1 TRANSPAC Committee Meeting Summary Minutes
MEETING DATE: September 12, 2024
MEMBERS PRESENT: Sue Noack (Chair), Pleasant Hill; Carlyn Obringer (Vice Chair) Concord; Loella Haskew, Walnut Creek;
Peter Cloven, Clayton; Ken Carlson, Contra Costa
County
PLANNING COMMISSIONERS PRESENT:
STAFF PRESENT: Matt Todd, TRANSPAC; Tiffany Gephart, TRANSPAC MINUTES PREPARED BY: Tiffany Gephart
1. CONVENE REGULAR MEETING / PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE / SELF-INTRODUCTIONS Chair Noack called the meeting to order at 9:00 A.M.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT
There were no comments from the public.
3. CONSENT AGENDA
a. Approval of Minutes:
• Minutes of the June 13, 2024, TRANSPAC Board Meeting. b. CCTA Executive Director’s Report Regarding CCTA Actions/Discussion Items. c. Items Approved by The CCTA For Circulation to the Regional Transportation Planning Committees and Related Items of Interest.
d. RTPC meeting summary letters.
e. CCTA Meeting Updates and Countywide Information Links. f. Correspondence and Communication.
1. PRESTO Martinez Preview Celebration – September 12, 2024.
2. TRANSPAC Letter of Support for CCTA Safe Streets and Roads for All Applications.
g. TRANSPAC Quarterly Financial Report.
Accept the quarterly financial report for the period ended June 30, 2024. h. Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) Fund – Fiscal Year 2024/2025 Call for Projects.
Approve the TFCA project submittals and funding strategy which will allocate $294,000 in available subregional TFCA funding and $37,616 in available Measure J Line 21a funding for the Walnut Creek Bikeway Project and the
2 511 Contra Costa “Active 4 Me” Program and community engagement initiatives proposed for the FY 2024-2025 TFCA cycle.
On a motion by Commissioner Cloven seconded by Commissioner Carlson to approve the consent agenda by unanimous vote of the members present (Cloven, Haskew, Noack, Carlson).
End Consent Agenda
4. AUDIT SERVICES FOR TRANSPAC.
Commissioner Obringer entered the meeting.
Matt Todd mentioned that the JPA requires an annual audit for its audit services in accordance with government codes and regulations. Previously, TRANSPAC had a five-year contract with Cropper Accountancy.
Mr. Todd explained that he collaborated with Erick Cheung, the Pleasant Hill Director of Finance, who also serves as the TRANSPAC treasurer, to identify potential auditing firms. They identified multiple firms and staff reached out to three of the firms with offices in central County: Cropper Rowe; Macias, Gini, and O'Connell (MGO); and Maze and Associates. Two firms declined to submit proposals, citing the small contract size, which was around $5,000 annually under our prior contract, as insufficient for their work scope. Cropper Rowe, the incumbent firm, submitted a proposal.
According to Mr. Todd, the previous audit fee was $4,250 per year, and the new proposal outlines a fee starting at $4,500, increasing by $250 annually. Unlike the previous contract, which maintained a flat rate for five years. The new proposal is for a three-year contract with two additional one-year options. Mr. Todd noted that Cropper Rowe has provided quality service and reliable audit documents over the past five years. Based on this, the recommendation was to award the new contract to Cropper Row.
In response, Commissioner Obringer raised a concern about best practices regarding the continued use of the same auditor, pointing out that Cropper Rowe has been in place since 2016- 2017. She acknowledged that only one firm had responded to the proposal request. Mr. Todd confirmed the concern, noting that while John Cropper has been the principal overseeing their audits, the firm will assign another partner, Bryce Rojas, to the role. This complies with state regulations that require a change in the principal overseeing the audit. However, the same staff member would likely continue preparing the audit with a different principal in charge On a motion by Commissioner Haskew seconded by Commissioner Obringer to award the TRANSPAC JPA financial reviews and audit (services) contract for FY 2023/2024 TO FY 2025/2026, with options for two additional years, to Cropper Rowe. The item was awarded by unanimous vote of the members present (Cloven, Haskew, Noack, Obringer, Carlson).
3 5. TRANSPAC WORK PLAN AND BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024/2025.
Mr. Todd explained that the topic was related to the Gray-Bowen-Scott managing director contract and the 2023-2024 expenses. TRANSPAC has a contract with Gray-Bowen-Scott to provide managing director and secretary clerk services, with a budget of $286,000 for the 2023/2024 year. However, due to more time spent on various tasks than initially anticipated, staff incurred costs of approximately $314,000, resulting in an overage of approximately $28,000.
Mr. Todd noted that the increased costs were due to additional time spent on tasks like in-person board meetings, which began in June 2023, after the approval process for the budget. Setting up for the Measure J Line 20a Grant Program also took more time, as it involved separate scoring committee meeting process (first time TRANSPAC has done this) and additional preparations.
There was significant work on the program’s history and cleaning up unutilized encumbrances, which led to additional funds being available for programming.
