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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 07/16/2002 - RESOLUTION 2002-073 ESTABLISHING THE FEES AND FARE AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY ITEM NUMBER: 35 DATE: July 16, 2002 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL FROM: Marlys Sinner Tom Frazier SUBJECT : Resolution 2002-073 Establishing the Fees and Fares for Transfort/Dial-a-Ride in 2003. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends adoption of the Resolution, with the caution that the Youth Fare increase will not generate substantial revenue and may reduce ridership. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The City Council requested the examination of the Dial-A-Ride eligibility criteria and the fees and fares for Transfort/Dial-A-Ride. At the May 28, 2002 Study Session findings were presented for the Dial-A-Ride Eligibility and Transit Fare Studies conducted by KA Associates. Council indicated there wasn't a desire to change the Dial-A-Ride eligibility criteria; however, Council felt there was a need to increase fees and fares. This proposed Resolution would establish the fees and fares for 2003. The fare changes include a new $.25 single ride Youth Fare, a new $10 monthly Youth Fare, a new $5 monthly low income Youth Fare, a general 25% increase for fixed route fares, and a general 25% increase in Dial-A-Ride fares. Pending Council approval, staff will include the new fares this fall in the 2003 Budget Appropriations Ordinance. CURRENT PROPOSED TRANSFORT FARES 10 Ride $ 7.00 $ 9.00 Monthly Pass $ 19.00 $ 24.00 Senior Annual Pass $ 19.00 $ 25.00 Disabled Annual Pass $ 19.00 $ 25.00 Annual Pass $154.00 Discontinue Youth Monthly FREE $ 10.00 Youth Monthly (low income) FREE $ 5.00 Single Ride Regular $ 1.00 $ 1.25 Senior, Disabled $ .50 $ .60 Youth FREE $ .25 Transfers FREE FREE CSU Student $ 12.19/semester $ 12.19/semester Passfort Annual Pass $ 35.00 $ 35.00 DATE: July 16, 2002 2 ITEM NUMBER: 35 DIAL-A-RIDE FARES 33 Ride Ticket $ 60.00 $ 75.00 Regular $ 2.00 $ 2.50 Lower Income A. $ 1.00 $ 1.25 B. $ .50 $ .50 These proposed fares do not impact the fares charged on the Fox Trot route. The City operates the Fox Trot in partnership with the City of Loveland and Latimer County, and any fare changes would need to receive approval by all agencies. The decision on Fox Trot fares should be made prior to October 2002 and would be included in the 2003 Budget Appropriations Ordinance. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The amount of new revenue will be determined by the impact of the fare change on ridership. KA Associates, fare study consultants utilizing the national Simpson-Curtin Model for projecting fare change impacts on ridership, projects major ridership reductions with the proposed fare increases without a substantial increase in revenue. For Council's information, financial impacts are shown on the fixed route and Dial-A-Ride systems with "no change in ridership" and the projected ridership impact using the Simpson-Curtin Model. Also, the ridership and financial impacts are provided just for the Youth category. RIDERSHIP FINANCIAL IMPACT INCREASE OVER CURRENT FARE REVENUE No Drop in Ridership Fixed Route 1,608,736 Additional $201,933 28.4% Dial-A-Ride 73,995 Additional $ 24,320 24.5% Youth 431,612 Additional $107,903 No Current Revenue Simpson-Curtin Model (assume drop in ridership) Fixed Route 1,312,817 Additional $113,662 16% Dial-A-Ride 68,165 Additional $ 14,119 14% Youth 178,824 Additional $ 44,706 No Current Revenue BACKGROUND: Last year, the Council asked staff to: (1) look into the eligibility requirements for the Dial-A- Ride service; and (2) to examine the potential of establishing a transit fare for Youth and increasing the annual transit pass fee for the Disabled/Elderly. These items, along with a discussion on other fares/passes, was held at the May 28, 2002 Study Session. From the meeting Council's direction was: Maintain the existing Dial-a-Ride eligibility criteria and service area Increase the Youth Fare to $.25 and provide a method for youth who had limited income to purchase transit service at a reduced rate Look to increase the Disabled/Senior Annual transit pass Increase the other fixed route fares by 25% 2002 3 DATE: July ITEM NUMBER: 35 Continue to offer reduced rates on Dial-A-Ride for those with financial limitations Pursue negotiations with CSU to increase the student transit fee Contact Poudre School District to determine if it would be willing to participate financially in bus routes with high student ridership Re-contact the appropriate boards and commissions for their input on the proposed fare increase. Following the Study Session staff met with the Dial-A-Ride Advisory Committee, Transportation Board, Senior Advisory Board, Commission on Disabilities, and the Office on Aging Transportation Committee. Staff was unable to meet with the Youth Advisory Board since they had no meetings scheduled prior to the July 16, 2002 Council meeting. Attached are minutes from the discussions and the April 3, 2002 Youth Advisory Board meeting. Also attached is a copy of an email from the Northern Colorado Cross Disability Committee expressing its support for Option 1 (maintaining the current Dial-A-Ride eligibility criteria and service area) and supporting a fare