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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2016-07-26 minutesAPPROVED 2016 PUBLIC TRANSIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes Tuesday, July 26th, 2016 Boone/Bancroft Conference Room 1:30 p.m – 2:30 p.m. Committee Member(s) – Present Mrs. Ann Bax Mr. William Case Mr. Terry Donner Dr. William (Bill) Marshall Mr. Wayne Lee Mr. Royal Spiedel Committee Member(s) – Absent Mr. Frank Underwood Council Liaison: Mr. Larry Henry – Absent Staff: Mr. Mark Mehmert Mr. Gerry Stegeman Ms. Glenna Vernon Mr. Brian Wolford Guest(s): Ms. Madeleine Leroux, News Tribune, Sue Gibson, Paul VanHorn, Lindsey Berning, ABC 17 News 1. Introductions: The meeting was called to order by Chair Ann Bax at 1:30 p.m. All attendees were welcomed and self-introductions were conducted. 2. Limits of and Approval of Agenda: Mr. William (Bill) Case moved to accept the agenda as presented, and Mr. Wayne Lee seconded the motion. The motion carried without objection. 3. Approval of Minutes: Mr. William (Bill) Marshall moved to amend the minutes with a correction/clarification in JEFFTRAN Stats / Update paragraph in regards to highest/lowest ridership number(s) – same month stated twice in highest and lowest. His motion was seconded by Mr. Wayne Lee. The motion carried without objection. Administrative Assistant Vernon will make correction. Mr. Wayne Lee moved to approve the minutes with the amended changes as indicated dated, May 24th, 2016. His motion was seconded by Mr. Royal Spiedel. The motion carried without objection. APPROVED 2016 4. Transit Administration Report (Transit Director Mark Mehmert) **Power Point Presentation a) Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL), Automatic Passenger Counter (APC), Automatic Voice Annunciation (AVA) RFP update Mr. Mehmert updated committee regarding the purchase of Automatic Vehicle Locator, Automatic Passenger Counter, and Automatic Voice Annunciation. All information has been compiled and moved to purchasing and legal department(s) for their review/procedures prior to bidding process. b) Lo/No Grant Status Mr. Mehmert updated committee on status of the Lo/No Grant application. The announcements were made available today. Unfortunately, JEFFTRAN was not chosen for grant funds; however, a grant was successfully awarded to Columbia Transit (ComoConnect). The competition was keen. Transit staff will contact Administration (Drew) at Columbia Transit to discuss helpful hints for future grant writing and submission. c) No Smoking Signs Update “No Smoking” signs have been installed in all bus shelters. Signs have been removed by patrons, especially in the Missouri Blvd (Jefferson Plaza, Goodwill, and Walgreens area). Staff has ordered new “No Smoking” signs and will place them behind the plexi-glass in the shelters to prevent removal or, at least make it more difficult to remove the signs. The signs state: “No smoking in or within 10 feet of bus shelters.” A discussion took place regarding smoking limitations addressed by city ordinances. Brian Wolford, City Attorney was available to clarify and answer any questions. Also, a copy of city ordinances related to the limitation of smoking in a public transit setting was available for review by all attendees. At this point, the consensus of the committee was to observe responses to the new “no smoking” signs and then determine next steps, if necessary. 5. Committee Discussion Potential expanded bus pass options Single Ride Pass Transit staff proposes to offer a single ride pass to area organizations which help others in need of transportation (examples: local hospitals, common ground, churches and a few other agencies.) These passes would be sold in ticket groups of 20 individual tickets, rather than punch card format. Day Pass Transit staff has experienced many requests for selling passes for a set period of time, ranging from a single day to a year-long pass. Transit staff proposes issuing single-day passes on a trial basis. The All-Day passes would sell for three dollars and would be valid for one day only. APPROVED 2016 Both Single Pass / Day Pass would be unique in color, and would be numbered and date stamped. Transit staff believes these additional pass options will help to boost ridership, be more convenient for transit patrons and increase exposure for JEFFTRAN. Mr. William (Bill) Marshall moved to approve the proposals and forward them for consideration by the Public Works and Planning Committee. His motion was seconded by Mr. William Case. The motion carried without objection. Mr. Royal Spiedel asked administration on how the passes will be communicated to potential customers. Transit Division Director Mark Mehmert indicated there would be outreach to community non-profits, hospitals and other entities. The passes will also be highlighted on social media, www.jefftran.org at in the News Tribune. Roundtable discussion took place in regards to outreach in this matter. Transit Director Mehmert offered to develop an outline of a marketing strategy and bring back to the committee for review at an upcoming meeting. Vision Statement A rough draft of vision/mission / goals & objectives were provided to the committee for review. After a short discussion, the committee elected to revisit the topic at the next upcoming meeting. Comments indicated the importance of hearing from general public. An open house style meeting was discussed. It was noted invitations should be issued to the City Administrator and Councilpersons. This topic will be discussed at an upcoming meeting. Methods to finance this vision Transit Director Mehmert provided a brief explanation regarding how the ½ cent sales tax works and how it benefits transit. First, these funds can only be used for capital (not operational) expenditures. The tax is expires every five years, and therefore must go before the voters every five years if it is to be renewed. Currently, the tax generates approximately $25 million over that five year period. In the past, transit’s share of these funds has been $500,000 over each five year period. The vast majority of these funds are used as matching funds for the purchase of buses. Community Service Committee (CSC) discussion Paul VanHorn, guest and representative of Community Service Committee (CSC) offered a brief overview of what Community Service Committee does and what the committee is involved in. Due to time constraints, a motion was made by Royal Spiedel and second by William (Bill) Marshall to table this topic until the next upcoming meeting. The motion carried without objection. Committee Comments: Bill Marshall requested for the minutes to reflect an appreciation to the Transit administration for a facility tour, bus ride and background information. Mr. Marshall recently brought his grandchildren for an adventure across the city on the bus system, and he highly recommended taking the time. Chairperson Ann Bax also expressed thanks for the tour and discussion. Based on the time available, Terry Donner thought it would be advisable to discuss methods of financing the vision at an upcoming meeting. 6) Public/Committee Comments APPROVED 2016 Sue Gibson thanked the committee for being responsive, but reiterated her concerns regarding no smoking and signage. Ms. Gibson indicated there was little to no enforcement from Transit staff regarding this matter. Transit Director Mehmert asked Ms. Gibson if a designated smoking area on the platform could be an option, and she was open to that possibility. Paul VanHorn asked if any contact has been made to work with economic institutions to provide extension of services throughout the city. Transit Director Mehmert has partnered with Parks and Recreation on the summer youth pass. Although transit staff has made contact with the local schools in regards to passes, the option hasn’t been as successful as hoped. Director Mehmert will redouble his efforts on outreach to the schools and look for opportunities to collaborate with Lincoln University. Mr. Mehmert has also worked with CAMPO’s Bike and Pedestrian Plan steering committee to connect transit and schools with greenway trails, sidewalks and other bike/pedestrian amenities. This plan has been submitted to CAMPO’s Technical Committee and will also be considered by CAMPO’s Board of Directors for approval. These connections will hopefully make the Summer Pass and transit itself more marketable. 7) Adjourn Mr. William Case moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mr. Terry Donner. Meeting adjourned at 2:37 p.m. The next Public Transit Advisory Committee Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 27th, 2016 at 1:30 p.m.