At the meeting, Ms. Kupersmith briefly described the background of the ACA, which was formed in 1989. She stated that since the Board of Directors established ACA’s original rules regarding membership and voting requirements, it is appropriate for the Board to take action to revise those rules.

Craig Yates, the Chair of the ACA described the purpose of the proposed revisions, which address the issues of representation, quorum and control of the presence and absence of ACA members. Mr. Yates stated that since these issues have not been revisited in the 17 years since the formation of ACA, it is suitable to update the rules at this time.

Staff recommended and the Committee concurred by motion made and seconded by Directors BORO/KERNS to forward the following recommendation to the Board of Directors for its consideration:

1. Add “qualify for Americans with Disabilities (ADA) paratransit services” to the list of criteria for ACA membership.
2. Add “be a user of Golden Gate Transit (GGT) or Marin County Transit District (MCTD) bus, paratransit or ferry service” to the list of criteria for being a voting member of the ACA.
3. Add the category of Non-Voting Member (one who meets the criteria but does not use GGT or MCTD services) as a type of ACA membership.
4. Define the number of members that constitutes a quorum of ACA members.
5. Increase the number of unexcused absences that are allowed before a member loses one’s eligibility to vote from two to four absences within a 12-month period.
6. Add a section defining what constitutes a leave of absence for ACA members.

   
   Action by the Board – Resolution
   NON-CONSENT CALENDAR
   

A Notice of Meeting Cancellation for the June 21, 2006, meeting of the Bus Passenger Advisory Committee was furnished to the Transportation Committee.  Copies are available in the Office of the District Secretary and on the District’s web site.

Action by the Board – None Required

• Responds to Marin County Measure A priorities and performance standards;
• Meets productivity standards based on passengers per hour;
• Meets cost effectiveness standards based on subsidy per trip;
• Provides seamless connections to regional service;
• Fills a gap in the bus transit network by serving major destinations in Marin County;
• Relieves congestion as measured in total ridership and eliminates pass-ups;
• Promotes environmental justice based on demographic analysis; and,
• Leverages outside funding, including federal, state, and Regional Measure 2 toll revenue.

Ms. Van Doren noted that the changes to local service were based on the following guiding principles:

• Increase frequency on key corridors to maximize ridership;
• Enhance connectivity to reduce transfers and improve connections;
• Allow for appropriately sized vehicles;
• Match service with travel demand;
• Enhance school service to meet new school service standards developed as part of the plan; and,
• Better match performance standards for both productivity and coverage.

Ms. Van Doren provided a brief summary of MCTD’s new local transit system, which entails eliminating six local routes, adding six new routes, modifying four routes, adding three new small bus routes and maintaining two routes in their current configuration.  Ms. Van Doren then proceeded to outline specific service improvements in three areas of Marin County: Novato, Central Marin and Southern Marin.  She also described the outreach and marketing activities planned for the launch of the new Service Plan.  She noted that the MCTD will initiate a contest to identify a public name, logo, and color scheme for the local transit system, with extensive media outreach. 

In conclusion, Ms. Van Doren summarized the Service Plan, and commended the District for the successful collaboration between the staffs of the District and the MCTD in all facets of service development, scheduling, marketing and promotion.  A copy of the PowerPoint presentation is available in the Office of the District Secretary and on the District’s web site.

Discussion ensued, including the following:

• Director Murray suggested the outreach efforts include signage at individual MCTD bus stops showing the schedule and frequency of the new local bus routes, in order to better inform the public about the new service.  In response, Ms. Van Doren stated that the MCTD plans to provide such signage at major bus stops and transfer points in the near future, with a long-term goal to provide signage at the majority of local bus stops.

• President Middlebrook inquired regarding the shuttle routes that would use small buses.  In response, Ms. Van Doren explained that such routes with light demand would utilize small transit vehicles under contract by another service provider, since Golden Gate Transit’s fleet does not presently include such small vehicles.

• Chair Brown cautioned that having separate logos may portend a tendency to “go our separate ways,” and encouraged the staffs of GGT and the MCTD to continue to maintain the collaborative working relationship between the two agencies.

