IMPERIAL COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

MINUTES FOR MAY 26, 2021

6:00 p.m.

_______________________________________________________________­­­­________________

VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT:

                                                                City of Brawley                                       George Nava via zoom

                                                                City of Calipatria                                    Maria Nava-Froelich via zoom

                                                                City of Calexico                                      Javier Moreno via zoom

                                                                City of El Centro                                    Cheryl Viegas-Walker via zoom

                                                                City of Imperial                                      Robert Amparano via zoom

                                                                City of Holtville                                       Michael Goodsell via zoom

                                                                City of Westmorland                           Absent

                                                                County of Imperial                                Luis Plancarte via zoom

                                                                County of Imperial                                Absent

                                                                Imperial Irrigation District                 Javier Gonzalez via zoom

NON-VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT:          Caltrans District 11           Gustavo Dallarda via zoom

STAFF PRESENT:               Mark Baza, David Aguirre, Cristi Lerma, Virginia Mendoza, Marlene Flores, Michelle Bastidas, Audrie Tapia

OTHERS PRESENT:            All via zoom – David Salgado: SCAG; Ann Fox, Rafael Reyes, Daniel Hernandez: Caltrans; Tyler Salcido: City of Brawley; Erwin Gojuangco: County Council, Layla Sawari, Eric Havens: Counsel

The following action minutes are listed as they were acted upon by the Imperial County Transportation Commission and as listed on the agenda for the meeting held Wednesday, May 26, 2021 together with staff reports and related documents attached thereto and incorporated therein by reference.

Given public health directives limiting public gatherings due to the threat of COVID-19 and in compliance with the Governor’s Order N-29-20, the meeting will be held telephonically and electronically.

I.                    CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL 

Chair Viegas- Walker called the Commission meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present.

II.                  CLOSED SESSION

A.            Motion to convene to Closed Session

B.            PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION (Government Code § 54957)         

                Title:  ICTC Executive Director

C.            Announcement of Closed Session Action(s) – at 6:00 p.m.: The ICTC Commission met in closed session to discuss a public employee performance evaluation. Direction was given and no reportable action was taken.

III.                 EMERGENCY ITEMS

                There were none.

IV.                PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were no public comments received.

V.                  CONSENT CALENDAR

A.            Approval of the ICTC Commission Draft Minutes:               April 28,2021

B.                  Receive and File:

1.                   ICTC Management Committee Draft Minutes:     May 12,2021

2.                   ICTC TAC Minutes:                                                           March 25,2021

3.                   ICTC SSTAC Minutes:                                                       April 7, 2021      

A motion was made by Nava-Froelich and seconded by Plancarte to approve the consent calendar as presented, roll call:

                Motion Passed.

C.                   FY 2021-22 Sixth Revision to Memorandum of Understanding (MOU); ICTC - Quechan Indian Tribe - Yuma County Intergovernmental Public Transit Authority (YCIPTA) for Turquoise Route #10 and Blue Route #5

1.            Authorized the Chairperson to sign the Sixth Extension to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Yuma County Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority (YCIPTA), The Imperial County Transportation Commission (ICTC) and the Quechan Indian Tribe for the continued implementation and operation of a regional connector bus service (YCAT Turquoise #10) between Yuma AZ, Winterhaven and El Centro, California; and, a circulator route from Yuma with stops in the eastern Imperial County area (YCAT Blue #5) effective July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 and provide a not to exceed subsidy to the Quechan Tribe and YCIPTA in an amount of $162,062.71.

