San Francisco County Transportation Authority
Moving the City

AGENDA

CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Meeting Notice

Date: 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Location: 100 Van Ness Avenue, 25th Floor

6:00 1. Committee Meeting Call to Order

6:05 2. Adoption of Minutes of the April 28, 2004 Meeting - ACTION *

6:07 3. Adoption of Minutes of the May 6, 2004 Special Meeting - ACTION *

6:10 4. Chair’s Report – INFORMATION

6:20 Programming

5. Adopt a Motion of Support to Approve the Methodology for Revising the Scope, Schedule and Budget for Ten Previous Prop B Allocations for Street Resurfacing to the Department of Public Works – ACTION*

The street resurfacing program receives an annual allocation from the Authority, which includes a proposed listing of streets to be resurfaced. Because of delays in getting streets done that are on the approved scope due to coordination and other issues, DPW has made revisions to the scope which includes adding approximately 200 unlisted blocks over the past five years. There have also been streets in the approved scope of work that have not been completed. The current remaining balance on the street resurfacing program is approximately $30 million, including grants dating back as early as 1995. Because this represents almost 33% of our open allocations (excluding the Third Street Light Rail project) and there have been significant scope revisions, we are proposing a methodology to establish the scope, schedule and budget for the remaining funds. This methodology includes a comprehensive inventory of proposed projects to be completed with the funds. Any funds for projects that are not in or ready to enter construction in the near future will be de-obligated. The remaining projects will be approved for the remaining funds. This list will require Board approval because Authority staff does not have the authority to approve this level of a scope change administratively. Future scope changes will require Board action. We are seeking a motion of support for the methodology for revising the scope, schedule and budget for ten previous Prop B Allocations for street resurfacing to DPW.

6. Approve a Motion of Support for Allocation of $36,321,000 in FY 2004/05 Proposition K Funds to 33 Annual Programs – ACTION* (To see individual annual program requests, click on Funding Opportunities) (attachment 1)

On February 9, 2004, we initiated the call for FY 2004/05 Prop K Annual Programs, comprised of annual activities and annual projects. The former are for projects that will receive an amount of Prop K funding to be spent only within the fiscal year such as incremental operations and maintenance projects or paratransit support. The latter includes allocations made to implementing agencies for clusters of small projects, such as installation of traffic signals or curb ramps for wheelchairs at multiple locations throughout the city. We have issued guidelines for the call for annual programs that reflect the realities of moving from a pay-as-you-go program to a program that includes a healthy amount of borrowing in order to satisfy the requirements of an ambitious roster of capital projects and new programs, and that are sensitive to the fact that this is a transition year from the Prop B to the Prop K program, and we do not yet have a Prop K Strategic Plan that will provide the long-term road map needed to guide Prop K allocations. We have received nearly $60 million in requests for annual programs against an estimated $35 million in available resources for this purpose. We’ve been working closely with project sponsors to make that the highest priorities are addressed and that recommended amounts reflect levels of effort that can be delivered by the project sponsors in FY 2004/05. There are a few tentative recommendations that we hope to solidify by the CAC meeting, in addition to 5 requests that are being deferred to allow further discussion with project sponsors before developing a recommendation. Several recommendations have conditions, which are highlighted in this memorandum and summarized in Attachment 2. We are seeking a motion of support for allocation of $36,321,000 in FY 2004/05 Prop K funds to 33 annual programs.

7. Adopt a Motion of Support for the appropriation of $700,000 for the CityBuild pilot program, to coordinate the training of construction workers for transportation projects – ACTION*

The City has enacted ordinances setting ambitious goals for local hiring for construction projects. Implementation success has been mixed. Duplication of efforts, lack of appropriately specialized staff to manage these efforts and timing problems have sub-optimized the delivery of quality work opportunities to the community, and resulted in increased costs. For example, the community outreach/jobs program budget for the Third Street Light Rail project swelled from an initial $1.2 million to $7 million, but because residents were not trained prior to the start of construction, their opportunities to land skilled level jobs in the industry remain limited. As the primary funding agency for transportation projects in the city, the Authority has a significant stake in ensuring the availability of a locally based, skilled construction workforce. Prop K projects constitute a significant opportunity in this regard. At the Board’s direction we asked our on-call consultant to explore potential options for addressing workforce development and job training on projects funded by the Authority. The resulting concept paper describes CityBuild, a coordinated construction workforce development program to maximize the training and employment opportunities generated by City-sponsored building projects. It proposes that the Authority serve as a catalyst for the development of this program, including pre-apprenticeship training, professional services, vocational ESL, and youth training. The effort will involve City departments, community based organizations, labor unions and construction contractors and professional firms. The program will forecast labor force needs and tailor training to the jobs actually expected to be available. For the Authority this would be a short-term initial program design and coordination role, to be phased out as the program gets off the ground. Funding will come from contributions from all City agencies engaged in construction projects, as well as from Prop K. An initial pilot program will concentrate on MUNI’s MME project, Laguna Honda Hospital, and PUC projects. The citywide program will develop from the experience with the pilot. The Pilot, initially estimated to cost $2.2M, will be partially funded by the Authority. The rest of the funding will come from other City agencies participating in the pilot. We are seeking a motion of support for an appropriation of $700,000 in Prop K funds for the development and partial funding of the CityBuild pilot program.

