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D. 6

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE
Date:	October 20, 2015

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Comment Letter on the Transportation Expenditure Plan for a Potential Sales Tax Ballot Measure Under Development by the CCTA

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 10/20/2015

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

John Cunningham (925)674-7833

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: October 20, 2015
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

AUTHORIZE the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to sign a letter to the Contra Costa Transportation Authority providing comments on their development of a Transportation Expenditure Plan for a potential sales tax measure in November 2016.

FISCAL IMPACT:

None. The recommendation addresses an outside agency's actions.

BACKGROUND:

The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (Authority), on behalf of its member agencies, is currently developing a Transportation Expenditure Plan (TEP) for inclusion in a possible 2016 ballot measure for a new transportation sales tax (see CCTA report on voter research, attached hereto). The proposed sales tax would be for 25 years (expiring in 2042), for ½ cent, running concurrently with Measure J (which expires in 2034) and is forecasted to generate $2.3 billion.

BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

As established in the October 21, 2014 letter to CCTA regarding the TEP and Countywide Transportation Plan (and reaffirmed in the attached draft letter), the Board of Supervisors (Board) has not yet endorsed the proposed transportation sales tax. That broader issue will be addressed at a future meeting of the Board.

HISTORY
Reports on this issue have been brought to previous Board meetings. Those reports included a substantial amount of background information and are available at the following links:

September 15, 2015
http://64.166.146.245/docs/2015/BOS/20150915_640/650_09-15-15_826_AGENDApacket.pdf#page128
June 16, 2015
http://64.166.146.155/docs/2015/BOS/20150616_591/601_6-16-15%20BOS%20Packet.pdf#page=1222
October 21, 2014
http://64.166.146.155/docs/2014/BOS/20141021_482/493_10-21-14_1410_AGENDApacket.pdf#page=453
September 23, 2014
http://64.166.146.155/docs/2014/BOS/20140923_476/487_09-23-14_1017_AGENDApacket.pdf#page=28

UPDATE

At the September 15, 2015 Board meeting (document link above), all staff recommendations were approved. Where appropriate, those recommendations are reflected in the attached draft letter. Staff is seeking input from the Board on the draft letter. Also attached for the Board’s review is a letter to the Contra Costa County transit districts reaching out on the recommendations to the Authority related to accessible services.

A summary of the Board recommendations to the Authority are presented below, along with the approach taken in the letter. Topics that were not explicitly included in the 9/15 staff report but reasonably assumed to be consistent with Board direction or brought up during discussion are in bold print below.

PROCESS: RELEVANT STATUTES, SCHEDULE, COSTS, ETC:
Per Board direction, a meeting between Authority staff and County staff has been called for October 13, 2015. County staff will provide a verbal report at the October 20^th Board meeting.

MAINTENANCE FUNDING AND THE "LOCAL STREETS MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM
The recommendation to the Authority is to fund maintenance at a level consistent with the Regional Transportation Planning Committees with consideration for complete streets concepts. Justification for the increase is included in the letter per the information in the 9/15 staff report and discussion at the September 15^th Board meeting. That information resulted in the assertion that anticipated or optimistic revenues (Measure J, proposed Measure J augmentation, additional state revenues) will not be sufficient to cover the pavement and non-pavement maintenance needs in the unincorporated areas.

Per the discussion at the September 15^th Board meeting in which Authority staff participated, the letter indicates that the County is willing to work with the Authority and other member agencies to develop an approach for additional monitoring and reporting on the use of maintenance funds.

ACCESSIBLE SERVICES/MOBILITY MANAGEMENT/PARATRANSIT
The letter requests:
• Additional funding for accessible transit service operations and the funding of a mobility management center,
• Eligibility for transit funding be contingent upon participation in the countywide mobility management program,
• Participation in a tour of the Santa Clara County mobility management center from policy makers,
• All agencies involved commit to insulating existing accessible service passengers from service degradations or interruptions with the implementation of the proposed programs.

Justification for the recommendations includes needed cost controls and the unfulfilled recommendations of the 2004 Contra Costa Paratransit Improvement Study. The 2004 study was not discussed in the 9/15 staff report, however, the 2004 recommendations are generally consistent with the findings in the 2013 Contra Costa Mobility Management Plan and were referenced to highlight the longstanding nature of the issue.

IMPROVED LAND USE COORDINATION
Per the 9/15 recommendations, the request is to work with the Authority and other stakeholders in exploring options in a TEP funding program to implement this new concept. Not discussed in the 9/15 report (but raised in the County's October 2014 letter) is the recommendation to revisit the Authority’s Growth Management Program and Technical Procedures relative to the passage of SB743, and the challenge implementing two standards (level of service and vehicle miles traveled).

BICYCLE TRANSPORTATION ISSUES
Consistent with the 9/15 staff report, recommendations for a strategic approach to bicycle program investment is recommended.

MAJOR PROJECTS
Consistent with the 9/15 staff report, project priority recommendations are either re-stated (from the October 21, 2013 Board letter to the Authority), modified (SR239/TriLink, Kirker Pass Truck Climbing Lane), or introduced (Capitol Corridor Voucher Program).

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If a comment letter is not transmitted, the Board will forego an opportunity to provide input on the development of the Transportation Expenditure Plan.

CLERK'S ADDENDUM

DIRECTED that staff add additional language to the letter to address the new concepts of a multi-use path in the Marsh Creek Corridor, a bicycle expressway in the Iron Horse Trail corridor, and an evaluation of Level of Service standards versus Vehicle Miles Traveled appropriateness in Primary Development Areas; DIRECTED that staff place the revised letter on the November 3, 2015 consent calendar for approval.