path for projects to move forward is made possible. The plan seeks to develop and establish a VMT mitigation program to provide certainty for developers and project sponsors on their CEQA mitigation plans during the environmental clearance process of their projects.  

Action: Information and discussion. The Policy 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 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: Fresno COG has been providing modeling services to private consultants and developers using its  activity-based model (ABM) since 2019. Before 2019, COG used a traditional four-step model to provide this service.

The travel demand model is used in traffic impact studies (TIS) and corresponding vehicle miles traveled (VMT) analyses from proposed residential and commercial developments within the Fresno County region.

This service is provided to support land use and transportation-related projects; however, during regional transportation plan development, the modeling staff is overwhelmed with hundreds of model runs, which make it challenging to dedicate significant hours to the traffic and VMT analyses requests. To resolve this issue, in 2021 staff selected four firms identified as "preferred consultants" that provide the same kind of modeling services.  

COG charges developers its staff time for TIS and VMT analyses, which is solely the hourly employee rate without any profit or overhead charges.  This is significantly less than the preferred consultant firms and results in their  underuse. To mitigate this issue, staff proposes adjusting Fresno COG's hourly rate, which has been in place since 2010. This adjustment will make COG’s hourly rate comparable to that of the preferred consultants.

COG compared two approaches to set a reasonable hourly rate. First, using inflation approach, COG calculated the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from State of California's inflation calculator. The difference in the index values between 2010 and 2023 came out to be 48.5%, which means that $125 in 2010 was equivalent to $186 in December 2023. 

The second approach was the competitive market rate. COG collected the hourly rates from all the preferred consultants, which range between $160 and $270, with an average of $218. Staff believes that $215/hour will be a competitive and reasonable rate that will help to balance the number of modeling requests between COG and its preferred consultants.

Action: Staff and the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board increase the hourly staff rate for modeling services from $125 to $215 per hour.

Summary: Fresno COG and Via Mobility LLC are requesting a time extention to the Fresno County Microtransit Feasibility Study contract, from March 31 to June 30, 2024.  Staff anticipates a final plan and presentation to TTC/PAC and Policy Board in April 2024. The extension will cover any additional invoicing requirements. The study is within budget and there is no need for additional funding. The study is funded by Caltrans SB 1 Sustainable Communities formula funds.  

Action: Staff and the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize the executive director to approve a contract amendment with Via Mobility LLC for the Fresno County Microtransit Feasibility Study to extend the  contract from March 31 to June 30, 2024.

Summary: The City of Fresno has asked Fresno COG to amend its Multijurisdictional Housing Element contract with consulting firm Placeworks to address a potential funding shortfall related to public comment responses and revisions requested by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

Placeworks subcontractor Ascent, which is developing the City of Fresno's housing element, is requesting an additional $64,282 to account for anticipated overages on the project. This amount is beyond the $90,000 in Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) funds already included in an November 2023 contract amendment. City of Fresno staff propose using the City's own Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) funds to cover this second contract  amendment. Attached is the proposd scope of work. 

Action: Staff and the TTC/PAC recommend the Policy Board authorize the executive director to approve amendment No. 2 to the Placeworks Multijurisdictional Housing Element, for an amount not to exceed $64,282, to be paid by the City of Fresno.

Summary:  During the COVID pandemic in 2020, Fresno COG staff contracted with Sebastian to install a new camera and digital sound control improvements to outfit the Sequoia Board room for Zoom meetings and webinars. 

As a cost-saving measure, the upgrade was limited to only those components necessary for the existing audio-visual system to interact in a Zoom environment. The Sequoia room employs 31 microphones, one camera, one personal computer, three television displays, an audio recorder and one VoIP telephone line for audio and video conferencing. There are additionally four ceiling microphones with LED indicators for recording all participants and noise in the room.

The original items that remain connected to the system are older analog mixers that are starting to produce unpredictable results and scratching noises and an amplifier for the room that is still in good condition. The need to maintain these devices results in numerous service calls to try to resolve or just minimize these issues.  For example, audio may be too loud inside the room but too quiet for Zoom participants to hear the proceedings.  From the visual standpoint, the room's only camera is generally in a fixed, wide-angle position, which doesn't allow Zoom participants to immediately see who is speaking.

The proposed AV system upgrade will provide several significant enhancements to the existing conference room.  Though peripherals were replaced, which added functionality to the room, the core components have not been updated.  This is reflected in the audio being produced and creates some end user workarounds. Sebastian has carefully selected the components added to the system with the expectation that they would eventually work more efficiently with an updated core and reduce confusion for users. By replacing some of the older analog core devices in the system we can refresh the room experience and simplify the user interface.

In January, the Board tabled this item at the request of City of Coalinga Mayor James Horn for him to review the proposals personally for efficacy and value.  Mayor Horn concurs that the bid is cost-effective for the services and equipment proposed.

Consequently, staff recommends entering into a sole-source contract with Sebastial to complete the transition to a fully digital AV system, including a specialized Dell digital server from QSC built to process each microphone individually to provide the best sound for conferencing and control the room's peripherals.

Action: Staff, the TTC/PAC and Mayor James Horn recommend the Policy Board approve a sole-source contract with Sebastian not to exceed $54,384.12 and authorize the executive director to sign.

Summary:  At the Policy Board's direction, staff released a request for proposals (RFP) seeking professional executive search services firms (Consultant) to conduct nationwide recruitment for the Fresno Council of Governments executive director's position. Staff received seven proposals by the Feb. 1 deadline. The RFP and the proposals are attached for Board member review.

Staff also attached a matrix of consultant firm proposal elements. It identifies which proposals met the RFP requirements and itemizes other items that may be of interest to the Policy Board, such as proposed project costs, placement guarantee offers, work sample inclusion, office location (relevant to travel reimbursement rates) and the overall project timeline estimation. 

Staff is seeking direction from Policy Board members on how they wish to proceed with consultant selection. 

Action: Select a professional executive search consultant for recruitment of Fresno COG executive director candidates or provide alternative direction to staff.

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 three minutes.