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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority - 01/06/2010 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MEETING WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2010 RECEIVED SUMMARY OF ACTIONS FEB 0 5 2010 1. Held Roll Call 2. Provided Opportunity for Public Comment CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE 3. Elected Vice Chairman, Secretary, and Assistant Secretary tot e :oar. 4. Approved the Board of Directors' Minutes of December 2, 2009 and Board of Directors' Workshop Minutes of December 17, 2009 5. Amended the Board Code of Ethics Policy 6. Adopted a Policy Statement for Selection of Community Events or Program Sponsorships 7. Heard Presentation on the November 2008 Financial Report 8. Heard RTA Operations Performance Report for November 2009 9. Heard B-Line Report 10.Referred Review and Possible Action on Board Policies to an Ad Hoc Committee 11.1-leard Presentation on Standard Operating Procedures Process and Templates 12.Heard CEO's Report a. Agency Recognition Certificate from GFOA b. Update on Feast of Sharing, Toys for Tots, and United Way Campaign The Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors met at 8:30 a.m. in the Regional Transportation Authority Facility located at 5658 Bear Lane, Corpus Christi, Texas. Board Members Present: Crystal Lyons (Board Chair), Connie Scott (Board Vice- Chair), Vangie Chapa, Angie Granado, John Longoria, Gloria Perez, Ricardo Ramon, Judy Telge, John Valls Board Members Absent: Mary Saenz (Board Secretary), David Martinez Staff Present: Eduardo Carrion, CEO; Beth Vidaurri, Ponch Carrillo, Jorge Cruz- Aedo, Linda Fallwell-Stover, Terry Klinger, Twila Mouttet, Karina Paris, Ramon Sanchez, Gloria Smith, Martin Trevino, Susan Vinson, Ruth Willey Public Present: Eloy Soza; Rosie Aguiar, Robert Vela, RTAEA; Jessica Savage, Corpus Christi Caller Times; Carlos Vargas, Nova Shields, Edna Arredondo, Dana Smith, MV Transportation; John Bell, RTA Legal Counsel SCANNED Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes January 6,2010 Page 2 Call to Order The Board of Directors' meeting was called to order by Ms. Lyons at 8:35 a.m. Roll Call Ms. Chapa called the roll and declared that a quorum was present. Opportunity for Public Comment Mr. Eloy Son requested that more time be allotted between timing points on Routes 5, 16 and 17. Action to Elect Vice Chairman, Secretary. and Assistant Secretary to the Board Ms. Lyons opened the floor for nominations for Vice Chairman. Mr. Longoria nominated Ms. Scott. MR. VALLS MADE A MOTION THAT MS. SCOTT BE ELECTED BY ACCLAMATION. MR. LONGORIA SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. PEREZ, LONGORIA, CHAPA, LYONS, TELGE, RAMON, VALLS, SCOTT, AND GRANADO VOTING IN FAVOR. SAENZ AND MARTINEZ ABSENT. Ms. Lyons opened the floor for nominations for Board Secretary. Ms. Telge nominated Ms. Saenz. MR. VALLS MADE A MOTION THAT MS. SAENZ BE ELECTED BY ACCLAMATION. MR. LONGORIA SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. PEREZ, LONGORIA, CHAPA, LYONS, TELGE, RAMON, VALLS, SCOTT, AND GRANADO VOTING IN FAVOR. SAENZ AND MARTINEZ ABSENT. Ms. Lyons opened the floor for nominations for Assistant Board Secretary. MS. SCOTT MADE A MOTION THAT MS. VIDAURRI BE ELECTED BY ACCLAMATION. MS. GRANADO SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. PEREZ, LONGORIA, CHAPA, LYONS, TELGE, RAMON, VALLS, SCOTT, AND GRANADO VOTING IN FAVOR. SAENZ AND MARTINEZ ABSENT. Discussion and Possible Action to Approve the Board of Directors' Minutes of December 2, 2009 and Board of Directors' Workshop Minutes of December 17, 2009 Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes January 6,2010 Page 3 MR. VALLS MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MINUTES OF DECEMBER 2, 2009 AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS' WORKSHOP MINUTES OF DECEMBER 17, 2009. MS. SCOTT SECONDED THE MOTION. PEREZ, LONGORIA, CHAPA, LYONS, TELGE, RAMON, VALLS, SCOTT, AND GRANADO VOTING IN FAVOR. SAENZ AND MARTINEZ ABSENT. Ms. Lyons recognized Mr. Lee Jones, RCAT Chair, and noted that an RCAT report was not being provided because the Committee had been on hiatus. Action to Amend the Board Code of Ethics Policy Mr. John Bell explained that a general consensus on amending the RTA's Code of Ethics was reached at a Board Workshop held on December 17, 2009. He detailed the recommended changes which were: 1) to not be able to contract with any business in which a Board Member, any relative of a Board Member, or any person residing with a Board Member, had an interest as a sole proprietor or as an owner, in whole or in part, except for ownership of less than one percent interest in a publicly-held business organization, or if they were an employee and their compensation was directly affected, in whole or in part, on the revenues received from the contract; 2) this prohibition would extend to six months after the Board Member left office; 3) neither Board Members nor other persons related to Board Members, as indicated above, would be eligible for employment with the RTA during the Board Member's term of office or for a period of six months thereafter; and 4) that the Board Member should disclose any conflicts to the Board Chair and Board Secretary and fill out the conflict of interest forms as soon as the interest in the contract or transaction was determined. Referencing recommendations from previous workshops, Mr. Bell stated that those recommendations to provide for yearly policy review and to provide a specific mechanism for Board Members to consult with legal counsel had been incorporated into the proposed policy. MR. VALLS MADE A MOTION TO AMEND THE BOARD CODE OF ETHICS POLICY. MS. SCOTT SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. PEREZ, LONGORIA, CHAPA, LYONS, TELGE, RAMON, VALLS, SCOTT, AND GRANADO VOTING IN FAVOR. SAENZ AND MARTINEZ ABSENT. Action to Adopt a Policy Statement for Selection of Community Events or Program Sponsorships Ms. Lyons reported that this agenda item had been discussed at the December 2, 2009 Board meeting and tabled