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

Summary: On Monday, May 6, 2024, the draft FY2024-25 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/

The Public Hearing for the FY2024-25 FCOG Unmet Transit Needs was held on Thursday, April 25, 2024, at the Fresno COG Policy Board meeting.  A comment was received from Leadership Counsel as a follow-up to their letter received earlier in the day.  Leadership Counsel’s letter along with Fresno COG’s response can be found on pages 76 and 78, respectively, of the draft UTN report.

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 (Reedley 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, 38 comments were received, 5 were determined to be unmet transit needs, none of which were found to be reasonable to meet.  A summary of comments received includes:

• Feedback about service between outlying rural communities and the Fresno metropolitan area
• Feedback about FAX, Clovis, and FCRTA routes and service
• Comments about transportation-related issues

The comments received, transit agency response, and the determination of unmet transit needs are included in the draft FY2024-25 FCOG Unmet Transit Needs Report located at the URL listed after the first paragraph, above. 

The final report will be brought back to SSTAC on June 18, 2024.

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

A.

Clovis CTSA OPB, FY2024-25 (Amy Hance) [ACTION]

B.

FAX and FCRTA Urban and Rural CTSA OPB, FY2024-25 (Janelle Del Campo) [ACTION]

Summary: The Fresno County Rural Transit Agency's draft budget has been prepared to reflect Fresno COG's Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the Short-Range Transit Plan (SRTP) for the rural Fresno County area, 2024-2028. 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 will culminate on June 27, 2024 with the scheduled FCRTA Board meeting. The budget, which may require periodic amendments during the 2024-2025 fiscal year, is available on FCRTA's website www.ruraltransit.org

Action: Staff recommends initiation of the 30-day review with a proposed adoption of June 27, 2024 at the FCRTA Board Meeting.

Summary:

The Fresno Council of Governments has released applications for its Environmental Justice (EJ) Subcommittee. The EJ Subcommittee serves Fresno COG’s Transportation Technical Committee (TTC) by assisting staff in setting environmental justice population thresholds for the Regional Transportation Plan’s (RTP) Environmental Justice Report. The EJ Subcommittee will also appoint one member to sit on the RTP Roundtable during the RTP update. There are 13 positions on the EJ Subcommittee that must be filled, which include four seats from urban, rural, and the County member agencies, and nine seats for representatives from a diverse group of designated EJ populations. The first EJ Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for July 10 at 2 pm.

More information on EJ Subcommittee positions can be found in the attached application. Applications are due to Fresno COG by June 12 as indicated on the attached form.   

Information on the subcommittee can also be found on the following web page:

Environmental Justice - Fresno Council of Governments (fresnocog.org)

Action: Information.

The Fresno COG offices and restrooms are ADA accessible. Representatives or individuals with disabilities should contact Fresno COG, at least 3 days in advance, to request auxiliary aids and/or translation services necessary to participate in the public meeting.