D.                  Agreement for Professional Financial Auditing Services - FY 2020-21 through FY 2022-23

1.                   Authorized the Chairman to sign the agreement for the ICTC Agreement for Professional Financial Auditing Services effective July 1, 2021, for the audit periods FY 2020-21 through FY 2022-23, with the firm of The Pun Group:

a.       For the fiscal reporting period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, the annual not to exceed fee set at $65,000.00

b.       For the fiscal reporting period of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, the annual not to exceed fee set at $66,950.00

c.       For the fiscal reporting period of July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023, the annual not to exceed fee set at $68,959.00

E.                   Agreement for Professional Financial Reporting Services of the ICTC Transit Operations - FY 2020-21 through FY 2024-25

1.            Authorized the Chairman to sign the agreement for the ICTC Transit Operators Fiscal Reporting services effective July 1, 2021, for the audit period FY 2020-21 through FY 2024-25, with the firm of Eide Bailly:

a.       For the fiscal reporting period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, the annual not to exceed fee set at $40,000.00

b.       For the fiscal reporting period of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, the annual not to exceed fee set at $40,000.00

A motion was made by Nava-Froelich and seconded by Amparano to approve the consent calendar as presented, roll call:

            Motion Passed.

VI.                REPORTS

A.                  ICTC Executive Director

⁻          Mr. Baza provided updates from the report on page 62 of the agenda.

⁻          Mr. Baza shared that ICTC proposes to conduct the FY 2021-2022 Unmet Transit Hearing virtually on Monday, June 7 ,2021. It is ICTC’s goal to have at least three members of the Commission be present to listen to any verbal comments provided by the public as well as any written comments that were received from the surveys. The second meeting where the actual findings are adopted will be held after the public hearing at a later date.

⁻          Mr. Baza announced the FY 2021/2022 Budget Workshop was held prior to the Commission meeting stating a draft budget report was presented. He shared this is the largest budget ICTC has had.

⁻          Mr. Baza provided a brief update regarding the State Route 86 (Northbound) Border Patrol Checkpoint. He stated that the project is moving at a good pace and  working to start construction this upcoming year.

⁻          Ms. Viegas-Walker requested a full report and clear understating of the deliverables and partnerships with IVEDC regarding the Southern Border Broadband Consortium (SBBC) those which include the first report of the cycle and the final report for the previous cycle and subsequent payment from the CPUC.

⁻          Mr. Baza added ICTC had identified those areas that do not have broadband capacity and will provide a report to Ms. Viegas-Walker.

⁻          Ms. Viegas -Walker requested a better understanding of how much of the $300,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Assessment has been expended.

B.                  Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)

-          Mr. Salgado provided updates from the reports on pages 71 to 75 of the agenda.

o   SCAG May Regional Council Meeting took action to approve SCAG’s 2021-2022 Final Comprehensive Budget and Overall Work Plan. Mr. Salgado was happy to announce the meeting went well and the budget was approved. The Regional Council also took action to approve SCAG’s Racial Equity Early Action Plan which was developed to guide and sustain SCAG’s Regional Leadership moving Forward.

o   SCAG’s 32nd Annual Demographic Workshop is scheduled for two different dates due to the webinar being split in two. Part 1 will take place on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, and part 2 will take place on Tuesday, June 15, 2021.

o   SCAG hosted an Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS) permit Streamlining directly with the Imperial County in which the Imperial Irrigation District took part and participated.

o   A Broadband Deployment and Adoption Resource Guide For Local and Regional Government Leaders  can be found on Getting-Connected-A-Broadband-Deployment-and-Adoption-Resource-Guide-For-Local-and-Regional-Government-Leaders.pdf (valleyvision.org)

o   The Go-Human Mini-Grant Program is still ongoing for those who would like to apply. The SCAG Go Human Community Streets Mini-Grants Program aims to build street-level community resiliency and increase the safety of people most harmed by traffic injuries and fatalities, including without limitation Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; people with disabilities; and frontline workers, particularly those walking and biking.

o   The SCAG General Assembly was held remotely. Sustainability Award recipients were recognized for their innovative and transformational projects throughout the region. The new slate of executive board members was ratified along with the presentation of the annual “Year in Review” video which highlights SCAG’s accomplishments from the previous year, which can be found at  SCAG 2020-2021 Year in Review - YouTube.