to the January meeting. Mr. Carrion referenced the policy statement and Sponsorship Request Form Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes January 6,2010 Page 4 included in the Board packet. In response to Mr. Valls, Mr. Carrion stated that the form would be posted on the RTA web site and that a letter would be sent to all organizations that had requested sponsorships from the Agency. Referencing the request form, Ms. Telge recommended that "Please read carefully" under the heading "Instructions" be deleted and that under Item 6 "call Beth Vidaurri in the General Management Office" be included. Ms. Telge initiated a discussion on identification of the type of requests being sought. Ms. Lyons recommended that under the heading "Request" that all references to a charity be eliminated. Ms. Lyons said that a quarterly summary on event sponsorships would be provided to the Board. Mr. Carrion clarified that only the CEO and DBE departments budgeted for these sponsorships and all requests would be handled through his office. Responding to Ms. Telge, Mr. Carrion stated that if there was a cost to the Agency for providing in-kind contributions, it would be deducted from the budget in the CEO's department. Mr. Longoria clarified that all Chamber sponsorships would be funded through the DBE Department budget. MR. VALLS MADE A MOTION TO ADOPT A POLICY STATEMENT FOR SELECTION OF COMMUNITY EVENTS OR PROGRAM SPONSORSHIPS. MS. CHAPA SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. PEREZ, LONGORIA, CHAPA, LYONS, TELGE, RAMON, VALLS, SCOTT, AND GRANADO VOTING IN FAVOR. SAENZ AND MARTINEZ ABSENT. Presentation on the November 2008 Financial Report Ms. Vinson reported that the variances had changed significantly due to adoption of the budget amendment in October; sales tax revenue from January through October had decreased by approximately $200,000; and year-to-date operating costs were under budget by approximately $1.6 million. She noted that a 17.4 percent decrease in sales tax revenue had been budgeted for November. The projection was that by year end, sales tax would be down by approximately 13.4 percent. Mr. Longoria recommended that during the budget process for 2011 that staff present the Board with a list of options or initiatives to include in the budget and that the Board then adopt a resolution directing staff to fund those options. This would Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes January 6,2010 Page 5 prevent last minute changes to the budget. RTA Operations Performance Report for November 2009 Ms. Smith reported that in November 2009 ridership had increased 1.2 percent; year to date ridership had decreased 3.1 percent; vanpool ridership was 9,505; overall system productivity had decreased by 1.2 percent; on time year-to-date performance did not meet the goal of 95 percent, it was 90.3 percent. She noted that there had been an overall steady increase in elderly/disabled fares and passes, regular passes, transfers, and Non-Revenue Special. Ms. Lyons asked if there were any sanctions if a bus operator runs ahead of schedule. Ms. Smith acknowledged that there were. Mr. Carrion pointed out that the number of complaints in this category had decreased because random checks had been increased and locations to be checked had been varied. Referring to the fare type identified as elderly/disabled, Ms. Lyons asked that the name be changed. Mr. Carrion reported that as part of increasing marketing campaign, Senior Staff would be walking the neighborhood and notifying residents about the new Southside Express service. Ms. Telge requested a report on the Van Pool program. Mr. Valls initiated a discussion on the Southside Express route and the park-and-ride site. Mr. Carrion explained that St. John the Baptist Catholic Church was providing the parking location at no cost and Spohn South chose not to provide parking privileges. B-Line Report Mr. Klinger reported that ridership for November 2009 was 14,661 representing a 2.2 percent increase compared to November 2008 which equaled 314 extra trips; productivity was 2.68 passengers per hour; denials were zero; on time performance was 97.5 percent; passenger "in-vehicle time" violations, based on statistical sampling, were at 38; and miles between road calls exceeded the contract standard of 10,000 miles between road calls. Review and Possible Action on Board Policies Ms. Lyons asked that at least one representative from each appointing entity serve on the Board Policy Ad Hoc Committee. She asked that anyone interested in serving on this Subcommittee contact her. MR. VALLS MADE A MOTION THAT AN AD HOC COMMITTEE BE FORMED TO REVIEW THE BOARD POLICIES YEARLY AND MAKE Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes January 6, 2010 Page 6 RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOARD. MS. TELGE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. PEREZ, LONGORIA, CHAPA, LYONS, TELGE, RAMON, VALLS, SCOTT, AND GRANADO VOTING IN FAVOR. SAENZ AND MARTINEZ ABSENT. Presentation on Standard Operating Procedures Process and Templates Ms. Willey reported that under the direction of the CEO, staff had developed a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) form. The form was being implemented to provide a uniformed documentation process for Agency procedures. CEO's Report a. Agency Recognition Certificate from GFOA Mr. Carrion reported that the Agency had received the Government Finance Officers Association's (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the Agency's comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008. b. Update on Feast of Sharing, Toys for Tots, and United Way Campaign Mr. Carrion stated that free rides were offered on fixed route for those attending the Feast of Sharing event and 2,241 rides were provided; the Agency had participated in the Toys for Tots event on December 13, 2009 and collected over 1,800 toys; and during the United Way Campaign held in December over $4,500 had been collected. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10 a.m. ary Saefiz, Board Secretary S /C) Date Submitted by: Beth Vidaurri