City of Gonzales
PUBLIC WORKS / CITY ENGINEER DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: June 17, 2024
FROM: Patrick Dobbins, Public Works Director/City Engineer THROUGH: Carmen Gil, City Manager
SUBJECT: Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan and Participatory Budget Process
RECOMMENDATION
Receive a presentation on the Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan and the Results of the Participatory Budget Process and provide any feedback or direction to staff.
BACKGROUND
The Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan has been a two-year effort to develop recommendations for pedestrian safety improvements in the vicinity of the public K-12 schools in the Cities of Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield, and King City. This program is funded through a $664,000 Caltrans Sustainable Communities Transportation Planning Grant and $126,500 of TAMC’s Measure X funds.
The goal of the Safe Routes to School Plan was to increase school-based active transportation and access to public transit based on community input. The program included a resident steering committee to identify and discuss infrastructure and non-infrastructure recommendations for safe routes to schools.
These Steering Committee recommendations will provide the basis for future investments through the countywide Safe Routes to School Program (funded through TAMC’s Measure X) as well as state and federal grant applications.
The Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan was sponsored by TAMC. The planning team (Team) was comprised of staff from TAMC, Ecology Action (a non-profit organization), and the Monterey County Health Department.
AGENDA
ITEM
18 REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
Gonzales’ portion of the Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan (SRTS) was formally kicked-off when staff with Ecology Action made a presentation at the August 15, 2022 City Council meeting.
School audits occurred on October 26, 2022, when City staff, TAMC, Ecology Action and the Gonzales Youth Council observed students arrive and leave La Gloria Elementary, Fairview Middle School and Gonzales High School.
The planning process included a “pilot project” which was the temporary installation of separated bike lanes on 5th Street between Elko Street and Rincon Road last summer.
To provide context to the Steering Committee, the Team reviewed previous planning documents relevant to SRTS to ensure consistency with past plans and projects. The Team was tasked with noting concerns or issues collected through parent survey data, reviewing crash data history near the schools, consulting with the School Staff, and observing if there are any infrastructure deficiencies and/or dangerous behaviors. All input from the community members and data collected were used to develop the draft street safety recommendations.
A participatory budgeting process was used by the Gonzales Steering Committee. The Participatory Budgeting Process included:
1. Creating the Ballot - the Gonzales Safe Routes to School Steering Committee, made up of residents and community advocates in coordination with Safe Routes to School program partners developed a list of projects for residents to vote on.
2. Election Strategy Plan - The election started with a strategy plan that took place at the Gonzales Police Department on March 20, 2024, in which the committee discussed the collection locations, duration of the voting period, and the different plans for outreach.
3. Voting - The Public was given four weeks during April and May with a deadline of May 18th to vote on their preferred safety improvement projects. Voting was provided in the form of inperson voting ballots at various places such as the Gonzales Car Show, City Hall, and participating school locations, as well as online.
4. Election Results - The top projects will be announced at the June 17th City of Gonzales Council meeting.
TAMC staff will make a presentation at the Council meeting as part of this report.
How Recommendation Supports the Vision
Gonzales will continue to be a safe, clean, family-friendly community, diverse in its heritage, and committed to working collaboratively to preserve and retain its small-town charm.
Explain: The projects identified by the Gonzales Steering Committee will enhance the quality of life of Gonzales residents.
Explain how the Recommendation Directly Implements the Mission The City Council and Staff of the City of Gonzales will realize our Vision by providing the leadership, commitment and resources necessary to provide excellent services that enhance the quality of life of our diverse community. X Yes ____ No____ N/A
Explain: Please see explanation above for the Mission.
City services will be delivered in a cost-effective, respectful and friendly manner to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents and the promotion of business, recreational, housing and employment opportunities in an environmentally sustainable manner. X Yes ____No ____ N/A Explain: See Vision explanation above.
Strong fiscal policies allow us to provide appropriate infrastructure for:
• Public Safety X Yes No N/A
• Housing Yes X No N/A
• Recreation X Yes No N/A
• Environment X Yes No N/A
• Education X Yes No N/A
ALTERNATIVES
The Council could direct City staff to revise the selected projects.
BUDGET IMPACT
TAMC will grant the City of Gonzales up to $250,000 to implement projects from the participatory budgeting process.
CONCLUSION
Receive a presentation on the Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan and the Results of the Participatory Budget Process and provide any feedback or direction to staff.
Attachments:
1. TAMC's Presentation Slide Deck