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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransportation Board - Minutes - 04/19/2023 TRANSPORTATION BOARD TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR April 19, 2023, 6:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting Via Zoom 4 /1 9 /202 3 – MINUTES Page 1 FOR REFERENCE: Chair: Cari Brown Vice Chair: Council Liaison: Ed Peyronnin Emily Francis Staff Liaison: Aaron Iverson 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Brown called the meeting to order at 6:0 0 PM. 2. ROLL CALL BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Cari Brown, Chair Ed Peyronnin, Vice Chair Jerry Gavaldon James Burtis Indy Hart Nathalie Rachline Rob Owens Stephanie Blochowiak Jess Dyrdahl BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT : None CITY STAFF PRESENT: Ginny Sawyer Drew Brooks PUBLIC PRESENT: None 3. AGENDA REVIEW Iverson stated there were no changes to the published agenda. 4. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION 5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – MARCH 2023 Gavaldon made a motion, seconded by Rachline, to approve the March 2023 Transportation Board minutes as written . The motion was adopted unanimously . TRANSPORTATION BOARD – BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 4 /1 9 /2023 – MINUTES Page 2 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Sustainable Funding – Ginny Sawyer Ginny Sawyer, City Manager’s Office, noted any new taxes must go to a vote and the change moving City elections to November means there is only one opportunity per year for a ballot measure. In terms of Parks, Sawyer noted infrastructure replacement is the main funding issue given parks construction has dedicated funding, however, maintenance does n ot. She discussed existing gaps found in the Transit Master Plan, Housing Strategic Plan, and Our Climate Future which all lack funding for some of their aspirational goals. She discussed the overall climate umbrella under which transit and housing fall. Regarding transit specifically, Sawyer stated funds will be needed for capital and grant matches initially and will switch to more operations and maintenance funds moving forward. Additionally, she commented on the need for funding for affordable housin g needs including land acquisition and land banking , offsetting fee costs, and adding dollars to the competitive process for grants. She commented on the other goals in Our Climate Future that will also need funding. Sawyer provided an overview of the C ity’s budget noting over 50% of the revenue comes from sales and use taxes and 11% from property taxes, though 67% of that goes directly to Poudre Fire Authority. She provided information on the City’s dedicated taxes: street maintenance, capital improvement, and open space, which are over and above the base tax rate. She noted the City supports its transit program entirely out of the General Fund which means it consistently must compete with Parks, Police, and other items without dedicated funds. Sawyer discussed options the City has for taxation and fees, including taxing services, business occupation which would tax a business per employee, user fees, substance taxes on alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco, franchise fees, utility occupation tax on natural gas use, and a large emitter tax. She outlined various scenarios in terms of how increases in certain sectors would impact revenues for the City. Sawyer noted any November ballot measure would need to be referred by mid - August. Dyrdahl asked about the businesses to which the large emitter fees would apply. Sawyer replied the two are Broadcom and Anheuser Busch, both of which are working to make reductions to their greenhouse gas emission s, and if that trend continues, the large emitter fees would reduce revenue over time; however, Council is focused on climate and asked staff to bring forward this option. TRANSPORTATION BOARD – BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 4 /1 9 /2023 – MINUTES Page 3 Gavaldon commended Sawyer on her presentation. He asked about the financial contributors to Transfort and about f uture plans for fares. Drew Brooks, Transfort, replied a funding a fare study is in its final stages and results will be released in the next couple of months. He noted very little revenue is made from fares because of how much it costs to collect them; therefore, continuing to collect fares makes little sense unless they were to be raised. He stated there is a possibility of an app -based fare system; however, there are equity issues with that option. He stated CSU contributes approximately $600,000 to $700,000 annually to the Transfort system and it is unknown whether they would continue to contribute that amount if the system went fully fare free. Gavaldon expressed concern about the Transfort revenue issue and stated the system has not been successful for quite some time. He mentioned the possible impacts of some of the increased taxes and fees on lower income households. Sawyer replied Council has been very focused on that and noted rebate programs for income-qualified residents would be part of any discussion. Burtis asked if the increased funding needs for transit over time also include increased driver salaries. Brooks replied in the negative but noted funds are recommended to be dedicated to bus operator resiliency. He also noted the bus operator shortage is a nationwide problem. Burtis asked if the $14.7 million gap in transportation funding will affect the Elizabeth MAX plans. Brooks replied that dollar amount may vary annually, but it includes updated amounts for the unfunded items that are part of the Transit Master Plan. He noted the dollar amount will be fairly front-loaded to be grant matches for projects such as the Elizabeth MAX. Burtis asked if there is a plan to downscale Transfort should the dedicated fu nding not come through. Brooks replied Transfort, in its format prior to the pandemic, was quite sustainable and successful ; however, the current labor shortage has been an issue. He stated the level of service as it existed in 2019 would likely be able to be maintained without a new funding source, but there would not be any additions to that level of service, the Transit Master Plan may need to be revisited , and a focus on routes with the most ridership may need to be considered. Burtis asked about ridership numbers compared to 2019. Brooks replied ridership is down around 15%. He stated riders are seeking the return of service to pre - pandemic levels; however, given operator shortages, Transfort cannot promote itself as it used to because the service is not as reliable. Additionally, he noted ridership will be