increase. The negotiation with Colorado State University concerning a change in student fees has commenced and the results will be reflected in the renewal of the agreement scheduled for July 2003. RESOLUTION 2002-073 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO TRANSFORT AND DIAL-A-RIDE FARES WHEREAS, the fares for the use of City's Tranfort bus system and the City's paratransit service, Dial-A-Ride, have not been increased since July of 1999; and WHEREAS, the cost of providing Transfort services has continued to increase; and WHEREAS,Transfort fares need to be increased to keep pace with the inflationary costs of providing Tranfort services; and WHEREAS, Dial-A-Ride fares need to be increased to cover more of the cost of providing services. NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS that effective January 1,2003,the fares for Tranfort and Dial-A-Ride shall be as follows: Category New Fee/Fare Tranfort Fares: 10 Ride $ 9.00 Monthly Pass $ 24.00 Senior Annual Pass $ 25.00 Disabled Annual Pass $ 25.00 Annual Pass Discontinue Youth Monthly $ 10.00 Youth Monthly (low income) $ 5.00 Single Ride Regular $ 1.25 Senior, Disabled $ .60 Youth $ .25 Transfers FREE CSU Student $ 12.19/semester Passfort Annual Pass $ 35.00 DIAL-A-RIDE FARES 33 Ride Ticket $ 75.00 Regular $ 2.50 Lower Income A. $ 1.25 B. $ .50 Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held this 16th day of July, A.D. 2002. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk . Dial-A-Ride Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes for June 7, 2002 Meeting is held at Catholic Charities Northern 460 Linden Center Drive Fort Collins, CO 80524 Mission Statement It is the mission of the Dial-A-Ride Advisory Committee to advocate for consumer safety, service and satisfaction, advise City staff and educate the general public on issues pertinent to paratransit. Members Present: Esther Stringer,Toni Lueck, Kay Rios,Eva Bower, Leigh Winfield, Kitty Kent, Kathryn Johnson,Natalie Brown, Sharon Zamora. Staff Present: Tom Frazier, Marlys Sittner, Robbie Williams CORRECTIONS TO MAY 2,2002 MINUTES(submitted by Kay Rios): • The word"lesser"should be removed from the second paragraph under Issues. • • Under Old Business, part B should read: Tax Initiatives— There was a good deal of discussion about the content of the proposed "Transportation Tax" that is being considered for the voters. One main point is that the Committee feels that using the name "Transportation" could be misleading since the proposal is that 80%of the funds will be going to roadways, 12%to the,Mason Street Corridor and that only 8%for bikes and pedestrians. Toni Lueck and Kay Rios will prepare a letter for the City Manager and Council suggesting a more appropriate name. A draft of the letter will be sent to all DARAC members for input into the final letter. ISSUES Kathryn asked if Dial-A-Ride drivers could wait at the door until the rider gets there to acknowledge that it is Dial-A-Ride. Marlys was asked to remind drivers to introduce themselves and to call out stops. Marlys said most drivers are doing that. Riders need to let staff know specific routes where there is a problem and the driver will be talked to individually. Toni mentioned that the new bus schedules do not show where bus stops are. Marlys said a list of all stops is available at the DTC and suggested she ask for a copy. Toni also stated she would like earlier notification of City Council meetings. STAFF REPORT DAR Supervisor Position The right candidate has not yet been found and Rick is still the acting supervisor. The position will be re-advertised. Speaking Tour Marlys gave a presentation to the Latimer County Long Term Health Care Providers in April. Feedback has been very positive. She is also scheduled for the Senior Advisory Board meeting on August 14 at 2 pm. Leigh will meet Marlys there as the DARAC representative. Please let Robbie know of additional opportunities. Toni suggested at least two presentations a month be given, however, Marlys' calendar fills up very quickly with other responsibilities and she does not always have the time to make two presentations in one month. Dial-A-Ride Eliaibility Studv City Council agreed to maintain current eligibility criteria(seniors and people with disabilities) and service area(Growth Management Area). Fare Analysis Marlys reported that City Council is considering an increase in fares and implementing a fare for youth. Council is not looking at eliminating the tiered fare structure. Marlys asked the DARAC for their input. Leigh felt it was appropriate to charge youth a fare,and to increase the cost of an annual pass but not the general fare. Esther, who purchases an annual pass, thought the annual pass could be increased to $25. Kay stated that because the senior/disabled annual pass does not appear to affect too many people, a small increase would be okay. She suggested that perhaps interested groups/agencies could purchase passes and make them available to low-income. Kitty asked how often fares will be increased. She felt the amount is not necessarily the issue, how riders can pay for it is the issue. Leigh asked why the fare issue came up. Kay said there seems to be a reality that in order to get transportation to fill the community needs,more support is needed. A result of the productivity system means there