Agenda Item Wording:
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Presentation of the Short Range Transit Plan by consultant Moore & Associates on behalf of Visalia Transit for consideration of adoption by the Visalia City Council.
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Deadline for Action: 06/30/2022
Submitting Department: Administration - Transit
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Jim Moore, Moore & Associates (Presenter) Jim@Moore-Associates.Net
Angelina Soper, Transit Manager Angelina.Soper@Visalia.City (559) 713-4591
Nick Mascia, Assistant City Manager, Nick.Mascia@visalia.city, (559) 713-4323
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that City Council receive a presentation on the Short-Range Transit Plan (SRTP) and adopt the SRTP as proposed by Moore & Associates.
Background Discussion:
The Short-Range Transit Plan (SRTP) is a five (5) year document created by a consultant following an evaluation period. This document is updated every five years as a funding requirement by the Federal Transit Authority (FTA). The SRTP is a planning document for Transit and is used to guide the Transit agency through goals, and objectives over the next five years. The Consultant evaluates the current state of Visalia Transit and makes recommendations based on the needs of the region and industry standards in conformance with the standards and procedures of the FTA. Recommendations can include route changes, expansions, reductions, and improvements to name a few. The current SRTP was adopted in 2016 and will be replaced with this current version once adopted. The consultant, Moore & Associates, was hired by The Tulare County Association of Governments through their own purchasing process to perform the SRTP update on behalf of Visalia Transit. Visalia Transit did participate in scoring proposals for the RFP along with TCAG staff. TCAG is also handling the invoicing and payments for this SRTP directly.
The final SRTP report consists of the following:
• Goals, Objectives, and Performance Standards
o This section discusses the Mission and Vision of Visalia Transit, the current Program goals and objectives and the current performance measures and standards.
• A summary of community surveys
o The consultant performed passenger surveys for both Fixed Route and Dial A Ride surveys and also a general community survey.
• System performance analysis
o The existing fare structure, organizational structure, and system and performance standards were evaluated within this process.
• Facilities and Equipment Analysis
o All Transit equipment, and property was evaluated within this process.
• Needs Assessment
o Within this part of the process the current service levels were evaluated to determine if Visalia Transit is meeting the current Transit needs of our community.
• Services recommendations
o These are the final SRTP recommendations made by the consultant as a result of this process.
• Operations Plan
o This is an overall description of how Visalia Transit operates as it relates to Administration, Operations, Capital, Technology, and Marketing and Outreach.
• Financial and Capital Plans
o This aspect of the process evaluates the Transit Funding Sources, the current Financial plan and finally the Transit Capital Improvement Plan.
During the presentation the Consultant will explain how recommendations were created given the current state of Visalia Transit as it relates to both the pandemic environment and also the collaboration with the Tulare County Regional Transit Authority (TCRTA) which is the local Transit JPA involving the other agencies in Tulare County. Many of the recommendations will have to be individually considered while heavily weighing the impact of both factors. Furthermore each recommendation needs to be discussed and analyzed prior to implementation. In fact, many of the proposed recommendations have already been considered and are currently being planned by Staff. While these are just recommendations, Visalia Transit will have to make good faith effort to evaluate and implement the recommendations within reason. An adopted Short Range Transit Plan is a federal funding requirement. While evaluating each of these recommendations, Visalia Transit staff will consider all aspects that might be impactful including, but not limited to, current ridership data, local demand, status of the pandemic, and funding opportunities. Monitoring certain trends such as remote learning verses on-campus learning at College of the Sequoias will be especially important. Visalia Transit staff also fully recognize that the environment is ever evolving as society continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this current environment, it is likely that this 5 year plan will need to be reevaluated within the next one to two years. Many Transit agencies have begun to implement vast changes prematurely and have found that continuous adjustments are become necessary.
Fiscal Impact:
Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) has funded the update to the Visalia Transit SRTP at no cost to the City. Although the SRTP identifies objectives and needs over the next five years for Visalia Transit, no financial estimates are provided within the document and any recommendations identified will be evaluated by Visalia Transit staff before implantation. Staff will utilize existing operational funding or seek out additional funds from partnering agencies or grant opportunities to meet those identified goals and recommendations within the SRTP the city wishes to pursue.
Prior Council Action:
January 16th, 2017 - City Council adopted the current version of the SRTP.
Other: N/A
Alternatives: N/A
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to adopt the Short-Range Transit Plan.
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Environmental Assessment Status: N/A
CEQA Review: N/A
Attachments:
1. Draft SRTP
2. SRTP Slideshow Presentation