impacted by remote and hybrid employees. Burtis suggested the possibility of shifting route ti mes to be less concentrated on workforce riders. Brooks replied scheduling is currently difficult because split shifts are necessary and eight-hour shifts are more difficult to come by right now. TRANSPORTATION BOARD – BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 4 /1 9 /2023 – MINUTES Page 4 Owens asked if the needed dollar amounts provided by Sawy er take into account whether grant or other outside dollars would be included. Sawyer replied in the negative in terms of Parks and Housing. In terms of Transit, Brooks replied the $14.7 million is assuming some of the funds will be used toward grants based on averages of received grants over the past few years. Owens commented on the fact that road infrastructure is not fully funded by individual vehicle users, and it is not realistic to think fares are going to cover the full transit system and a broader approach is needed. Chair Brown supported fare free transit service, particularly noting how valuable fare free Dial -a-Ride services can be. Rachline stated she continues to be disappointed in the answers received regarding Transfort. She stated benefits are key for employees and stated Fort Collins needs to work to find innovative solutions. Additionally, she stated people will not ride the bus if it does not go where people want to go. Vice Chair Peyronnin commented on regional transit taxes in other communitie s and asked if that is a possibility for Fort Collins. Brooks replied the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization would have b etter answers given they have done extensive research and surveys on what people are looking for in terms of travel between communities. However, he noted the most controversial topic has been a regional transit authority and associated taxes. Vice Chair Peyronnin questioned how Transfort would be impacted financially if a regional transit authority was formed. Brooks replied it would depend on the structure of the transit authority. Chair Brown noted Boulder puts additional funding in to RTD because i t wants a higher level of service. She also commented on observing a much lower interest in public transit in Loveland than Fort Collins. Brooks noted Loveland’s transit system is much smaller than Fort Collins’. Gavaldon commented on the efficiency of the Boulder and Denver RTD systems. 8. BOARD MEMBER REPORTS Gavaldon announced a bike-in movie event at the Museo de las Tres Colonias in October. He also commented on receiving a donation of two kids bikes that will be raffled at the event. Additionally, he reported on witnessing a cyclist cross Drake at the Power Trail despite the crossing light not being on. He also commented on observing increased bike speeds on the trails. Burtis reported on noticing poor sidewalk infrastructure in suburban neighborhoods in the city. TRANSPORTATION BOARD – BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 4 /1 9 /2023 – MINUTES Page 5 Hart apologized for interrupting Gavaldon earlier in the meeting. He also commented on seeing increased bike speeds and vehicle speeds. He stated he would be curious if there h ave been more road conflicts or incidents reported prior to or after the pandemic. Additionally, he reported on riding on Harmony Road from McMurray to Timberline and stated vehicles were driving in the bike lane. He stated infrastructure that makes bicy cle riders feel safe needs to continue to be developed. He also stated Transfort service needs to be improved if ridership is expected to increase. He commented on specific inefficiencies in service regarding his commute. Rachline commented on debris still being present in bike lanes. She also concurred with Burtis regarding poor sidewalk infrastructure. Dyrdahl asked what parts of town Rachline has experienced seeing debris in bike lanes. Rachline replied the Old Town area, Shields, Mountain, Mason , and Laporte all have issues. Dyrdahl stated she has not noticed those issues in that area, but will pay more attention. She reported on a presentation by the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (NFRMPO) to the County’s Workforce Develop ment Board and noted their brochures were provided in Spanish as well as English. She asked if Transfort does the same. Iverson replied they have some information in Spanish and are working to expand that. Dyrdahl reported on witnessing a stranger help ing to pay another individual’s car registration. She thanked Brooks and Transfort for the work they are doing. Blochowiak commented on upcoming Earth Day and FoCoMX activities. She asked when the first Open Streets event will be. Iverson replied he w ould send the link in the chat. Blochowiak commented on the intersections which do not allow right turns on red. Additionally, she commended Fort Collins’ transparent local government and amenities. Owens reported on a pedestrian killed in a two-car hit and run on Mulberry Street. Chair Brown reported on a presentation by one of her co -workers regarding an increase in texting and driving. She also reported on nearly getting hit by a car as a pedestrian at College and Oak. She suggested the Board may want to receive a presentation on Transfort’s efforts at attracting operators. 9. OTHER BUSINESS a. Bicycle Advisory Committee Report Owens reported most of the business discussed at last month’s BAC meeting overlapped with the Transportation Board ; however, the Committee did receive a presentation from Ginny Sawyer regarding the future of the Hughes Stadium site. He stated he has been unable to make a Planning and Zoning Commission work session TRANSPORTATION BOARD – BICYCLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TYPE OF MEETING – REGULAR 4 /1 9 /2023 – MINUTES Page 6 in the past three months and stated he may not be the best person to fill that liaison role. Chair Brown noted there is no official Planning and Zoning Commission liaison role. Dyrdahl stated she could attend the May meeting. b. City Council 6-Month Calendar Review Iverson reported on upcoming Council items i ncluding the sustainable funding work session, 1041 regulations, and Land Use Code updates. c. Staff Liaison Report Iverson reported on the Think Bike Workshop panel discussion and movie tomorrow. He stated next month’s meeting will hopefully include a tour of the Streets facility and Traffic Operations will be presenting its annual safety report at an upcoming meeting. Additionally, he stated he is working on putting together a vehicle miles travelled presentation. Dyrdahl stated she has access to CSU conference rooms should the Board ever want to meet there. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:49 p.m. by unanimous consent.