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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2017-05-23 minutesAPPROVED 2017 PUBLIC TRANSIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes Tuesday, May 23rd, 2017 Boone/Bancroft Conference Room 1:30 p.m – 2:30 p.m. Committee Member(s) – Present Mrs. Ann Bax Mr. William Case Mrs. Angela Hirsch Mr. Terry Donner Mr. Wayne Lee Mr. William (Bill) Marshall Mr. Royal Spiedel Committee Member(s) – Absent Council Liaison: Mr. Larry Henry Staff: Mr. Mark Mehmert Mr. Steven Crowell Mr. Gerry Stegeman Ms. Glenna Vernon Guest(s): Jeff Haldiman, (News Tribune), Amy Rogers, (Faith Voices) 1. Introductions: The meeting was called to order by Chair Ann Bax at 1:30 p.m. 2. Approval of Agenda Mr. Wayne Lee offered a motion to move item #5 “Committee Discussion” up in the agenda order to allocate more time for the discussion of the responsibilities and general duties of the Transit Advisory Committee (TAC). Mrs. Angela Hirsch seconded the motion. The motion carried without objection. 3. Approval of Minutes (from two previous meetings) Mr. Lee moved to accept the January 31, 2017 minutes; Mr. Royal Spiedel seconded the motion. The motion carried without corrections or objection. Mrs. Hirsh moved to accept the March 28th, 2017 minutes; Mr. Lee seconded the motion. The motion carried without corrections or objection. APPROVED 2017 4. Committee Discussion Mr. Lee referenced Article XXII Public Transit Advisory Committee (handed out for review) which is the ordinance approved by the City Council when the Public Transit Advisory Committee was created and details the duties of the committee. Mr. asked about Sec. 7.743, which mandates the TAC (at least bi-annually) report to the Public Works Committee. Councilman Larry Henry (Council Liaison to the TAC) indicated the Public Works Committee has been kept abreast of the work of the TAC by Transit Director Mr. Mark Mehmert. Mr. Lee addressed Sec. 7-744, which included general duties of the TAC. All line items were the topic of a round-table discussion. Committee members agreed the Transit Advisory Committee duties are important and that the group plays a critical role in the duties spelled out in the ordinance establishing the TAC. Mr. Lee commented that ideally, members of the committee would also be regular patrons of the transit system. The TAC further discussed the authorization language of the Transit Advisory Committee in the city code. Discussion centered on the Committee’s work to build support for JEFFTRAN should not be limited to funding. Councilman Henry indicated any changes to the authorizing legislation proposed by the TAC would likely be routed through the Public Works Committee and then, if approved, to City Council. Mr. William (Bill) Marshall moved to recommend to the Public Works Committee to strike the word “financial” from Section 7-744 (A): “Seek partnership opportunities with local businesses for financial support of JEFFTRAN”. The motion carried without objection. 5. Transit Administration Report Mr. Mark Mehmert provided a power-point presentation with an overview of JEFFTRAN. a. Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL), Automatic Passenger Counter (APC), Automatic Voice Annunciation (AVA) RFP updated: Mr. Mehmert offered a brief overview of the AVL, APC, and AVA status to the committee. Four proposals have been received and the evaluation committee has met and recommended a vendor. Concurrence has been received from MoDOT and a contract is being moved through the legal and purchasing process. APPROVED 2017 b. Transit System-Wide Assessment Update Up to this point, public meetings have been held and the Lochmueller Group (contractor on this CAMPO-led project) has met with stakeholder groups. In addition, the contractor has personally ridden the buses and has met with city staff as well as bus operators. Currently, the Existing Conditions Report (one of the deliverables in the contract) is under development. The report will include ridership and route cost data. CAMPO staff has been working to complete a community survey at different locations (for example, Thursday Night Live, Salute to America) and asking individuals to respond to the survey. An on-line version of the surveys will also be made available. A peer comparison of similarly-sized systems will also be a part of the report. JEFFTRAN staff or a CAMPO representative will update the TAC at the next meeting. As a refresher, Mr. Mehmert provided an overview of the system for committee members. c. JEFFTRAN ridership trends – Mr. Mehmert indicated JEFFTRAN experienced a 3.5% decline in ridership on the fixed routes in FY2016. Nationally, ridership declined 2.2%, according the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). The six month promotion period ends in July. The promotion will be evaluated as time allows. If the promotion were to be made permanent, it would require Council action. 6. Public Comments Mr. Marshall submitted his letter of resignation due to health reasons. Chair Ann Bax thanked Mr. Marshall for his service to the community. 7. Adjourn Next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 25th, 2017 at 1:30 p.m. Mr. William (Bill) Case moved to adjourn the meeting; Mr. Lee seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 2:40 p.m.