DRAFT
ABAG/MTC COMMISSIONERS,
I’m reaching out to you on behalf of the City Council of the City of Cotati to highlight the importance of Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) policy consistency in the determination of One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) funding. As you know, Sonoma County jurisdictions have prioritized compliance with TOC policies and development and are diligently working to ensure consistency with the direction from AGAB/MTC OBAG funding determination deadline.
It has come to our attention that the intent to tie OBAG funding to TOC compliance may be waning as ABAG/MTC decision makers move to finalize their consistency determinations and OBAG funding decisions. As a jurisdiction that has spent considerable efforts to achieve TOC compliance, and one which relies significantly on OBAG funds to make improvements to our local infrastructure, this potential move away from TOC consistency in the OBAG funding determination is concerning.
It is understood that some jurisdictions may not have adequate resources to achieve full or even partial compliance and completely removing their eligibility for OBAG funds due to limited resources could be seen as overly penalizing. However, rewarding jurisdictions who have allocated their scarce resources toward meeting the TOC policy priorities as directed by ABAG/MTC over the past year is similarly important.
Given this, the City of Cotati is requesting ABGB/MTC Commission include a set-aside of OBAG funds or some form of weighting in the funding allocation as an incentive to motivate jurisdictions continued efforts to achieve TOC policy compliance. This compromise would allow jurisdictions which were unable to achieve compliance to remain eligible for funding, but also keep the OBAG funding determination consistent with the policy direction provided since the announcement of the TOC policy creation by ABAG/MTC. Separate from remaining consistent with provided direction, these set funds would allow communities with a dedicated commitment to achieving TOC consistency, additional funds to improve transit access and reduce the dependence on automobile transportation.
Thank you for your consideration of this very important matter.
Sincerely,
Sylvia Lemus
Mayor