are now seniors and people with disabilities that no longer have Transfort available to them so their only alternative is to use Dial-A-Ride. Tom agreed but added that the productivity model will be as it is until 2006-2007 with no major service changes planned. At that point, plans are to double service, although there is no dedicated funding to do that. Tom agreed, however, that productivity does put a hardship on Dial-A-Ride. Toni asked when we would see if productivity is working. Marlys responded that it usually takes about 18 months. FARE RECOMMENDATIONS BY DARAC: • Transfort Annual Pass - $25 • Youth Fare - $.25 • Dial-A-Ride Regular Fare- $2.50 • Dial-A-Ride Reduced Fare - $1.25 • Dial-A-Ride Special Fare - $.50 The DARAC will receive a copy of the packet that goes to City Council in July. • OLD BUSINESS Letter to City Council Toni read the letter to City Council she and Kay had drafted about the use of the word "transportation" in the upcoming tax initiative. The concern is that the public will confuse "transportation" to mean it includes Dial-A-Ride. The letter requests a change in wording to clarify that it refers to transportation infrastructure and capital improvements. Marlys suggested that protocol suggests that because the Transportation Board is the official link to City Council perhaps the letter should be sent to the T-Board to pass on. In this instance, the DARAC preferred the letter go directly to City Council. Tom advised that the T-Board and the Commission on Disabilities be given a copy of the letter. Leigh made a motion to approve the letter be sent directly to City Council requesting the wording of the tax initiative be changed to "Roadway Improvement Tax". All members voted in favor. Motion passed. Copies of the letter will be sent to the Transportation Board and to the Commission on Disabilities. A copy of the letter is attached and made part of these minutes. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 am. There will be no meeting in July. The next DARAC meeting is scheduled for August 1. Meeting minutes submitted by: Robbie Williams . Transfort/Dial-a-Ride CITY OF FORT COLLINS SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES: MEETING Of June 12,2002 Chairperson—Mike Buderus—223-0907 Staff Liaison—Barbara Schoenberger—224-6026 City Council Liaison—Ray Martinez,Mayor—221-6506 Attendance: Mike Buderus Maxine Yankey Jim Downey Dianne Heath Eileen Hendee John Roberts Darren Gunn Florence Williams Don Redabaugh Kristen Glenn Absent: Dean Miller • Absent: (notified) Liaison: Ray Martinez,Mayor Staff: Barbara Schoenberger Karen Bryner Guests: Marlys Sinner, TIansfordDial-A-Ride Prior to the regular meeting,the Board had a social luncheon. John Roberts showed slides of his recent `round the world trip and shared many of his experiences. I. Call Meeting to Order: Meeting was called to order at 2:04 p.m. by Chair, John Roberts. H. Attendance III. Presentation by Marlvs Sittner,representing Transfort/Dial-A-Ride: On July 16, 2002 Council will make decisions regarding Transfort/Dial-A-Ride based on the results derived from the report filed by KA Associates and a variety of recommendations from City staff and other City boards. Marlys gave a presentation on the findings from transportation consultants. KA Associates report indicated the impact of various scenarios of transportation services. Marlys asked for comments and reactions from the Senior Advisory Board to be included in a presentation to City Council on July 16`". Board indicated that Dial-A-Ride eligibility and service delivery area should remain as it is currently. They agreed that it was reasonable to charge a youth fare of $.Bb and adult fares could be increased: They also agreed with the Transportation Board that the annual pass for elderly and disabled could be increased from$19.00 to$25.00. The Board suggested that Dial-A-Ride fare should be replaced with"suggested"donation system. Experience has indicated that users will give appropriately and this kind of system will probably net more revenue in the end. Marlys will present conclusions when she appears at the August meeting. IV. Correspondence: A letter received from Karla Smith,City Clerk's office, informing SAB that boards& commissions will be required to clarify bylaws. Board and/or commission bylaws cannot be inconsistent with Charter,Code or such other policies as may be established by the City Council. On June 4 h Council is considering a Resolution and Ordinance making changes to boards and commissions membership terms,reporting and filing minutes, and some changes to the application/interview process. V. Approval of Minutes: A motion was made and seconded to accept the minutes. VI. New Business: • Election of Officers: Chair—Mike Buderus Vice Chair—Eileen Hendee Secretary- Dianne Heath The officers will serve a term from July,2002 through June,2003. ■ 2002 year work plan- Committee met last month to develop the work plan. Mike distributed work sheets and explained the concepts of the plan. The worksheet should be carried by SAB members and reviewed frequently to keep Board members focused and on track. The plan will be reviewed at each meeting. Each member of the Board will be asked to volunteer for at least two events or areas of interest at the next meeting. This is an on-going assignment for all Board members and