WSTA CLERKS OF THE AUTHORITY
COMMITTEE MEETING
April 24-25, 2006
Olympia, Washington
Hosted by Intercity Transit
& WSTA
MINUTES
MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2006
ATTENDANCE:
June Berry, C-Tran
Sandy Byers, Pierce Transit
Vicki Esser, Whatcom
Transit
Maria Hansen, Link Transit
Roberta Hanson, Everett
Transit
Brandy Heston, Grant Transit
Wendi Hill, WSTA
Rachel Katz, Jefferson
Transit
Cathie Knox-Browning, Kitsap Transit
Jan McBride, Community
Transit
Audrey Olson, Pacific Transit
Michelle Parvinen, WSTA
Treva Sandhofer,
Pierce Transit
Rhodetta Seward, Intercity Transit
Susan Snowdy, Ben
Franklin
Jo Sullivan, Lane Transit
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Roberta Hanson called the April 24, 2006,
meeting to order at 8:45 a.m. at the WSTA/WSTIP Offices.
The October 24-25, 2005 minutes were discussed. June Berry asked they be amended to show she was
not present.
It was M/S/A by Cathie Knox-Browning and Susan Snowdy
to approve the October 24-25, 2005, minutes as amended.
Roberta thanked Rhodetta for the Increasing Human
Effectiveness Training. She commented she took
the class after the Clerks meeting, attending the 2-day training at Intercity Transit.
TIPS FOR CLERKS
Roberta provided some
insight regarding Clerks’ responsibilities, noting the unique items that cross our
desks, and the fact that the Clerk is expected to take care of everything.
WELCOME
Mike Harbour,
Intercity Transit’s General Manager, welcomed the Clerks to Olympia. He shared with the group a few facts about himself
including that he’s been at Intercity Transit 11 years; loves food; was Past Chair
for WSTA; currently the WSTA Legislative Chair; and was recently accepted to the Transit
Research Cooperative Studies Program and will travel in May 2006 to 5 countries to see
public transit at its best.
Harbour
commented that these are interesting times in public transit and he appreciates how
systems share information. He identified one
specific area transit needs to strengthen and that is in Succession Planning. Intercity Transit will hire a Training Coordinator
this summer and Succession Planning will be part of this person’s responsibility.
Peter Thein, WSTA
Executive Director welcomed everyone to the WSTA offices.
He shared the experiences of this Legislative Session and briefed the group
on several bills including: Regional
Transportation Bill (ESHB 2871); SHB 2713 Ballot Measures; SSB 6185 Family & Medical
Leave Act; SSB 6241 2006 Supplemental Transportation Budget; SSB 6247 Local Motor Vehicle
Tax; ESSB 6366 Pandemic Influenza; ESSB 6508 Renewable Fuel; SSB 6555 Special Purpose
Districts; ESSB 6566 Commute Trip Reduction; ESSB 6800 Transportation Governance; SB 6826
Public Transit Services; and ESSB 6839 Transportation Accounts.
Thein
provided dollar amounts, if applicable, and impacts on the various systems with each of
these bills. He responded to several questions
of the membership. Thein also brought the
group up to date on Secretary of Transportation, Doug McDonald’s situation,
explaining he was reappointed by the Governor. Due
to health issues, Mr. McDonald will use alternative modes of transportation to and from
work and meetings.
In
regard to the Pandemic Influenza, members asked Thein for additional information, which he
agreed to email. Thein commented it is
estimated if a pandemic were to hit, 25-35% of the population could become ill, which
would cause significant interruptions in services and how we currently operate.
Members
thanked both Harbour and Thein for sharing their time and knowledge.
“WRAPPING” HISTORY
Chair Hanson asked how many systems wrap their
buses and how many are beginning to unwrap and why.
Comments
shared:
- The system’s
logo/design becomes hidden and many systems spent large dollars to complete new branding
- Not as many
advertisers for full wraps as estimated – it’s quite costly advertising
- The wraps cover other
operational information on the fleet
- Many systems want to
just use frames
- Wraps make the buses
look like tour buses
- The system’s
identity diminishes with wraps
- Pierce Transit only
uses three community buses for wraps, e.g. the Daffodil Bus, sponsored and paid for by the
event; the Holiday Bus and the Point Defiance Zoo bus.
They do not sell wraps to any other advertisers.
- Ben Franklin recently
went to a new media contractor. They’ve
had a few complaints about seeing out of the buses with full wraps, but revenue warrants
wraps.
