Agenda Item Wording:
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Award contract for short range transit plan update- Authorize the City Manager to award a contract for the short range transit plan update to Jarret Walker and Associates and allocate $205,000 to the capital improvements project budget of which $136,000 will be paid by Tulare County Association of Governments on a reimbursement basis and $69,000 from local transit funding.
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Prepared by: Angelina Baker, Transit Manager Angelina.baker@visalia.gov (559) 713-4591 John Lollis, Assistant City Manager John.lollis@visalia.gov (559) 713-4323
Department Recommendation: It is recommended that Council appropriate $205,000 to the transit capital improvements budget for a short range transit plan update. Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) performed a request for proposals (RFP) on behalf of Visalia Transit and partnered with Visalia Transit on the selection process which resulted in Jarret Walker & Associates being selected as the winning proposal.
Summary:
The short range transit plan is a five-year planning document that reviews and updates current goals, evaluates current conditions, and produces a new operations plan, capital plan and financial plan for the transit services provided by the City of Visalia. This current plan update procurement is being hosted by Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) who budgeted $136,000 on behalf of Visalia Transit. TCAG released an RFP on October 6, 2025, to invite qualified consultants to prepare Visalia Transit’s SRTP update. This plan is required for federal and state transit funding purposes. Due to the rising costs associated with inflation, and also the robust nature of this plan update following the pandemic, there is a budget shortfall of $69,000 of which Transit will need to make up the difference for.
The panel, made up of TCAG and City of Visalia Transit staff, received seven (7) proposals from qualified consultants. All 7 proposals were scored, with the top four (4) being selected for interviews. Interviews were conducted during the first week of December 2025, and during the selection process, Jarrett Walker and Associates was selected as the most qualified proposer with a project estimate of $205,000.
The Process:
Jarret Walker and Associates proposed a timeline, which can be found on pages 57 and 58 of their proposal (attached), of 12 months from kick-off to completion. During that time there will be ongoing collaborative meetings, detailed analysis of the existing system, significant involvement from stakeholders and the public, and three separate presentations to City Council. A graphic of the proposed timeline is shown below:
Background Discussion:
The SRTP is an action plan developed to guide the implementation of transit service improvements over the next 5+ years. An SRTP of the City’s transit routes is important to improve the efficiency of service within the City, address future land use development and transportation investments, and enhance connectivity to regional bus services. The SRTP responds to key issues identified by Visalia Transit customers and others to create a system that will be more attractive to new riders in the years to come. This particular update is especially critical as Transit will use it to “re-imagine” the City’s current system.
Ridership has not fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and Transit needs to evolve into a new vision that creates efficiencies and improves rider access. In June of 2025, Visalia Transit launched the micro transit ‘Visalia Connect’ pilot program, and as part of this SRTP update, the consultant will use the data from the pilot to help rebuild a more efficient Visalia Transit Fixed Route system.
Fiscal Impact: Visalia Transit is asking Council to appropriate $205,000 of which $69,000 will come from Transit’s local transit funds (LTF) and $136,000 will be reimbursed by Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) to make up the total SRTP budget which is $205,000.
Prior Council Action: N/A
Other: N/A
Alternatives: N/A
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to appropriate $205,000 for a short range transit pan update and award the short range transit plan update contract to Jarrett Walker and Associates for an amount not to exceed $205,000.
Environmental Assessment Status: N/A
CEQA Review: N/A
Deadline for Action: 1/20/2026
Attachments: RFP Visalia reimagine study, SRTP consultant contract, JWA proposal, Disclosure forms completed by JWA