should be brought to all meetings and reviewed often. Every member of the board should volunteer for two (2) events. Primary focus of the plan is to establish and maintain good relationships with members of the City Council. ■ Review of by-laws—Barbara proposed that a sub-committee work on the by- laws. Jim and Dianne volunteered to review the bylaws and make recommendation. ■ Conflict of Interest- If the SAB is involved in discussion or business that might be or appear to be a conflict of interest for any Board member,then that member is responsible for completing a form stating conflict of interest, and abstaining from participating in that activity. These forms are submitted to the City Clerk's office and remain on file. A copy of the form will be placed in each member's folder so that one is available if needed. . VIL Old Business: ■ Older Americans Month activities at the Fort Collins Senior Center, including the Community Open House, Senior Job Fair, and Family Health and Fitness Day were reported as being quite successful • Presentations scheduled for the SAB includes July—Leighanna Grupp from Senior Nutrition program,and August—Marlys Sittner from Dial-A-Ride. ■ Board discussed the proposed Vehicle Repair Scholarship. Kristen will call the Air Quality Board for information. Members will continue to seek a more appropriate agency or organization to work on this issue. • Jim reported that he has not been able to obtain a copy of the application for the Commission on the Status of Women.Marcile Wood Award. Dianne reported that the Commission has postponed the award and will not be reviewing nominations until mid-autumn. She will contact Commission members to get an award form for his use. Jim will nominate Jo Thompson on behalf of the SAB. ■ 2002 Senior Network Luncheon report—Eileen Hendee and Jim Downey are representing the Fort Collins SAB on the committee. Board was reminded to be available on September 27 for the Bridging the Gap Luncheon. There had been no committee meeting since the last Board meeting. • John Roberts suggested including a calendar of events on agenda/minutes to serve as a reminder to Board members when special events or activities are scheduled. VIII. Liaison Reports: ■ Larimer County Senior Network—Mike Buderus reported that the topic this month would be Adult Protective Services. Older adults are not likely to report abuse because they don't know what resources are available. Jim Downey said that he would compile a list of resources on this topic for seniors. ■ Aspen Club—Eileen Hendee reported that the 10,000 steps a day program is going very well and that nearly 500 pedometers have been sold. Work continues on the Robert Woods Foundation Grant. ■ Commission on Status of Women—Dianne Heath reported that she had received an e-mail from a member of the Commission indicating an interest in working on senior women's issues. Dianne will follow up with her. • Transportation—Florence Williams reported that it has become quite dangerous for pedestrians when crossing streets. Drivers do not yield to pedestrians, as they should. Transportation bill signed by Governor Owens providing$220 million over the next 20 years. This bill is expected, but not guaranteed,to generate$15 billion as approved by legislature. • Ombudsmen—Florence Williams also reported that there is a web site for nursing home information,www.medicare.gov/nhcompare. • SOAP —Maxine Yankey reported that preparations are under way for the new show in December. A social will be held in Rolley Moore Park in June. ■ Senior Center—Don Redabaugh reported that the Senior Council will provide funding to refinish floors in MU2&MU3 in August. The Senior Center bus is out of commission because the transmission failed. The number of mechanical failures on this bus indicates that the bus needs to be replaced however there is no funding to do so at this time. John Roberts suggested that the staff contact local auto dealers for assistance in replacing the bus. ■ AARP—Jim Downey reported that AARP is not meeting for the summer months. ■ TRIAD-Jim Downey did not received minutes from this group. ■ Friends of the Senior Center—Maxine Yankey reported that few were interested in membership when she staffed a membership table during Family Health and Fitness Day. The Summer Social for members will be held on August 29 at 12:00 noon on the patio at the Senior Center. • The Executive meeting will be held Monday,June 24 at 3:00 p.m. Next meeting will be July 10, 2002 at 2:00 p.m. Meeting adjourned at 4:04 p.m. Karen Bryner, Recording Secretary 6. ACTION ITEMS TT n r ' -1 / QrQ i 1 a) FARE STUDY @ D-A-R ELIGIBILITY-M. Sittner Sittner gave a PowerPoint presentation on the findings of the study and what City Council had to say about it at their recent Study Session. There were four questions that staff asked of Council during that session. 