C.                  California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)- District 11   

-          Ms. Fox provided updates from the report on pages 80-84 of the agenda

o   Agencies who are submitting applications to the federal Raise Grant Program for any projects who would like letters of support from Caltrans are to be requested prior to June 16, 2021. For more information, please reach out to Ann Fox.

o   There will be a huge amount of outreach and engagement with our communities for community-type projects.

o   Major work for the SR-86 project will be ongoing for the next two weeks during the day. There will be pavement work going on and expecting to finish by the midst of June. If there is any impact due to this project, please reach out to Caltrans to express any concerns.

o   Mr. Amparano expressed his concern with the project being done during the day due to this project interrupting one of the major corridors and questioned why the work cannot be completed at night. Ms. Fox did not have an answer as to why the project is not being conducted at night, however, will look into it.

o   I-8/Imperial Avenue Interchange project work will take place weekdays over regular and extended day shifts for the next two months. Eastbound I-8/ Imperial Avenue ramps will continue to be closed and are expected to be reopened in summer 2021.

o   SR-111 Niland Geyser / Mud pot detour was been completed on April 30th and has remained in place and is being monitored.

o   Caltrans District 11 is kicking off outreach efforts for the Caltrans Active Transportation Plan (CAT Plan). This plan will include an existing conditions analysis and a prioritized list of identified bicycle and pedestrian needs on and around the State Highway System. A survey to help gather information has been developed and District 11 will be contacting schools, cities, and community organizations to help spread the word of the survey. In addition, another outreach effort involves placing decals with scannable QR codes within Caltrans right of way. Approximately 500 12” diameter decals will be placed on sidewalks throughout San Diego and Imperial County. The decals will be in place for 2-3 months. Please visit https://www.catplan.org/district-11 for more information.

D.                  Commission Member Reports 

-          Mr. Plancarte advised Caltrans to reach out to the Emergency Services and inform them of the closures that are set to happen on SR-86.

-          Mr. Gonzalez expressed concerns with Assembly Bill (AB) 1021. He stated that the current IID Board is opposed to it and that it would be voted by the Assembly sometime soon. Mr. Gonzalez also stated the IID is set to conduct a general run for IID  to exit the Coachella Valley Energy Service.

VII.              ACTION CALENDER

A.                   Approving Participation in the Clean Mobility Options (CMO) Voucher Pilot Program for Calexico Mobility On Demand Service

Mr. Aguirre presented the Clean Mobility Options (CMO) Voucher Pilot Program to the Committee. The Clean Mobility Options (CMO) Voucher Pilot Program provides an opportunity for the Imperial County Transportation Commission (ICTC) to pursue grant funding to establish a zero-emission shared mobility option in Imperial County.

ICTC partnered with Via Transportation, Inc. (Via) to develop the grant application and to implement and operate the proposed service. Via is a leading developer of software for on-demand and dynamic transit systems. Under the proposed partnership, Via will provide turnkey operations, infrastructure, software applications, customer service, and maintenance, while ICTC will provide administration, oversight, and assistance with marketing efforts. ICTC pursued the grant opportunity to demonstrate the potential for micro-transit or “on-demand” type of public transportation services within the City of Calexico utilizing three (3) zero-emission vehicles and is currently developing the agreement between ICTC and Via to provide the required services associated with the CMO funded Calexico Mobility on Demand Service. Mr. Aguirre shared there would be multiple marketing efforts to make the residents of Calexico aware of implantation of the program.

Mr. Amparano inquired about the possibility of having the CMO program implemented in other cities and questioned why the City of Calexico was chosen to have all 3 vehicles instead of spreading them out within the cities. Mr. Aguirre shared that the goal for the City of Calexico was to have a similar circulator service such as those in the City of Brawley (Gold Line) and the City of El Centro (Blue and Green Lines). The micro transit program will deliver a similar service to Calexico. The reason Calexico was chosen was that the demand for services far exceeded the needs for transit services.. Mr. Aguirre did express that the City of Imperial’s Red Line continues to be a priority for ICTC. Mr. Moreno expressed his gratitude towards the micro-transit program and the ICTC staff.

