IMPERIAL COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

MINUTES FOR NOVEMBER 13, 2019

6:00 p.m.

______________________________________________________________________

VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT:

                                                            City of Brawley                        George Nava

                                                            City of Calipatria                      Maria Nava-Froelich

                                                            City of Calexico                       Lewis Pacheco

                                                            City of El Centro                      Cheryl Viegas-Walker

                                                            City of Holtville                       James Predmore

                                                            City of Imperial                        Robert Amparano (Chair)

                                                            City of Westmorland                Larry Ritchie

NON-VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT:        Caltrans District 11       Gustavo Dallarda

STAFF PRESENT:     Mark Baza, Cristi Lerma, Virginia Mendoza, Eric Havens (Counsel)

OTHERS PRESENT:  David Salgado: SCAG; Erwin Gojuangco, Jose Ornelas: Caltrans; John Gay: County of Imperial; Bod Douthitt: IVRMA

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, November 13, 2019 together with staff reports and related documents attached thereto and incorporated therein by reference.

I.                    CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL 

Chair Amparano called the Commission meeting to order at 6:24 p.m. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present.

II.                 EMERGENCY ITEMS

            There were none.

III.              PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were none.

IV.              CONSENT CALENDAR

A motion was made by Nava-Froelich and seconded by Nava to approve the consent calendar as presented; Motion carried with one abstention from El Centro only for October 23, 2019 Commission minutes.  

A.        Approval of the ICTC Commission Draft Minutes:         October 23, 2019

B.                  Receive and File:

1.                   ICTC Management Committee Draft Minutes:   October 9, 2019

2.                   ICTC SSTAC Minutes:                                     September 4, 2019

3.                   ICTC Draft SSTAC Minutes:                            October 2, 2019

C.                  Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5310 Grant Program for Elderly and Disabled Transportation Services FY 2018-19 – Regional Applications

1.                   Authorized the Chairman to sign the resolution as required by Caltrans

2.                   Authorized staff to forward documentation to Caltrans as required.

D.                 Authorize travel for an ICTC Commission Member to attend the CALCOG Board Meeting in November

1.         Approved travel for Commissioner Cheryl Viegas-Walker to attend the CALCOG Board Meeting on November 15, 2019 for an estimated expenditure amount of $318.00

E.                  Quality Assurance Program (QAP) Adoption

1.         Approved the proposed 2019 Quality Assurance Program (QAP).

VI.              REPORTS

A.                 ICTC Executive Director

-          Mr. Baza stated that a meeting will be held on November 20, 2019 at ICTC with local leaders to discuss regional priorities regarding several topics following attendance at the State Economic Summit. Mr. Baza stated that this will be a good opportunity to discuss Imperial Valley priorities with State leaders of California Forward.

-          Ms. Viegas Walker requested that staff provide the items needed by the FTA Triennial Auditors at the next meeting.

-          Ms. Nava-Froelich asked about bus stops and bench shelters in the City of Calipatria and Niland. Mr. Baza stated that we will provide detailed information at the next meeting.

-          Ms. Viegas-Walker would like more information on the ICTC Bus Stop Bench and Shelter Inventory project and would also like to see a map of our transit corridor in the City of Brawley as it pertains to the Brownfield Assessment project.

-          A full list of updates and announcements can be found on page 62 of the agenda.

B.                  Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)

-          The Draft Connect SOCAL Plan was released on Thursday, November 7th by the Regional Council at its regular meeting. The plan incorporates the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) for a second time. All the documentation is available on the Connect SOCAL website. The Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) will be released concurrently for comment and review. SCAG will be traveling the region to brief officials and solicit feedback from folks through January 2020. Public Hearings are also scheduled for January 2020. The Regional Housing Needs Assessment was also approved at the last meeting. SCAG will also be presenting at the League meeting in January.

-          Mr. Darin Chidsey will be at the meeting in December.

-          A full list of updates and announcements can be found on page 71 of the agenda.

C.                  California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)

-          Mr. Dallarda, Acting District Director was present at the meeting.