1) Change or continue DAR service levels; 2) Youth Fare (increase to .25); Elderly/Disabled Annual Pass (increase, unknown amount), Fixed Route Fare (increase of 25%). She asked the Board for feedback on what Council said with regard to the same four questions (Dial-A-Ride Eligibility, an increase in the Elderly Annual Pass, an increase in the General Fare to $1.25 and charging a quarter for Youth Fares). The Board discussed the fare increases briefly, not taking long to realize there was a consensus that above all, the focus should be on ridership. They also agreed that it would be especially detrimental to begin charging a youth fare because ridership could go down and the same could be said for any of the proposed increases. There was a motion by Gould that the end result of all these individual decisions should always be directed to increasing ridership and that even if there are economic problems with that,that it will serve the transportation goals of this board. Johnson seconded the motion. Discussion: Thordarson stated that it should be clear that any change or increase in fare structure should be done so that it minimizes negative impacts on ridership. As an example, if, according to projections, adding any kind ofyouth fare would signtficantly reduce ridership, another means of increasing fare revenue should be pursued The motion carried by a unanimous vote. 00A TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Meeting Notes June 21,2002 Members present: Earl Stevens, Barbara Nuss, Ellen Long, Stan Ulrich, Mary Siebe Agenda: 1. Agenda review and distribution of minutes from 5/17/02 meeting. 2. Presentation by Marlys Sinner from the City of Fort Collins Transfort/Dial-A-Ride to discuss the Eligibility and Fare Analysis Study feedback from the City Council at their 5/28/02 work session. 3. Discussion of Focus Group questions for Glen Rathberger for 7/29 focus groups. 1. Distribution of Minutes: Minutes handed out from 5/17 meeting and agenda for 6/21 reviewed. 2. Discussion: Marlys Sittner,Director of Transfort/Dial-A-Ride When Transfort completed their Strategic Plan for 2001,two questions came up: • DAR Eligibility—currently we're required to offer door-to-door service to those unable to ride Transfort PLUS able bodied 60+ year olds. • Fares—a) is $19 annual pass appropriate for seniors? Some are willing to pay more if they got better service; and b) should youth ride for free? Consultants gathered input, looked at ridership,etc. And made presentation to City Council 5/28/02. City Council gave the direction to the consultants and staff to go back to the groups that had been asked for input and develop action items for City Council to act upon at their 7/16 City Council meeting. So far, the direction from City Council follows: DAR Eligibility: • If 60+year olds are eliminated,that's only 8%of total rides. It is estimated that at least half of those would be eligible, leaving only 4%ineligible. Why do that for so little savings? • If service continues for 60+year olds &the disabled,with service continues over the existing service area,DAR will be denying rides in 2002 because the demand is exceeding the resources of the City. To meet the needs of continuing service, Transportation Services would need at least one bus AND$60K of operating capital each year to keep up with demand. • Or the service area could be reduced. In the 2001 Strategic Plan, fixed routes were reduced. Now, DAR is the only way to get to the south part of town and PVH's Harmony Campus. Council direction was to leave the service area alone. • ADA allow persons to go through a mobility test,which simulates riding a bus (walking up and down 3 steps,walking on a treadmill for a distance equal to getting to a bus stop, etc.). Because the cost of providing a ride on DAR is $18per trip,the City would pay the $45 per person to be tested and give people a free ride to/from the test to keep from having to deny rides to those who need them and qualify. The rationale is that if one person is not qualified and rides the bus, it is not O.K. to deny people rides that need them. • DAR is tied to the fixed route system in the following way. The Federal government requires that providers of fixed route systems MUST provide service for the disabled% mile beyond the fixed route service area. Currently,DAR goes beyond that by a wide margin. Growth of Service: • DAR was originally supposed to be a stopgap measure. In 1990 when ADA was enacted, transportation services across the country were told to get busses that everyone can ride. The custom DAR-type services were to be provided just until the transit system was up to speed on meeting ADA Requirements. Now, it is apparent that transit systems will ALWAYS need special services. Most people who call for rides are those who need services. • There was discussion about the cost of service to meal sites being$2 one way. Stan reported that most meal sites,particularly the Senior Center, are experiencing a drop off in meals served. This means that seniors who are trying to make it on their own and for whom the meal site meal is the best nutritional meal of their day, are not coming because the cost of the ride to and from the meal site is too expensive. Marlys pointed out that there ARE lower cost ways to attend meal sites. The $2 per ride is for DAR. Costs would be far less if seniors purchased an annual pass and rode Transfort. The cost for Transfort rides is$.50 per ride one way. For those people unable to ride Transfort, DAR and SAINT are their only options. The City provides free rides to those persons 90+ years old as does COLT(City of Loveland Transportation). • Stan also mentioned that seniors would prefer an alternate transfer point to CSU. Marlys said that seniors can ride down to the transfer point at The Square and avoid CSU but it would take