City Council Report
915 I Street, 1st Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
www.cityofsacramento.org
File ID: 2022-01120 June 21, 2022
Title: Agreement: Sacramento Regional Transit District RydeFreeRT Program FY23- FY25 (I02181400)
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Pass a Motion authorizing the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee to 1) execute an agreement with the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) to reimburse SacRT for lost fare revenue in an amount up to $1,000,000 annually for three fiscal years for the RydeFreeRT Transitional Kindergarten to 12th Grade Pass program effective July 1, 2022, provided that sufficient funds are available in the budget adopted for the applicable year and 2) to waive the 10-day publishing rule for contracts greater than $1,000,000.
Contact: Fedolia “Sparky” Harris, Principal Planner, (916) 808-2996, [email protected]
; David Edrosolan, City Traffic Engineer, (916) 808-5974, [email protected], Department of Public Works
Presenter: None.
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: SacRT requests ongoing City of Sacramento funding support to continue the Annual Student Transitional Kindergarten to 12th Grade (TK-12) Pass as a Prepaid Fare type to all TK-12 students residing in or attending school within the city limits of Sacramento. The attached agreement would provide for ongoing City funding support for the program for the next three fiscal years beginning July 1, 2022. The City’s 2022/23 Budget includes $1,000,000 in funding for Fare Free Transit for Youth. The agreement documents the responsibilities of the participating parties and would extend an additional two years, provided funding is included in future years’ budgets.
Policy Considerations: The Fare Free Transit for Youth Program is consistent with the goals and policies of the Sacramento 2035 General Plan and will help support a safe, comprehensive, and integrated transit system as an essential component of a multimodal transportation system as provided in Goal M3.1. Free transit for students who live or attend school in the City of Sacramento will facilitate increased transit ridership as provided in Policy M3.1.6 of the Sacramento 2035 General Plan.
The Sacramento City Code Section 4.04.020 and Council Rules of Procedure (Chapter 7, Section E.2.d) mandate that unless waived by a 2/3 vote of the City Council, all labor agreements and all agreements greater than $1,000,000 shall be made available to the public at least ten (10) days prior to council action. Staff anticipates that utilization of these contracts could exceed $1 million; however, no specific amount is guaranteed.
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
Environmental Considerations: California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): The proposed action approves a government funding mechanism that does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment and is exempt from CEQA review. CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(4); 15060(c)(3).
Sustainability: Providing funding to support for prepaid annual student passes is consistent with both the 2035 Sacramento General Plan and the City’s Climate Action Plan by increasing access to transit for the youth of Sacramento.
Commission/Committee Action: None.
Rationale for Recommendation: With funding supplied by the City of Sacramento, SacRT launched an initiative to provide free public transportation to all TK-12 students residing in or attending school within the city limits of Sacramento in 2019. Prior to COVID-19 restrictions, the program witnessed a doubling of student ridership by January 2020. Transit service and ridership fell significantly during the pandemic, but numbers are steadily returning to pre-pandemic levels. demonstrating that the program remains a vital source of transportation for students.
Funding provided by this agreement is required by SacRT to continue providing free rides to these students during the fourth year of the program as well as two subsequent years pending City Council funding approval.
To ensure transparency in the contracting process, this item was published for review on June 9, 2022 in compliance with the City Code when the initial amount proposed in the Draft FY23 Budget was $750,000 annually. Subsequently, Council approved $1,000,000 annually for this program in the Final FY23 Budget adopted June 14, 2022. The public has been made aware of the pending agreement and restarting the public notice period for an increase consistent with the adopted Budget would serve no significant purpose.
Financial Considerations: Sufficient funds will be available in Fare Free Transit for Youth Program (I02181400) on July 1, 2022, to execute an agreement with SacRT in the amount of $1,000,000 for continuation of the Annual Student TK-12 Pass program through June 30, 2023. Continuation of the agreement for FY2023/2024 and FY2024/2025 will be dependent upon subsequent City Council funding approvals.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.