- More rear-end
collisions occur with people reading wraps.
- Another system uses
wraps for theme buses such as Aquatic theme; winter sports; Children’s Bus; the Farm
Bus, using 30’ buses in smaller outlying communities.
RECONNECTING
- Members
were asked to bring a scarf that was given to them or purchased, to share the story behind
the scarf. This provided a wonderful “getting-to-know-you”
activity, hearing the many stories behind these wonderful gifts.
MUNICIPAL RESEARCH SERVICE CENTER
Sandy Byers reported the MRSC (www.mrsc.org) is changing their bylaws to allow services
be provided to organizations such as transit systems.
With several attorneys on staff, the MRSC can answer almost any question a
clerk may have. They also provide classes and
booklets on topics such as Open Public Meetings, which are comprehensive. Sandy encouraged member to use the site.
It
was recommended we consider asking the MRSC to speak at the Fall Meeting or host a session
at the forthcoming WSDOT conference.
AGENCY UPDATES
Susan Snowdy, Ben Franklin Transit
Ben Franklin is ready
to open a fuel maintenance facility. Next
month is their silver anniversary. They are
beginning to look at succession planning. Their
Paratransit service demand is growing. They
plan to build a new administration building in the next 3-5 years and turn their current
facility into the Operations and DAL facility.
Brandy Heston,
Grant Transit
Grant purchased two
MCIs for distant commutes and is also getting one 30’ cut-away Titan and five
vanpools to start their vanpool program. They
are purchasing cameras for the buses. November
will be their 10th anniversary. Brandy
did the scheduling and run-cutting this year, and their boardings are up 117% from last
year.
Jan McBride,
Community Transit
Community has three
new board members/alternates and recently conducted their board retreat. This year is their 30th anniversary and
they will have an open house on June 3. They
have two contests going one, to submit the best transit story and to write the best
jingle. Folks receive prizes if their story or
jingle is selected. Community is identifying
sites for two new park and rides. They
recently demonstrated a double-decker bus and received very good feedback on the vehicle. It holds more people than the articulate buses. They’ve decided to lease one for a year for
commuter services to see how it works. Community
is looking at Bus Rapid Transit on Highway 99, and the goal is to have it up and running
in 2008. Senator Cantwell recently visited
their facility and since it was the week they were honoring Administrative professionals,
she spoke to employees.
Jo Sullivan, Lane Transit
Lane’s
Executive Director, Ken Hamm, left in the fall. He
asked staff to look forward, not to look back, and not to place blame. In the meantime, an interim was named, who was just
recently named the permanent CEO. They have
two key positions open at this time, the Assistant General Manager/Government Relations
and the Director of Maintenance. The first Bus
Rapid Transit route will open this September, called “EmX” for Emerald City
Express. They currently have one vacant board
position, which is an appointed position.
Maria Hansen,
Link Transit
Link celebrates
their 15th year anniversary in December. They’ve
had a great deal of board member turnover. Recently,
former Clallam Transit General Manager Dan DiGuilio facilitated a board retreat for Link. They are starting a vanpool program, and they
experienced their first triennial review this year.
JUNE MYSTERY MINUTES
June Berry, a quilter,
showed the group many beautiful quilts she’s made over the years, sharing the story
behind each. They were exquisite to say the
least!
Audrey Olson,
Pacific Transit
Pacific had two routes
in relationship to Lewis & Clark: one from Ilwaco to Fort Canby and one to Astoria. They wrapped the buses with Lewis & Clark
information. They have one new board member,
seven members’ total; 25 employees, and hold quarterly board meetings. They celebrated their 25th anniversary
in 2005.
Sandy Byers, Pierce Transit
Sandy is serving as the
Washington Municipal Clerks Association State President this year. She distributed WMCA information which outlined the
various committees and responsibilities and encouraged Clerks to get involved. She distributed information on the 2007 and 2008
Annual Conferences and the Northwest Clerks Institute so members could plan budgets. She noted dues are $50/year and they have a
bulletin board where you can post questions and obtain answers. The also provide educational opportunities and
scholarships.
Treva
Sandhofer, Pierce Transit
Pierce recently
welcomed their new CEO to their system of 900+ employees.
They experienced some issues within the agency prior to the change and are
confident things will begin to recover with their new CEO in place. They have new software for their shuttles and are
working through the changes and glitches that occur with such changes. They were receiving 60-80 complaints per day. Channel 5 News was doing an “investigative
report.” They are also completing a study
on use of public funds and will update their code based on the findings of the report.