approximately 20 minutes longer. She explained that Transfort makes a small portion of their budget dollars off fares($180K out of a$7M budget)but relies on the partnership with CSU for significant funding ($500K annually). Because the current budget is so tight and they are having trouble meeting service demands, she doesn't see that developing a separate transfer point is a priority at this time. . • Stan mentioned that some seniors are not buying an annual pass because they don't think they will use it all. Earl suggested going to a monthly pass. The difficulty with different passes and time frames are the administrative costs, explained Marlys. They are hoping to do away with passes and go to prepaid cards that can be swiped by the bus drivers. In the discussion about this option, it was feared that seniors would not know how many trips they had paid for and might not have change, etc. when getting on the bus,thus holding things up considerably. After all discussion was complete,the Transportation Committee voted for the following on the issue of eligibility for DAR: ➢ Keep the eligibility for DAR for 60+year oldl (There was some reservation supporting able-bodied persons taking DAR regularly. It was acknowledging that the service is designed to provide rides to those who cannot get around any other way and if this gets to be a greater problem in the future,that ADA eligibility be revisited.) ➢ Keep the service area for DAR where it is and expand it if possible. +;(Seniors need improved bus service on Transfort. Direct service to and from meal sites on given days was suggested and Marlys is going to look at the numbers for providing such a service from downtown. In addition,the idea of an alternate transfer point other than CSU was suggested. . ➢ Regarding services to youth, it was unanimous that youth ridership should be coordinated with PSD and PSD taking responsibility for those kids who can't get to school any other way that on the bus. Fare Analysis Study: • There was clear direction from City Council to begin charging youths $.25 per ride. There was some interest in raising the fixed route ride to $1.25 to the general public, increasing the cost of the senior annual pass, and establishing DAR fares on a sliding scale. Currently they are $2, $1, and$.50. • The OOA pays for medical trips for 60+year olds. The cost to the rider is zero. When the budget has run out in past years,Transfort has continued not charging people for medical trips;however,this takes money from other places, other services. The City Council wants to maintain the three levels of fares for lower income people. After all discussion was complete,the Transportation Committee voted for the following on the issue of fare increases: ➢ Raise the senior annual pass to $25 not higher.nFor those seniors who can't afford an annual pass,perhaps there could be a fundraiser at the Senior Center to create funds for those who can't afford the pass. (There was some support for offering a half-year • pass or monthly). ➢ Keep the three levels of fares for DAR with increases not higher than$2.5#instead of $2.00, $1.25 instead-of$1.00 and leave$.50 for lowest income people. It was suggested that DAR move to donations only but that idea was not fully explored due to time constraints. ➢ Charge youth riders $.25 per ride.I Tie reduced or no fees to requirements for free and reduced lunches. In Loveland,the House of Neighborly Services does that screening. ➢ The City of Fort Collins Transportation Services should be offering a transportation system to accommodate the growth in the community that provides full service to those who need rides with fares that wouldn't matter. This was part of a discussion about how Transportation Services has not kept up with growth in the City and how seniors in particular,who have been encouraged retire to Fort Collins,need more transportation services to stay active, healthy, and involved in the community. Transportation is an essential service,not a nice-to-have, for our senior citizens. ➢ Reduced fares for traveling to and from nutrition sites. Marlys is checking on running a bus from the Downtown Transit Center to the Senior Center Monday through Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with no transfer at CSU. ➢ There was some support for charging seniors what youths are charged: $.25 per ride on Transfort. 3. Focus Group Questions: Mary provided some draft questions to get the Transportation Committee started in drafting some questions for the focus groups to be held by the OOA later this month. The group came up with the following questions that Mary will submit to Glen later this month. 1. Which transportation services are essential? 2. Do you feel you have adequate information about transportations services in Larimer County? 