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CALLED TO ORDER at 4:34 p.m.

ROLL CALL:

Members Present:  Cortese, Mossar, Valerio, Yeager

Members Absent: Gonzales, La Poll

A quorum was present.

PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS

There were no Public Presentations.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

There were no Orders of the Day.

CONSENT AGENDA

Approved the Minutes of August 21, 2003.

Approved submitting a recommendation to the Board of Directors to authorize the General Manager to execute a contract with Republic Electric, the lowest responsible bidder, in an amount of $369,525 for furnishing and installation of new light emitting diode (LED) LRT signal modules assemblies with lens and train approaching symbol signs.   This project is 80 percent federally funded.

Approved submitting a recommendation to the Board of Directors to authorize the General Manager to execute a contract with Universal Sweeping Services, Inc., the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, for parking lot power sweeping services of VTA-owned parking lots in Santa Clara County for $116,197 for a three-year term with two one-year extension options for $40,685 in option year four and $41,703 in option year five.

Received and filed the Community Oriented Design Enhancements (CODE) Program Update August September 2003.

Received and filed the Report on the Capitol Light Rail Project for the Month of August 2003.

Received and filed the Report on the Tasman East Light Rail Project for the Month of August 2003.

Received and filed the Report on the Vasona Light Rail Project for the Month of August 2003.

Received and filed the Joint Powers Board Monthly Status Report.

Received and filed the Committee for Transit Accessibility Report.

Received and filed the Monthly Legislative Report.

REGULAR AGENDA

Approvedon a vote of 3 ayes to 1 noe to 0 abstentions to submit a recommendation to the Board of Directors to authorize the General Manager to execute a three-year contract with Value Management Strategies, Inc. (VMS) for Value Engineering and Technical Review Board Services related to the SVRT Project in an amount not to exceed $2,600,000.   (Member Mossar opposed.)

Queried if there is any timing conflict with the Minimum Operating Segment (MOS) exercise required by the FTA.

Queried if the Board of Directors were to change direction or re-prioritize projects in the upcoming planning process, would these dollars still be valuable dollars spent.   Queried what if Board of Directors voted to delay the BART Project and made some other project a higher priority.

Submitted without a recommendation to the Board of Directors to authorize the General Manager to execute a contract for supply and delivery of bus signal priority equipment for use in the Line 22 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

Staff noted that the bids would be received the week of September 22, 2003, and a revised Board Memorandum would be forwarded to the Board of Directors.

Queried about the expectation once the signals are in place and what is BRT going to look like on El Camino in Mountain View and Palo Alto.

Approved on a vote of 3 ayes to 1 noe to 0 abstentions to submit a recommendation to the Board of Directors to: 1) Receive staff responses to public comments made during the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) comment period for the January 2004 Transit Service Reduction Plan; 2) Adopt a finding that there is a fiscal emergency, as defined by Public Resources Code (P.R.C.) §21080.32(d)(2), caused by failure of VTA revenues to adequately fund VTA services, programs and facilities; 3) Invoke a Statutory Exemption under CEQA, P.R.C. §21080.32 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15285 (Transit Agency Responses to Revenue Shortfalls) for the purpose of implementing the January 2004 Transit Service Reduction Plan; and 4) Approve the service modifications included in the January 2004 Transit Service Reduction Plan, Alternatives A and B.  Alternative A could potentially mean a combined reduction in bus and light rail services of approximately 21 percent.  Alternative B will result in a combined reduction in bus and light rail service of approximately 3 percent.  In addition, authorize staff to implement either Alternative A or Alternative B of the Plan in January 2004.  Implementation of Alternative B is preferred, but would be contingent upon securing the authority to bond against Measure A funds.  (Member Mossar opposed.)

Expressed concern about the proposed 3 percent service reduction in bus and light rail service. Referred to the bond measure and the $80 million to keep service at the level it was after the prior two service reductions and asked why VTA is talking about additional cuts.

Asked what has happened that every time VTA implements a service reduction there is substandard service levels to be cut.

Commented that it would be appropriate for the Board of Directors to have an answer to the question as to why after two rounds of service cuts, there still are under-performing bus routes.

Expressed concern about additional service cuts even at the 3 percent level, particularly, when VTA is pursuing bonding against Measure A to support the operating deficit.