Action by the Board – None Required

[Note:  The above recommendation will be forwarded to the Board of Directors meeting of July 14, 2006, for action.]

In a memorandum to Committee, Paratransit Coordinator Cynthia B. Petersen, Director of Planning Alan R. Zahradnik, Deputy General Manager/Bus Division Susan C. Chiaroni and General Manager Celia G. Kupersmith provided staff’s recommendation to approve the FY 06/07 Agreement between the District and the Marin County Transit District (MCTD) for Inter-county Paratransit Service (FY 06/07 Paratransit Agreement). The report stated that the FY 06/07 Paratransit Agreement has been developed by the District and the MCTD staffs to continue the terms and conditions of previous Inter-county Paratransit Agreements and to reflect the principles of the new Agreement for Marin Local Bus Service. The report also stated that on July 11, 2006, the MCTD approved its FY 06/07 contract with Marin Senior Coordinating Council/Whistlestop Wheels (Whistlestop) for paratransit services throughout Marin County. The FY 06/07 Paratransit Agreement between the District and the MCTD reflects the results of MCTD’s contract with Whistlestop and applies retroactively to July 1, 2006.

The report explained that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not allow denials of mandated paratransit service and requires, at a minimum, that transit operators provide special paratransit services to ADA-eligible passengers to and from locations within three-quarters of a mile on either side and within the comparable service hours, of that agency’s non-commute fixed bus routes. The report described how the paratransit costs are allocated in the FY 06/07 Paratransit Agreement between the MCTD and the District, based on the line-item budget from the paratransit contractor, Whistlestop, and based on the latest fuel cost estimates. The report noted that in the new relationship with the MCTD, the District will pay the MCTD a combined total of $995,233 for the inter-county paratransit expense, which reflects a 6.4% increase over the FY 05/06 paratransit budget. This increase is attributed to increased fuel, facility rental, insurance, technical support and system equipment costs, as well as costs for an additional part-time mechanic position. The report further stated that the increased paratransit budget for FY 06/07 also reflects costs associated with increased service hours and capacity, which have been added to ensure that there are no denials of ADA-mandated paratransit service. The report also included a chart depicting the demand of ADA paratransit trips, and the percentage by which this demand is increasing for both local and inter-county paratransit service. It is recommended that the Committee approve the FY 06/07 Paratransit Agreement, as described above. A copy of the staff report is available in the Office of the District Secretary and on the District’s web site.

At the meeting, Celia Kupersmith briefly described the FY 06/07 Paratransit Agreement, noting that in contrast to the contractual relationship with MCTD for the Agreement for Marin Local Bus Service, the District contracts with MCTD to provide paratransit service for the District.

Staff recommended and the Committee concurred by motion made and seconded by Directors STROEH/KERNS to forward the following recommendation to the Board of Directors for its consideration:

RECOMMENDATION

A spreadsheet from the Planning Department providing statistics regarding GGT bus service performance of both District regional routes and MCTD local routes, for the month of  May 2006; and,

1.           Agenda of the June 13, 2006, meeting of MCTD;

2.           Minutes of the May 30, 2006, meeting of MCTD;

3.           Agenda and minutes of the May 23, 2006, meeting of MCTD;

4.           Agenda and minutes of the May 16, 2006, meeting of MCTD;

5.           Minutes of May 9, 2006, meeting of MCTD;

6.           Agenda of the June 22, 2006, meeting of the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM);

7.           Minutes of the May 25, 2006, meeting of TAM;

8.           Agenda and minutes of the June 14, 2006, meeting of the TAM Executive Committee; and,

9.           Minutes of the May 10, 2006, meeting of the TAM Executive Committee.

Copies of all of the above-listed items are available in the Office of the District Secretary and on the District’s web site.

At the meeting, Ms. Kupersmith stated that the current five-year Agreement with the MCTD for Marin Local Bus Service includes a provision to hold periodic joint agency meetings with the respective Boards of the MCTD and the District. She noted that the purpose of the joint agency meetings would be to discuss both current local bus service issues, as well as to discuss the future of the long-term relationship between the two agencies.

Discussion ensued, including the following:

There was no public comment.

All business having been concluded, the meeting was adjourned at 10:40 a.m.