3. What transportation needs are not currently being met? Meeting adjourned 9:30 a.m. COMMISSION ON DISABILITY Regular Meeting Minutes June 27,2002 Council Information Center, City Hall West Members present:Mark Beck,Laura Burnett,Jill Lancaster,Susan Williams, Rob and Romola Fritz,Joan Cook,Ruth Bell Skogerbee,Paul Ostrof,Diane Dittus City staff: Tracy Ochsner,Rachel Palmer Guests: Marlys Sittner,Transportation Services—Transfort/Dial-A-Ride; Steve Sutter Mark called the meeting to order at 12:15 pm. Minutes approved unanimously. Motion made by Laura and seconded by Rob. Mark met with Kathryn Johnson and delivered her recognition gift for serving on the board. She was very appreciative. He also talked with her about forming a pedestrian safety sub committee. She would be willing to serve on the committee. Old Business Dial-A-Ride/Transfort—Marlys Sinner—KA Associates consultants came back to city council with an executive summary outlining different options for transportation improvements. Council identified their preference of options then directed staff to go back to different commissions and boards,get input and come back with a recommendation. Council preferred options are indicated below: • Dial-A-Ride Eligibility.—No change. Keep 60 plus able-bodied as eligible. Keep service area the same. • Fares—Charge youth 25 cents to ride Transfort(currently free). Perhaps make a concession to youth from low-income families. Keep the elderly and disabled annual pass for fixed route.Recommended an increase but did not indicate an amount. General public: increase fee to$1.25. Dial-a-Ride fares: increase to$2.50(maximum)and$1.25(mid range)and$.60(low range.) The commission consensus was that a 25-cent fare was reasonable for youth. The commission consensus was that Dial-A-Ride eligibility as it currently stands is good. The commission consensus was that an increase in fares for both Dial-a-Ride and Fixed Route is reasonable. Paul brought up the concern about Dial-a-Ride drivers not being able to cross the threshold of the door to help a rider out of the house. Marlys stated that the reason for the policy is that it takes time to provide service beyond the door and it would decrease the number of rides available. Also, liability is an issue and drivers are not trained to provide the extra service. Lively discussion ensued about possible options and liability scenarios. Marlys' personal belief is that crossing the threshold does not serve the best interests of the group. The commission feels that this issue is something that needs to be addressed and investigated further. Action: Marlys will talk with the city attorney about the liability issue and come back again and visit with the commission. Sub-Committee/Proiect Reports Heavy Doors-Rob and Ruth are having a problem getting volunteers through CSU. Still waiting on feedback from the city on the brochures. City Staff Training—Tracy is officially hooked up with the Human Resources Training person to get the training going. Tracy will meet with Human Resources to set up logistical information. Steve Sutter and Jill Lancaster will help Tracy with this project(as well as Alan). Probably will be OK to invite other interested individuals from the community. ACTION: Steve will contact Kathy Schelley to see if it is OK to videotape the training. Mayor's Awards—A sub-committee meeting will immediately follow the COD meeting. Meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Jill Lancaster COD Secretary From: <roadkill236®juno.com> To: FC3.Transfort(TFRAZIER,MSITTNER) • Date: 6/21/02 6:OOPM Subject: NCCDC LETTER TO: CITY COUNCIL FROM: NORTHERN COLORADO CROSS DISABILITY NCCDC SUBJECT: KA CONSULTANT STUDY DATE: JUNE 21, 2002 At our meeting of June 13, the NCCDC.group discussed, at length, the recommendations KA Consultants derived to after consultations with various interest groups in Ft. Collins. NCCDC was one of those groups so we felt it very important to share our recommendations of the four options KA Consultants came up with. Before we share,we want to thank Marlys Sittner, Operations Director of Dial A Ride, for choosing this group as one of the interest groups to be consulted in this very important issue. NCCDC has taken an acute interest in the betterment of transportation in this City of Character. It is this group's aim to bring accessibility to ALL residents. We, therefore, unanimously, choose OPTION ONE and a fare increase. Option one falls into our group's standing we will strive for nothing which would jeopardize a very important component of Ft Collins, namely the Seniors. The number of Seniors moving here means as a community,we . must respect the whole of the Senior issues and never cut them out We also chose Option One because as fast as Ft Collins is growing,and with the recent fixed route cutbacks,we simply could not see cutting Dial A Ride to the ADA requirements of%mile from a fixed route. This would leave an absolute huge, unserviceable vacuum. Anyone riding Dial A Ride could not access either hospital campus. How tragic. There are many riders, ridership is anywhere from 360400 daily,who are able to have a life. We thank this Council for being sensitive and providing service to all Dial A Ride users above the ADA requirements. We recommend the fare increase because we're sensitive to having money to offshoot operational costs. We, also, do not wish to see the$160,000 given to Dial A Ride in this last budget for expansion, be jeopardized. We agree a fare increase would help maintain the$160,000 plus future inflation. This expansion was not needed for just a few,many are benefiting from it. NCCDC looks forward to this money being available every budget so no fears of service cuts are ever a factor. We want to gently remind you, if this Council discusses a rate increase, please be sensitive to the not so financially blessed among us. Thank you for allowing us this