Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority - 09/05/2007 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY �?=° ', BOARD OF DIRECTORS' MEETING OCT 2007 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2007o CITY SECRETARY'S N±r - SUMMARY OF ACTIONS \�.�, OFFICE 1. Held Roll Call 2. Provided Opportunity for Public Comment 3. Heard Presentation by Infrastructure Solutions Inc. 4. Approved Consent Agenda a. Discussion and Possible Action to Approve the Board of Directors' Minutes of August 1, 2007 b. Action to Accept Committee Reports c. Action to Award First Option Year Contract to SSP Petroleum for Unleaded Fuel d. Action to Award a Contract to Grunwald Printing for Bus Schedule Printing e. Action to Approve an Interlocal Agreement with Nueces County Hospital District for Bus Stop Improvements in Robstown f. Action to Award a Contract to Thermo Fluids, Inc. and Southwest Land and Marine for Collection and Disposal of Hazardous and Non- Hazardous Waste g. Action to Approve the 2007 Second Quarter Defined Contribution Plan Report h. Action to Approve the 2007 Second Quarter Defined Benefit Plan Report i. Action to Approve the July 2007 Financial Report j) Action to Award a Contract to AG/CM, Inc. for Project Management Services 5. Approved Fiscal Year 2009 Federal Appropriations Priority List 6. Awarded a Contract to Infrastructure Solutions, Inc. for Grant Consulting Services 7. Authorized Entering into a Memorandum of Agreement with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi for Bus Services and Bus Pass ID Authorization 8. Approved Entering into a Contract for Group Health and Dental Insurance Administrative Services with Entrust, Inc. thru The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN) 9. Heard B-Line Reports: a. B-Line Update for Month of July 2007 b. Mid-Year B-Line Service c. Mid-Year B-Line Eligibility Assessment Program 10.Heard Presentation on Fixed-Route Bus Operations Mid-Year Service Analysis 11.Heard Presentation on Mid-Year CAF (Customer Complaint) Report 12.Heard General Manager's Report SCANNED Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes September 5,2007 Page 6 The Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors met at 8:30 a.m. at Robstown City Hall, 101 East Main Avenue, Robstown, Texas. Board Members Present: Rolando Barrera (Board Chair), John Valls (Board Vice- Chair), Carmen Arias (Board Secretary), Mannti Cummins, Anna M. Flores, Crystal Lyons, Glenn Martin, David Martinez, Dr. Maurice Portis, Sara Salvide Board Members Absent: John Longoria Staff Present: Ricardo Sanchez (General Manager), David Seiler, Beth Vidaurri, Eduardo Carrion, Sylvia Castillo, Vangie Chapa, Linda Fallwell-Stover, Sharon Montez, Elias Sissamis, Lamont Taylor, Kristi Pena, Martin Trevino, Ruth Willey, Ponch Carrillo, Samantha Serino Public Present: Deanna Kuykendall, Allynn Howe, Infrastructures, Inc.; Ed Labay, Derwood Anderson, AG/CM; Ramona Sawyers, Guadalupe Salazar, RTAEA; Jim Leach, Nova Shields, Carlos Vargas, MV Transportation; Rosie Aguiar; Julio Garcia, Anna M. Garza, Debby Hovda, RTAC; David Garcia, Teamsters; Stephen Hull, Andy Hull, Southern Network; John Bell, Legal Counsel; Mr. David Jacobson, Entrust Call to Order A quorum was declared present and the Board of Directors' meeting was called to order by Mr. Barrera at 8:42 a.m. Opportunity for Public Comment Mr. Sanchez announced that he would like to recognize Ms. Samantha Serino a seven- year RTA employee who had accepted a position with Corpus Christi Army Depot. He spoke briefly about her contributions to the Agency. Mr. Barrera presented Ms. Serino with a certificate of appreciation. Ms. Serino expressed her appreciation for the varied learning experiences she acquired while employed at the Agency. Mr. Julio Garcia stated that he was pleased that the City of Robstown was hosting the Corpus Christi RTA board meeting. He spoke in support of the proposed extension of Route 34 to serve the new medical clinic and public library in Robstown. He mentioned that a recent news bulletin had reported that a factory outlet center would be built in Robstown. He recommended that RTA start looking at the feasibility of providing service to the area. Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes September 5,2007 Page 7 Presentation by Infrastructure Solutions Inc. Mr. Sanchez announced that Ms. Karen Johnson was unable to attend the meeting due to a family emergency. He stated that Ms. Deanna Kuykendall and Mr. Allynn Howe would be making the presentation on the 2007 legislative program which was outlined in the document distributed to each board member. Mr. Howe provided the yearly report for the 2007 federal legislative year. He summarized the 2007 legislative strategy and reported that funding available through the 5309 grant program was limited. He noted that $250,000 had been awarded to RTA for FY2008 for bus replacement. Ms. Kuykendall provided the yearly report for the 2007 state legislative year. She stated that the priority goal of obtaining $2.9 million in Transportation Development Credits (TDCs) to be used as part'of the funding strategy for renovations to the RTA maintenance facility was accomplished. She noted that follow up work would continue on the project. Ms. Kuykendall also encouraged RTA to seek additional grant funding options through the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). She recommended that RTA and Infrastructure staff begin to develop the 2009 legislative agenda. Mr. Valls acknowledged Mr. Carrion for being instrumental in developing the proposal submitted to TxDOT for Transportation Development Credits. Mr. Barrera acknowledged Mr. Valls contributions which assisted passage of the TDC request. He noted that the process for receipt of TDCs had been changed to require a more detailed and structured application process compared to when Waco transit agency simply had to submit a letter of request. Referencing the health insurance initiative, Mr. Barrera recognized the hard work the consultants did in getting the legislation passed. He accepted responsibility for the bill not being signed into law because he felt that adequate public outreach explaining the proposed health initiative was not done. Mr. Barrera expressed that opinion that overall the 2007 legislative year was successful. Consent Agenda Mr. Barrera called for consideration of Consent Agenda items 4a through 4i which were of a routine or administrative nature. He asked if there were any items that should be pulled from the consent Agenda. Ms. Salvide asked that Item 4j be pulled for discussion. Mr. Barrera called for a motion to approve consent agenda items 4a-4i. a) Discussion and Possible Action to Approve the Board of Directors' Minutes of August 1, 2007 b) Action to Accept Committee Reports Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes September 5,2007 Page 8 c) Action to Award First Option Year Contract to SSP Petroleum for Unleaded Fuel d) Action to Award a Contract to Grunwald Printing for Bus Schedule Printing e) Action to Approve an Interlocal Agreement with Nueces County Hospital District for Bus Stop Improvements in Robstown f) Action to Award a Contract to Thermo Fluids, Inc. and Southwest Land and Marine for Collection and Disposal of Hazardous and Non-Hazardous Waste g) Action to Approve the 2007 Second Quarter Defined Contribution Plan Report h) Action to Approve the 2007 Second Quarter Defined Benefit Plan Report i) Action to Approve the July 2007 Financial Report MS. SALVIDE MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS 4a THROUGH 4i. MS. LYONS SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. VALLS, ARIAS, CUMMINS, FLORES, LYONS, MARTIN, MARTINEZ, PORTIS, AND SALVIDE VOTING FOR. LONGORIA ABSENT. Action to Award a Contract to AG/CM, Inc. for Project Management Services Ms. Salvide noted that this agenda item was discussed at length at the Committee level. Ms. Montez cited that AG/CM was being recommended for award of contract because the majority of their work was from repeat clients; in five projects totaling $157.3 million, AG/CM generated 18 cost savings ideas totaling $4.84 million which in turn paid their fee and returned funds to the owners; had over 650 years of combined experience within the company; and their proposal contained cost estimates at the 30%, 75% and 95% project completion stages. Ms. Salvide asked if any of AG/CM's cost saving ideas were applicable to the Agency. Ms. Montez stated that she would look at this possibility. Mr. Sanchez stated that the challenge that would be encountered with the maintenance facility project was that it would be phased in. He noted that AG/CM had documented more experience with this type of construction. There was a brief discussion on negotiation of the two-year contract.. Mr. Sanchez . explained that the Board would be authorizing the General Manager to negotiate a contract not to exceed $165,000. When negotiations were finalized, he would notify the Board. Mr. Valls asked if the motion could include authorizing the General Manager to negotiate with the second-ranked proposer if necessary. Mr. Bell replied affirmatively. . Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes September 5,2007 Page 9 MR. VALLS MADE A MOTION TO AUTHORIZE THE GENERAL MANAGER TO.NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT WITH AG/CM INC. FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES AND IF A CONTRACT COULD NOT BE NEGOTIATED, THEN TO ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE SECOND- RANKED PROPOSER FOR A CONTRACT NOT TO EXCEED $165,000. MS. FLORES SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. VALLS, ARIAS, CUMMINS, FLORES, LYONS, MARTIN, MARTINEZ, DR. PORTIS, AND SALVIDE VOTING FOR. LONGORIA ABSENT. Action to Approve Fiscal Year 2009 Federal Appropriations Priority List Mr. Carrion stated that the Planning Ad-Hoc Committee was forwarding this item for Board approval of the five priority projects that were very important components of the Capital Improvement Program. Mr. Sanchez noted that Infrastructure Solutions, Inc., the current RTA legislative grant consultant, had concurred with the legislative recommendations. In response to Mr. Cummins, Mr. Howe stated that the Senate and House Conference Committee was anticipated to go into conference in October. Replying to Dr. Portis, Mr. Carrion stated that bus purchases were off schedule due to delivery time requirements and purchase delays necessitated by the receipt of the TDCs and the requirement to reserve matching funds for the maintenance facility renovation project. Mr. Seiler, responding to Ms. Flores's inquiry about the mechanical status of the existing bus fleet, said that since over half of the fleet had exceeded their service life, the RTA was experiencing challenges with road calls and bus maintenance, specifically the cost for repair parts. He stated that the request for proposals would cover a four year time frame. If additional grant funding was acquired, then the purchase of buses would be accelerated. MR. MARTINEZ MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE FISCAL YEAR 2009 FEDERAL APPROPRIATIONS PRIORITY LIST. MS. SALVIDE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. VALLS, ARIAS, CUMMINS, FLORES, LYONS, MARTIN, MARTINEZ, PORTIS, AND SALVIDE VOTING FOR. LONGORIA ABSENT. Action to Award a Contract to Infrastructure Solutions, Inc. for Grant Consulting Services Mr. Carrion stated that this item was being forwarded to the Board for approval. The term of the contract would be for one year in the amount of$125,000 plus $6,000 for Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes. September 5,2007 Page 10 documented and pre-approved travel and related expenses with the term starting January 1, 2008 and ending December 31, 2008. MS. FLORES MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE AWARDING A CONTRACT TO INFRASTRUCTURE SOLUTIONS, INC. FOR GRANT CONSULTING SERVICES. MR. VALLS SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. VALLS, ARIAS, CUMMINS, FLORES, LYONS, MARTIN, MARTINEZ, PORTIS, AND SALVIDE VOTING FOR. LONGORIA ABSENT. Discussion and Possible Action to Authorize Entering into a Memorandum of Agreement with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi for Bus Services and Bus Pass ID Authorization Mr. Seiler provided historical information on the service provided to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC). He stated that TAMU-CC reimbursed RTA a specified amount each school year cycle when they were in session. This entitled students and university employees to ride the bus at no cost. The proposed memorandum of agreement would be for one year in the amount of.$48,000; outlined the terms for discontinuation of service; and provided for renegotiation of reimbursements for each continuing year of contract service based on cost increases. Mr. Seiler reported that the University was considering doing a bus wrap. Mr. Valls recommended including purchase of a bus wrap as part of future memorandums. Mr. Seiler assured Ms. Lyons that the fee charged to the University, as well as Del Mar, for providing this type of service was equitable to the RTA. Ms. Chapa stated that the trial weekend for RTA's Bike and Ride program started on September 1, 2007. She stated that staff would be at the RTA's transfer stations asking local citizens to fill out a survey and their names would then be entered into a drawing to win a bicycle. Twelve bicycles had been purchased for under$600 with financial assistance from the Port of Corpus Christi. This was one event being implemented to promote the new program. DR. PORTIS MADE A MOTION TO AUTHORIZE ENTERING INTO A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT WITH TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-CORPUS CHRISTI FOR BUS SESRVICES AND BUS PASS ID AUTHORIZATION. MS. ARIAS SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. VALLS, ARIAS, CUMMINS, FLORES, LYONS, MARTIN, MARTINEZ, PORTIS, AND SALVIDE VOTING FOR. LONGORIA ABSENT. Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes September 5,2007 Page 11 Action to Approve Entering into a Contract for Group Health and Dental Insurance Administrative Services with Entrust, Inc. thru The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN) Ms. Willey stated that the request was for approval of a five-year contract with Entrust Inc. thru The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN) for group health and dental program administration. This did not include the insurance plan design. The estimated annual cost was $225,543 -- compared to prior costs of$231,825. A savings of$6,282 annually and $31,410 over the five-year contract period would be realized. The fixed fees charged by Entrust would not increase over theterm of the contract. Entrust would also be involved in assisting RTA staff develop the health plan design and are able to provide extensive reports that assist RTA staff in analyzing Plan usage. Mr. Barrera called for public comment on the agenda item. Ms. Ramona Sawyers, representing the Regional Transportation Employee Association, asked that the Board consider tabling the agenda item due to the perception of mistrust; that the Plan was not in the best interest of the employees; and issues concerning conflict of interest and ethics. She stated that it was a burden on families to have to pay $500 per month when there was an illness in the family. She said that the Plan design needed to be changed. Ms. Salvide inquired how many employees were members of the Association. Ms. Sawyers replied that the Association represented non-supervisory employees and had 46 members. Ms. Willey, responding to Ms. Salvide, clarified that RTA had approximately 150 non- supervisory employees. Mr. Valls asked for clarification on who was the Association's representative. Mr. Salazar replied that Rosie Aguiar did volunteer work for the Association and Ms. Sawyers received compensation from RTAEA to perform clerical duties. Ms. Rosie Aguiar expressed her concerns that RTA employees were not given choices besides using the Entrust Plan. She cited an article that said that many administrators make the mistake of entrusting too much power to their plan administrator. Addressing the RTAEA representatives, Mr. Barrera cited various accomplishments of the Agency such as a fully-funded retirement plan and funding the changes recommended in the recent compensation study unlike eight years ago when the recommended salary changes were not implemented and funded. He noted that the Plan design was not the item before the Board for approval. He commended staff for their diligence in surveying other entities on their health plan rates and cited various entities whose plan was more expensive than the RTA Plan. He stated that he markets Entrust's products but does not receive compensation from them for this service. Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes September 5,2007 Page 12 Mr. John Bell, RTA legal counsel, explained that conflicts disclosure was required under State Law 171 if the Board Member had ownership interest; or if they or a family member either was employed or had other business relationship with the vendor and received taxable income; or had received one or more gifts that had an aggregate value of more than $250 in a twelve-month period. He stated that Mr. Barrera could abstain from the vote if he desired. Mr. Barrera stated that the Corpus Christi Caller-Times had submitted a request for information and had found that there was no conflict of interest on this matter. Mr. Barrera announced that in the best interest of the agency he would abstain on the vote for this agenda item. After a brief discussion on the Plan design, Ms. Willey stated that she would be coordinating meetings with employees regarding the Plan design and that item would be brought to the Board at the October Administration Committee meeting. She noted that approximately 75% of employees have benefited from the current Plan design. Mr. David Jacobson clarified that Entrust could administer any Plan design. He presented the following statistics on the health plan participants: 8 percent did not have out-of-pocket expense for routine medical services; 90 percent have spent less than $200 for routine care; family out of pocket was approximately $1,141 last year and this year $560; approximately 14 participants had high Plan utilization. Reporting on the Wellness Program, Mr. Jacobson stated that 60 employees currently participate in the disease management program. Following a brief discussion, Ms. Willey clarified that the item before the Board was for administration services and did not include a broker's fee. MS. FLORES MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE ENTERING INTO A CONTRACT FOR GROUP HEALTH AND DENTAL INSURANCE ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES WITH ENTRUST, INC. THRU THE COOPERATIVE PURCHASING NETWORK (TCPN). MR. CUMMINS SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED. VALLS, ARIAS, CUMMINS, FLORES, LYONS, MARTIN, MARTINEZ, PORTIS, AND SALVIDE VOTING FOR. LONGORIA ABSENT. BARRERA ABSTAINING. B-Line Reports a. B-Line Update for Month of July 2007 b. Mid-Year B-Line Service c. Mid-Year B-Line Eligibility Assessment Program Regional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes September 5,2007 Page 13 Ms. Faliwell-Stover, reporting on statistics for July 2007, stated the following: compared to July 2006 ridership had decreased 1.5%; year-to-date ridership had increased 1.0%; passengers per hour was 2.6; denials were .0004%; on-time performance was 97.0%; there were 51 "in-vehicle" time violations; and miles between mechanical road calls was 16,731. All contract standards were met. Reporting on the mid-year B-Line service, Ms. Faliwell-Stover provided year-to-date trends on ridership and a general assessment of performance year-to-date. She stated that on-time performance averaged 96.4%; passengers per hour averaged 2.65; and the contractor met the performance standard for denials with the exception of February 2007. Ms. Faliwell-Stover provided a mid-year report on the B-Line eligibility assessment program. She noted that during the first 6 months of 2007, the partnership with Del Mar had resulted in a direct cost savings to RTA of$8,300 with Del Mar paying half of the hourly rate for the Occupational Therapist who supervises the COTA students who assess the applicants. She attributed the decrease in growth of the service (1.46% increase in demand over the same period in 2006) to the eligibility program. She commented that the program was helping to better manage the growth and demand of B-Line service. Mr. Vargas, MV Transportation General Manager, introduced Mr. Jim Leach who had been promoted from road supervisor to safety manager. Presentation on Fixed-Route Bus Operations Mid-Year Service Analysis Mr. Carrion stated that a detailed report had been provided at the August Operations Committee. He reviewed the performance measures criteria used for local fixed-route services, park and ride routes; and specialty routes. He reported that six weekday routes (Routes 31, 6, 73, 78, 75, and 17) had not met at least two of the three minimum performance standards. The nine Saturday local routes (Routes 37, 32, 79, 31, 17, 6, 78, 73, and 75) that fell below performance standards ran on 60 minute frequencies. He stated that staff would look at the feasibility of decreasing the frequency to increase the passenger per hour rate. Two Sunday local routes (Routes 29 and 32S) did not meet performance standards and would be monitored for the next six months. He reported that overall the park and ride and specialty routes met performance standards. He recommended increased public outreach that would target the intended ridership for these routes. In summary, Mr. Carrion stated that overall services were adequate. Efforts would be ongoing to analyze potential rescheduling and/or restructuring of existing routes. He identified performance measures that would undergo more detailed analysis in order to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiencies of RTA's service delivery. i egional Transportation Authority Board of Directors Meeting Minutes September 5,2007 Page 14 Presentation on Mid-Year CAF (Customer Complaint) Report Mr. Seiler reported that the complaint rate was 12.01 complaints per 100,000 passengers through June 2007. This represented 296 complaints through June 2007 compared to 431 for the same period in 2006. Under RTA's fixed route the top reason for complaints was service/stop issues. Under contractor-operated fixed routes, the top reason for,complaints was also service/stop issues. He noted that compared to 2006, there was an overall trend of approximately a 31% decrease in CAFs. Dr. Portis expressed a concern about on-time performance issues considering the decrease in ridership and the need to increase ridership. He asked that staff analyze the problem and develop a solution. Mr. Carrion explained that the largest decrease in ridership was occurring during the weekend and riders had decreased their use of transfers. Based on this, staff was looking at creating express service that would transport riders from specified areas to the transfer stations --thereby making it easier to ride the service. General Manager's Report Mr. Sanchez reported that operator quarterly meetings would be held in mid September; the Federal Transit Administration Triennial had been completed and the final report would be presented to the Board. Charter service was found to not be operating along FTA regulations. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:26 AM. Se-eAw - frb Board Secretary Date