Queried if the 3 percent was reinvested, so that VTA was not having a net reduction in service beyond any previous service cuts, what would it do to VTA financially.

Queried if the 3 percent could be reinvested somewhere where VTA would be aligned with farebox recovery goals. 

Commented that as things are changing believes that the Board should have the opportunity to re-evaluate prior decisions or at least to understand prior decisions in the context of current events and projections.   Commented that things are changing and yet some pieces of what the Board sees, like this, are changing with the changing circumstances and other things that the Board sees, like the BART piece, are not changing at all and finds that to be of concern.

Requested that staff provide further clarification on the 3 percent service reduction.   Noted that the Board passed a motion to seek the use of bond money in advance and get court validation to not make any further service cuts.  Noted that there needs to be further clarification that says but for the possibility of any routine review of substandard lines that would be under-performing anyway.

Staff noted that the Service Standards would be forwarded to the TP&O Committee in October 2003 for discussion, then forwarded to the Committee for approval in November 2003 and then forwarded to the Board of Directors for approval in December 2003.

James Wightman, Interested Citizen, addressed the Committee and expressed concern regarding the proposed service cuts.

OTHER ITEMS

Received and filed the Report on the Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Demonstration Program Second Quarter, 2003.

Received and filed the FY 2003 Preliminary Annual Performance Report.

Queried if assumptions are being made about the bus and light rail system that service will return to the way they were or is VTA looking into the future, so that service will come back in some reorganized fashion.  Queried about the planning process.

Referred to land use and infrastructure of transportation and expressed concern that this regional countywide agency is backing away from communities which need to change and grow every bit as much as the VTA needs to change and grow.

Reviewed the Committee Work Plan.

Staff noted that the Updated Performance Measures and Service Standards would be forwarded to the TP&O Meeting of October 16, 2003 as a discussion item, then forwarded to the TP&O Meeting of November 20, 2003 as an action item, and then forwarded to the Board of Directors Meeting of December 4, 2003 for approval.

Committee Staff Report

There was no Committee Staff Report.

Chairpersons Report

There was no Chairpersons Report.

Determined the Consent Agenda for October 2, 2003 Board Meeting.

CONSENT: Item #5. Authorize the General Manager to execute a contract with Republic Electric, the lowest responsible bidder, in an amount of $369,525 for furnishing and installation of new light emitting diode (LED) LRT signal modules assemblies with lens and train approaching symbol signs.   This project is 80 percent federally funded; Item #6. Authorize the General Manager to execute a contract with Universal Sweeping Services, Inc., the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, for parking lot power sweeping services of VTA-owned parking lots in Santa Clara County for $116,197 for a three-year term with two one-year extension options for $40,685 in option year four and $41,703 in option year five;

REGULAR: Item #14. Authorize the General Manager to execute a three-year contract with Value Management Strategies, Inc. (VMS) for Value Engineering and Technical Review Board Services related to the SVRT Project in an amount not to exceed $2,600,000; Item #15. Authorize the General Manager to execute a contract for supply and delivery of bus signal priority equipment for use in the Line 22 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project; and Item #16. 1) Receive staff responses to public comments made during the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) comment period for the January 2004 Transit Service Reduction Plan; 2) Adopt a finding that there is a fiscal emergency, as defined by Public Resources Code (P.R.C.) §21080.32(d)(2), caused by failure of VTA revenues to adequately fund VTA services, programs and facilities; 3) Invoke a Statutory Exemption under CEQA, P.R.C. §21080.32 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15285 (Transit Agency Responses to Revenue Shortfalls) for the purpose of implementing the January 2004 Transit Service Reduction Plan; and 4) Approve the service modifications included in the January 2004 Transit Service Reduction Plan, Alternatives A and B.  Alternative A could potentially mean a combined reduction in bus and light rail services of approximately 21 percent.  Alternative B will result in a combined reduction in bus and
light rail service of approximately 3 percent.  In addition, authorize staff to implement either Alternative A or Alternative B of the Plan in January 2004.  Implementation of Alternative B is preferred, but would be contingent upon securing the authority to bond against Measure A funds.

Announcements

There were no Announcements.

Adjourned at 5:36 p.m.