D.                 Commission Member Reports 

-          Commissioners had various announcements regarding events occurring in their jurisdictions.

VII.           ACTION CALENDER

A.                 ICTC Intern and ICTC Student Intern Polices and Programs

The ICTC Management Committee met on November 13, 2019 and forwarded this item to the Commission for their review and approval after public comment, if any:

1.                   Approved the ICTC Standard Internship Program

2.                   Approved the ICTC Student Intern Program

3.                   Authorized the Chairman to sign the resolution providing Workman’s Compensation for unpaid interns under Section 3363.5 of the California Labor Code.

A motion was made by Viegas-Walker and seconded by Ritchie; Motion carried unanimously.

B.       Resolution for the Imperial Valley Resource Management Agency (IVRMA) and the Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SAFE) transition to ICTC

            In early 2018, the Commission directed the Executive Director to work with the City/County Managers to discuss the potential benefits for creating a Council of Governments (COG) for regional non-transportation programs. City Managers, County CEO, and the ICTC Executive Director developed a strategy for creation and development of a Council of Governments (COG). On October 24, 2018, the Commission directed staff to meet with legislative staff to pursue legislation that give ICTC the authority to administer non-transportation programs.

            As originally proposed the COG was to take on the administration of two existing programs: The Imperial Valley Resource Management Agency (IVRMA) and the Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SAFE) with the City of El Centro and County Public Works continuing to administer the programs, respectively. However, with the adoption of Assembly Bill 335 (AB 335), both IVRMA and SAFE programs can now be administered by ICTC with majority approval by the member agencies.

            Staff have met and will continue meeting with staff from both the City of El Centro and the County of Imperial in order to move forward with the transition, it is requested that a resolution is adopted, as described in Chapter 11 Section “e” of AB 335. As recommended by legal counsel, this resolution is the first step in the transition. Subsequent approvals/resolutions by each of the member agencies of IVRMA and SAFE will be required.

The ICTC Management Committee met on November 13, 2019 and forwarded this item to the Commission for their review and approval after public comment, if any:

1.         Authorized the Chairman to sign the resolution for the transition of the Imperial Valley Resource Management Agency (IVRMA) and the Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SAFE) to ICTC

A motion was made by Pacheco and seconded by Nava; Motion carried unanimously, no opposition.

C.            2020 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) Recommendations for Imperial County

The 2020 STIP Consultation Meeting between ICTC staff and Caltrans District 11 staff, a requirement of the STIP process, was held on August 21, 2019 in San Diego. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss options and draft recommendations for the 2020 STIP and future STIP cycles. The discussion included the future funding of Forrester Road with STIP RIP funds, and the possibility of funding the SR-115 Extension project with Caltrans STIP IIP funds. None of these projects were recommended for funding at this time because Project Study Reports required for programming of projects in the STIP have not been developed and funding is limited. The only recommended funding for the 2020 STIP is to fund PPM activities at the levels permitted: $92,000 in fiscal year 2023-24 and $202,000 in fiscal year 2024-25.

The following schedule lists the major milestones for the development and adoption of the 2020 STIP:

            The ICTC Management Committee met on November 13, 2019 and forwarded this item to the Commission for their review and approval after public comment, if any:

1.         Approved the 2020 STIP Recommendations for Imperial County, requesting to fund Planning, Programming and Monitoring (PPM) activities in the following distributions: $92,000 in fiscal year 2023-24 and $202,000 in fiscal year 2024-25.

1.                   Approved the award of Consultant Agreement for the State Route 78/Glamis Multiuse Grade Separated Crossing to Kleinfelder in the amount of $271,098.76.

2.                   Authorized the Chairperson to sign the consultant agreement.

A motion was made by Viegas-Walker and seconded by Predmore; Motion carried unanimously.

VIII.         NEXT MEETING DATE AND PLACE

A.                 The next meeting of the Imperial County Transportation Commission will be held on December 11, 2019 at 6:00 p.m., at the County of Imperial Board Chambers, at 940 W. Main Street, El Centro, CA.

IX.              ADJOURNMENT

A.                 Meeting adjourned at 8:12 p.m.