7:15 Planning and Legislation

8. Adopt a Motion of Support for the Scope of Work for the Paratransit Working Group – ACTION*

The Select Committee on Paratransit was set up by the Authority Board in response to concerns about the rapidly widening gap between steadily escalating costs and available funding resources. The two main tasks of the Committee are to develop recommendations to improve the cost effectiveness of MUNI’s paratransit program and to develop a long-term strategy to procure additional ongoing funding for operations. As a Select Committee, pursuant to Administrative Code requirements, it is intended to convene for a limited period of time, until it has addressed the focused purpose for which it was created. A Working Group created pursuant to the Board’s direction, and staffed by the Authority and MUNI, will aide the Committee in the development of recommendations. The Committee will be asked to approve the scope of work for the Working Group, which will start meeting subsequent to this action. We are seeking a motion of support for approval of the scope of work for the Paratransit Working Group.

9. Adopt a Motion of Support for SCA 20 (Torlakson), as presented (Torlakson) – ACTION*

SCA 20 (Torlakson) is one of several constitutional amendments introduced this session that would make it more difficult for the State to usurp Prop 42 sale tax revenues that are earmarked for transportation to backfill the state’s general fund. SCA 20 offers the most protection of the various bills introduced as it would increase the voting threshold for the Legislature to approve a suspension from 2/3 to 4/5 and further, would require that suspended funds be paid back with repayment of interest within three years. We are seeking a motion of support for SCA 20 (Torlakson).

7:30 Administration

10. Adopt a Motion of Support to Authorize the Executive Director to Execute Various Professional Service Contracts for an Amount not to Exceed $81,500 – ACTION*

The Authority contracts with City departments and outside firms for certain specialized professional services in areas where factors like costs, work volume or the degree of specialization required would not justify the use of in-house staff. We are recommending renewal of annual contracts with the Human Rights Commission, the City Attorney’s Office, the SF Community Television Corporation. We are seeking a motion of support to authorize the Executive Director to execute contracts for various professional services contracts for an amount not to exceed $81,500.

11. Adopt a Motion of Support for an Increase of the Professional Services Contract with the Cordoba/Zurinaga Joint Venture in the Amount of $500,000 – ACTION*

In 2001, as part of a staff restructuring, the Authority brought the majority of its engineering functions in-house, with an understanding that specialized engineering services would still be needed, and would be contracted on an on-call basis. In 2002, the Authority contracted with Cordoba/Zurinaga for on-call engineering services. The $600,000 contract is for 3 years, ending in June(?), 2005. The on-call contractor has helped the Authority to oversee several of its more complex projects, and has provided engineering support on the development of the Expenditure Plan for Prop K and on individual project studies. The passage of Prop K in November has expanded the universe of major capital projects several fold. The need for specialized engineering assistance as part of project delivery support and project management oversight has expanded accordingly. Just in the last couple of months we have had a number of requests by the Board to take on special projects. In order to carry out these tasks, it is necessary to increase the value of the contract with Cordoba/Zurinaga. We are seeking a Motion of Support for an Increase of the Professional Services Contract with the Cordoba/Zurinaga Joint Venture in the Amount of $500,000.

The annual budget for FY 2004/05 is based on projected capital, planning, administrative, program oversight and project development support activities required of the Authority in its roles as Proposition K Administrator, Program Manager for TFCA and Congestion Management Agency for San Francisco. The Authority is forecasting capital expenditures of $203.6 million and $5.6 million in operating expenditures during the budget year, with Prop K funding $88.1 million, TFCA $ .9 million, and CMA-programmed fund sources $15.8M. Additional offering(s) of $106.4 million of commercial paper during the year will fund the remaining cash demands of the Authority’s work program. Debt servicing and issuance costs for the year are estimated at $3.1 million. The budget assumes a modest 1% increase in sales tax revenue, based on sales tax revenue forecasts by the California Department of Finance, and the City and County of San Francisco- Budget & Analysis Division. As the Authority’s pooled investment fund is reduced by grantee reimbursements, interest income will correspondingly decrease, by an estimated $1.2 million. Pursuant to State statutes (PUC Code Sections 131000 et seq.), the Authority must adopt an annual budget by June 30, 2004. We are seeking a motion of support to recommend adoption of the FY 2004/05 Budget and Annual Work Plan

7:45 Other Updates

This is a status report for the Third Street Light Rail Project. Construction activities are currently ongoing throughout the entire corridor. As of April 30, 2004 the project has spent approximately 48% of the total budget and is anticipated to start spending approximately $15 million per month when the Metro East Facility begins construction. Also as of the end of April 2004, total local hires for the corridor have reached 160. Efforts continue to address environmental concerns along Third Street, and MUNI continues to publish its air monitoring results. In March 2004, 90% of the tests were below the action threshold. Completion of the rail line is scheduled for the end of 2005 with the Metro East Facility contract completion expected one year later. At the May 18 meeting, the Board approved a revised budget and funding plan for the project subject to budget ratification by the MTA Board and other conditions. At the same meeting, the Board also approved a $12M allocation for construction management, also subject to budget ratification, completing the allocations to this project for this fiscal year. This is an information item.

7:55 14. Public Comment

8:00 15. Adjournment

* Materials Attached

Next Regularly Scheduled Meeting: June 23, 2004

CAC MEMBERS WHO ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND SHOULD CONTACT POOJA JHUNJHUNWALA AT 522-4800

This meeting location is wheelchair accessible. In order to allow individuals with environmental illness or multiple chemical sensitivity to attend the meeting, individuals are requested to refrain from wearing perfume or other scented products. All times shown are for information only. Items will be called at the discretion of the Chair.

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