Business Item 5a
STAFF REPORT
City Council Business Item
DATE: October 17, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Cameron Mull, Director of Parks & Recreation
THROUGH: Merritt Perry, Interim City Manager
SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING: Receive Public Comment Concerning Unmet Transit Needs (UTN)
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Hold a public hearing concerning Unmet Transit Needs, and forward all public comment received to Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG) for consideration.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Each year, the Transportation Development Act (TDA) Statutes require the Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG), as the Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA), to hold an Unmet Transit Needs Hearing for the purpose of evaluating the best methods of providing public transportation. It is local policy for HCAOG to request each member entity hold a public hearing on unmet transit needs annually. These local hearings are in addition to HCAOG’s required public hearing and there purpose is to broaden the hearing forum. The local hearings also provide City Council Members and County Board of Supervisors an opportunity to hear and respond to local comments. All persons and groups known to have interest in transit-related matters are notified in advance of these hearings. The appropriate public notices are also published in the local print media. The public is encouraged to offer any comments and/or possible solutions to various transit needs. By holding a public hearing at a Council meeting, the Council is acknowledging the receipt of public comments.
The City of Fortuna provides two transportation systems to serve Fortuna residents; the City operated Dial-A-Ride (DAR) system, and the Humboldt Transit Authority’s, Regional Redwood Transit System (RTS). RTS is a commuter service and covers a 65- mile stretch of Highway 101 from Trinidad to Benbow. Service runs from 5:30am10:30pm Monday through Friday and from 8:30 am to 9:30 pm on Saturday. There are 46 southbound and northbound trips on weekdays and on Saturdays. Adult Fares are $3.50 for a one-way trip and a monthly-unlimited pass may be purchased for $62.00.
The Fortuna Transit Bus Service is a Dial-A-Ride (DAR) system; the City operates two buses Monday through Friday from 8:00am-4:30pm. The Fortuna Transit Service is available to persons over the age of 50 or disabled persons living within the city limits of Fortuna. Riders call for bus service anytime during the previous calendar month for doctor’s appointments, one week in advance to reserve a ride for hair, work, lunch site, or Business Item 5a
other non-medical appointments, and the day-of or day before for shopping, visiting friends, & banking. Riders are picked up at their homes and delivered to their destination, and when they are ready to return home or travel to another destination, they call the Transit/ Parks office to dispatch a bus for service. Fortuna Transit’s DAR started weekly medical appointments to Eureka in July of 2018 (Measure E funded) to allow people to get the medical services they need in the Eureka area, since there are more medical providers housed there.
Staff continues to monitor expenses and revenues to insure compliance with the State Mandated 10% fare box recovery ratio. The fares for rides are $2.50 per ride or $22.50 for a prepaid punch card for 15 rides.
The primary purpose of TDA funds is to provide various types of transportation services to the public that are financially "reasonable" to fund, and secondarily to provide funds for roadway repair projects. Before HCAOG can allocate funds for purposes “not directly related to public transportation services, specialized transportation services, or facilities provided for the exclusive use of pedestrians and bicycles” (PUC Sec. 99401.5), HCAOG must first implement the unmet transit needs process. Because the primary purpose of the TDA is to fund transit, the unmet transit needs process is used to prove that there are no “unmet transit needs” that are “reasonable to meet” prior to funding street and road projects.
Council will not be asked to make a finding on Unmet Transit Needs. They are to receive public comment concerning transit needs and to forward findings on to HCAOG. If the RTPA and the HCAOG Board finds that there are no unmet transit needs or that there are no unmet transit needs that are reasonable to meet, the City of Fortuna may then expend excess TDA funds for non-transit purposes. A finding that there are unmet transit needs, including those that are reasonable to meet, delivers a mandate to the respective entity to set aside funds, to implement a program to meet those needs deemed “reasonable to meet.”
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Humboldt County Association of Governments adopted the 2022/2023 Local Transportation Fund Apportionment and Allocation of $447,970 to the City of Fortuna (allocation based on population size). Of that total amount, $212,787 is allocated to fund 590 for the Fortuna Transit system, $500 towards annual bus shelter maintenance, a required 2% set-aside for bike and pedestrian projects in the amount of $12,333, and $222,350 allocated to Fund 260 and Fund 265 for non-transit activities, which is budgeted to fund Capital Improvements/ Streets Projects.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
1. Receive staff presentation and review Council questions with staff.
2. Open the Public Hearing.
3. Close the Public Hearing.
Business Item 5a
4. Motion to forward comments received during the public hearing to HCOAG for consideration of Unmet Transit Needs. Voice vote.
ATTACHMENTS:
HCAOG UTN Synopsis to Cities regarding Citizen Participation for Assessing Unmet Transit Needs
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