input CC: Marlys Sittner Operations Director of Dial A Ride a . YOUTH ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES Regular meeting—April 3, 2002 7:00 p.m. Staff Liaisons: Peggy Bowers,Recreation,221-6357 Council Liaison: Ray Martinez Mark Larlan,Police,221-6853 Board Chairperson: Ana Rocca,226-2681 Board Members Present: Mera Geis, Ana Rocca,Kaise Allen, Amy Flug, Mandy Hoffer, Cooper Liska-Smith, Patrick McCosh, Robbie Weisser Board Member(s) Absent: None Staff Members Present: Peggy Bowers, Staff Liaison—Recreation Division Mark Larkin, Staff Liaison—Police Department Suzy Danford, Supervisor—Recreation Division Dave Mosnik, Supervisor—Recreation Division Kristie Blackmon, Coordinator—Recreation Division Janet Urban,Admin. Support Suprv. —Recreation Division Guest(s) Present: Lin&Jamie Nerger, Pat Stryker Call Meetine to Order: The regular meeting of the Youth Advisory Board was called to order by Chairperson Ana Rocca at 7:05 p.m. Approval of Minutes: On a motion by Mera Geis and seconded by Mandy Hoffer, the minutes from March 6, 2002 were unanimously approved (8-0). Azenda Review: Delete#5 (Gang Activity in Fort Collins),#7 (Youth Calendar in Coloradoan, and#10 (NACC Update). Citizen Participation: Lin Nerger complimented the Board members on how active and involved they are. Aeenda: TRANSFORT PRESENTATION GayLene Rossiter of Transfort/Dial-A-Ride introduced Judy Hoza.and Hugh Kierig from KA Associates who are doing a transit fare analysis as requested by City Council. The two major issues they are researching are 1) eligibility for Dial-A-Ride and 2) fare structure for Transfort, a component of which is youth fares. I VUUL MUVLWLY DUULU LVIIAIU b April 3,2002 Page 2 Comments made by the Board members included: • High school students are infrequent users of Transfort because they have cars or access to rides. • Transfort is popular at junior high level (depending on location of junior high and proximity of bus stop to school). • Users are those people who don't have access to a school bus or if gas money is tight. • The purposes for riding include getting to the mall, going to the movies, going to school or to jobs. How far a youth lives from his/her destination determines whether or not he/she rides Transfort. • When asked how important is it that the bus service is free to youths,Board members replied: • Many riders would stay home if they would have to pay • Usage would decrease for going to the mall,the movies or downtown • Riding to school or to jobs not as likely to be affected • It would be unfair to pay for transportation to go to school • If fare was 25 cents, it is believed that there are some low income individuals who could not afford to ride Transfort • Quite often kids who ride the bus cannot afford a car and/or gas; typically parents are both working, so the youths must rely on free transportation • Most use occurs before and after school. • Lots of kids use the bus to come to the Youth Activity Center after school (Lesher, Blevins, and Lincoln students in particular). Quite often they put their bikes on the front of the bus for their return home. FOLLOW-UP ON JUNIOR HIGH VISITS Mera Geis visited Webber Junior High. Students there wanted a place to hang out after school and do homework. (Mera suggested the YAC as a possible location.) They wanted more transportation options;they have a hard time getting to the YAC because bus routes/stops are not handy for them. They suggested that the YAC provide a van to pick them up from Webber. Ana Rocca will visit with Lesher on April 4. YOUTH ACTIVITY CENTER UPDATE Participation report and monthly calendar were distributed. YAC staff noted that monthly YAC memberships doubled during March....one reason is that Boltz has incorporated rock climbing into their P.E. curriculum. The next Java Jive is scheduled for April 19. A lot more birthday parties are being scheduled at the YAC. OTHER BUSINESS: • Dave reported that the application deadline was March 29 for youth employment positions. Approximately 170 applications will be reviewed for 20 positions. All candidates will be interviewed on April 20. • National Youth Service Day on April 27 will not involve the Youth Advisory Board. r oum Aavisory tnoara mmures April 3,2002 Page 3 • Peggy distributed copies of the Youth Yellow Pages. • The 3-on-3 basketball tournament that was scheduled by CSU volunteers was canceled for April 6 due to lack of interest. • Loveland's teen commission will attend the YAB meeting on May 1. We'll gather at 6:00 for pizza and idea sharing. • Dave Mosnik reported that Greeley's youth commission is not available to attend a YAB meeting on a weeknight as they are busily planning a weekend youth forum that will cost$250 for 2 days. They might consider attending a YAB meeting next school year. • Ana Rocca reported on the books that are finalists for the "Read On"program. They are"The Alchemist", "Fahrenheit 451", "Where the Heart Is", "The Giver", `Bless Me Ultima". • Ana shared with the Board the letter she received from Mayor Ray Martinez regarding the Board's position on secondhand smoke. • The Board decided to cancel their plans to film a TV show. Adiournment: On a motion by Mera and seconded by Robbie Weisser,the Board voted unanimously(8- 0) to adjourn at 8:10 p.m. ectfully sub� Jan t Urban,Administrative Support Supervisor —Recreation