Mr. Todd highlighted work done on the equity policy and timely use of funds policy to ensure we don’t get a repeat of unencumbered fund situations. The transition to new CCTA staff, replacing long-time staff member Peter, required additional coordination meetings to get everyone up to speed. Another notable task was the implementation of the TFCA program, which involved a new policy and programming process from CCTA, requiring multiple meetings and adjustments.
Mr. Todd also mentioned that a new staff member, Irina Nalitkina, had been brought on board to handle basic clerk duties, allowing Tiffany Gephart to focus on more complex tasks like the Measure J Line 20a and TFCA programs. Mr. Todd acknowledged that the transition was working well, as Ms. Nalitkina’s support allowed Tiffany Gephart to reduce hours while taking on bigger responsibilities. Mr. Todd further noted that Ms. Nalitkina’s work is charged at a lower billing rate. However, Mr. Todd noted that while staff accounted for training Irina, the handoff between himself and Tiffany Gephart was not fully accounted for. Mr. Todd proposed reducing the requested amendment from $28,000 to $23,000 to account for training costs.
Commissioner Noack appreciated Mr. Todd’s detailed explanation, noting that there had been concerns about having three staff members at the meetings, which seemed excessive. She was glad to hear that the situation had been addressed and that Tiffany Gephart was taking on more responsibilities. Commissioner Noack expressed hope that the additional work done this year, including cleaning up old programming and working with new staff, would alleviate some of the challenges in the next year.
Commissioner Carlson added that the proposal was generous, considering the transitional nature of the year and the changes that had occurred. He expressed optimism that lessons learned from the Line 20a process could be applied going forward, possibly leading to fewer meetings and more streamlined processes. Mr. Todd agreed, noting that they continually review processes, such as the number of scoring committee meetings, to optimize efficiency. He acknowledged that certain unique circumstances had increased the workload but emphasized that adjustments would be made in future years.
4 Commissioner Haskew raised the point that with several new members joining next year, additional time might be required to bring them up to speed. Commissioner Noack agreed, suggesting that the potential for increased time should be factored into next year’s budget.
Commissioner Obringer questioned whether the trend of having fewer meetings would continue next year, given the current financial constraints and reduced workload.
Mr. Todd explained that the normal number of meetings were held from January to June.
However, since June, the July meeting has been canceled, and August was already scheduled to not have a meeting. Mr. Todd noted that the decision to cancel the July meeting was influenced by the fact that there was only one action item that didn’t need to be approved at that meeting.
Mr. Todd mentioned that he coordinated with CCTA to push the action item to the current meeting. He expressed his respect for the Board's time, acknowledging that if it had been a Zoom meeting, they likely would have proceeded with it due to the ease of remote participation.
Commissioner Noack added that there were also some calendar-related meeting changes. She pointed out that while there might have been one or two fewer meetings, they were still substantial.
On a motion by Commissioner Carlson seconded by Commissioner Obringer to approve a contract amendment to augment the budget of the GBS Managing Director and Clerk of the Board Contract by $28,243, bringing the contract total from $286,000 to $314,243 for the FY 2023/2024 period. The Board is also requested to authorize the use FY 2024/2025 contingency budget to fund the contract amendment cost. The item was approved by unanimous vote of the members present (Cloven, Haskew, Noack, Obringer, Carlson).
6. TRANSPAC CCTA Representative Report.
No comments from the CCTA.
7. METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION REPORT.
NO COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD.
8. CONCORD NAVAL WEAPONS STATION UPDATE.
Commissioner Obringer invited everyone to attend an open house on September 17 at 5:30 PM at Center Concord in Concord. The focus will be on parks and open space, particularly connections to the Thurgood Marshall Regional Park, home to the Port Chicago 50. This event is being led by Brookfield and will include a presentation.
5 Additionally, Brookfield will provide an update and presentation to the Concord City Council on October 8th. The discussions with the Navy about acquiring land, a crucial step in this process, are ongoing. Unlike other decommissioning processes, the Navy intends to sell the land rather than transferring it freely. The first meeting has already taken place, and more negotiations are forthcoming.
9. TAC ORAL REPORTS BY JURISDICTION.
No comments from the TAC.
10. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS.
No comments from the Board.
11. MANAGING DIRECTOR’S REPORT.
Matt Todd noted that they received information from Caltrans about an upcoming closure of Interstate 680, scheduled for two weekends from now. Additionally, Mr. Todd shared that TRANSPAC submitted a support letter for CCTA's county-wide application for active transportation improvements, which includes bike and pedestrian enhancements. One of the projects is in Martinez, and a copy of the support letter was included in the meeting packet.
12. ADJOURN / NEXT MEETING.
The meeting adjourned at 9:27 a.m. The next regular meeting will be held on October 10, 2024, at the City of Pleasant Hill Large Community Room – 100 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill. Remote teleconferencing information for members of the public will be included in the posted meeting materials.