It was requested that the ICTC Management Committee forward this item to the Commission for review and approval after public comment, if any:

1.       Authorized the Chairperson to sign the resolution authorizing the Executive Director to sign the CMO program documentation and to ensure compliance with the CMO Program requirements; and,

2.       Directed staff to submit the application to Caltrans.

A motion was made by Nava-Froelich and seconded by Moreno to approve the consent calendar as presented, roll call:

                Motion Passed.

B.                   Imperial County Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SAFE) for the Preventive and Corrective Maintenance of Call Boxes on Interstate 8 and State Route 86 in Imperial County: Award Recommendation: CASE Emergency Systems, Inc.

Ms. Flores stated the Imperial County Transposition Commission (ICTC) took responsibility as the administrator of the Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SAFE) Program on July 1, 2020. The SAFE Program for Imperial County is responsible for the installation, operations, and administration of approximately 166 call boxes located along with State Route 86 (SR-86) and Interstate 8 (I-8). SAFE’s were established by the State of California to encourage the placement of call boxes along the California Freeway systems for motorists in need of aid to obtain assistance.

SAFE has retained a maintenance contractor since the inception of the call box program to provide repair services and perform preventative measures to ensure the proper functionality of the call box system. The current vendor for these services is CASE Emergency Systems, Inc. (CASE). The existing contract between SAFE and CASE expires on May 31, 2021.

On March 15, 2021, SAFE released an RFP for Preventive and Corrective Maintenance of Call Boxes on Interstate 8 and State Route 86 in Imperial County. A total of one (1) consultant submitted a proposal which was CASE Emergency Systems, Inc. ICTC staff forwarded the RF document to various consultants and contacted various consultants to encourage possibly obtaining an additional response. Among the items reviewed to determine responsiveness, ICTC staff reviewed technical experience, proposed methodology, project team, and staff qualifications.

Ms. Flores stated the proposed average annual rate of $45.66 per call box per month is consistent with the current pricing for similar agencies. The per call box rate would increase on an annual basis. The proposed contingency allowance for repairs is an estimated Not-To-Exceed value.

Ms. Viegas-Walker expressed her concerns regarding the program stating most of these call boxes are out of service or simply are not being used. Another concern was whether there is an option of the contract ending prior to the five years. Mr. Havens clarified this question by referring to the agreement, which states that the agreement can be terminated with at least 20 days’ notice by either party. Mr. Baza stated that the call boxes are being monitored and a database is being kept by staff. Ms. Flores stated that  there has been a total of 49 calls made from January to April 2021. Ms. Viegas-Walker requested a detailed report for the September meeting. Mr. Amparano inquired if the funds for the program roll over to the following years and what was to happen to non-used funds after the five years. Mr. Aguirre shared the funds do in fact roll over and all non-used funds are to stay within the SAFE program.

It was requested that the ICTC Management Committee forward this item to the Commission for review and approval after public comment, if any:

1.       Approved the award of the Agreement for the Preventive and Corrective Maintenance of Call Boxes on Interstate 8 and State Route 86 in Imperial County to CASE Emergency Systems, Inc. in the amount of $504,773.60 for a five-year period.

2.       Authorized the Chairperson to sign the agreement.

A motion was made by Nava and seconded by Goodsell to approve the consent calendar as presented, roll call:

                        Motion Passed.

VIII.             NEXT MEETING DATE AND PLACE

A.                  Ms. Viegas -Walker requested the Commissioners to complete a poll on whether they would like to continue to have the monthly meetings via Zoom or in person moving forward It was determined in person meetings would be available for those who would like to join in July. The next meeting of the Imperial County Transportation Commission will be held on June 23, 2021 at 6:00 p.m., at the ICTC Offices, 1503 N. Imperial Ave., Suite 104, El Centro, CA 92243 via Zoom Meeting.

IX.                ADJOURNMENT

Meeting adjourned at 7:24 p.m.