Vicki Esser,
Whatcom Transit
Vicki provided members
an update on our former colleague Barb Maher who is enjoying retirement. She provided information on their “Go Lines”
and how they use colors such as the Blue Line, Yellow Line for certain areas of the
community. They’ve been meeting with
personnel from Western Washington University to discuss improvements to the service around
the campus. There was an unsuccessful attempt
to pass a student transportation initiative. They
recently had a fare policy revision from 50¢ to 75¢, their first increase in 7 years. They are remodeling the downtown station which
should be completed in 12-18 months. They
recently revised their special event policy, approved the purchase of 11 new coaches, and
signed an Interlocal Agreement for “smart trips.”
Vicki recently received public disclosure training.
June Berry,
C-Tran
C-Tran passed a sales
tax increase ballot measure in September, and just prior to the measure, they reduced
their service area boundaries. They awarded
INIT the contract for their CAD/AVL and are putting cameras on their buses. They issued a marketing RFP for a new brand and
logo. They are beginning the search for a new
Executive Director. C-Tran is going to a
biennial budget rather than an annual budget. They
have nine board members.
Michelle
Parvinen/Wendy Hill, WSTA
The WSTA committee
structure is strong. The HR committee meets in
Wenatchee; Maintenance Committee will meet at Campbell Resort. The WSDOT Roadeo will be held at Metro on
Saturday/Sunday prior to the annual conference. The
roadeo winners will not be recognized at the banquet this year. No other major changes at WSTA.
Roberta
Hanson, Everett Transit
Everett is experiencing a shift in
personnel and is adding a training coordinator. They
are in the middle of a remodel. Everett
recently purchased 8 new Gillig Paratransit buses. Roberta
temporarily is assigned to prepare and distribute ET’s in house newletter, The
Dispatch. This responsibility will go away
with the addition of a new person.
Rhodetta
Seward, Intercity Transit
Intercity Transit
implemented a new very successful “Dash” shuttle service beginning with the 2006
legislative session. The ATU contract failed
136-6; staff is hopeful they can reach an agreement before it goes to mediation. A board retreat is scheduled for June 7. Rhodetta presented information on Succession
Planning at the APTA CEO conference in San Jose and will also present this same
information to the Board Members at their seminar in July in Montreal. As a community volunteer, she was a “Champion
for Kids” and honored at an event in February. Rhodetta
shared the draft agenda for the Board Members seminar in July. Intercity Transit purchased 4.5 acres next door to
their current facility for future expansion. Their
last service restoration was implemented in February which puts back service levels
pre-I-695. Mike Harbour was named United Way
of Thurston County’s volunteer of the year and two Intercity Transit employees were
named coordinators of the year. Intercity
Transit just completed a public records request which took over 5 months to complete at a
cost in excess of $20,000 in legal fees (CAD/AVL RFPs).
Intercity Transit celebrated their 25th anniversary in January.
RACHEL – “MYSTERY MINUTES”
Rachel Katz shared her
hobbies of making chocolates (she distributed yummy examples). She participated in a 3-day “how to make
chocolates” class in France. In January,
Rachel took up knitting. She not only shared
several examples of her work but expressed the joy and pleasure this new hobby is
providing.
Rachel Katz, Jefferson
Transit
Jefferson implemented a new fare
structure for the first time in 24 years, to $1.25/day pass.
They offer free rides to DAL clients encourage them to used Fixed Route. Fixed route ridership is up 20% over last year even
with the fare increase. Rachel wrote her first
successful grant, receiving funds from the Secretary of State for a records retention
project ($14,500). Jefferson is looking at
purchasing 10 acres for a new facility just outside the City limits. They are now using a digital recorder and also
celebrate their 25th anniversary this year.
Cathie
Knox-Browning, Kitsap Transit
Kitsap continues to
operate passenger only ferries. This spring,
they are seeking a 3/10th of a percent increase in sales tax for ferry
operation. The law allows them to access up to
4/10th of a percent just for ferry operation.
They are considering reducing the boundaries of their service area. They experienced a loss when their lobbyist passed
on this past year and are now working with two new lobbyists. Kitsap’s HR Director is retiring in September. Cathie indicated the new Finance director is
excellent. Cathie is looking at developing a
Deputy Clerk position. Three Kitsap employees
were recently honored by Red Cross. The new
Anthony’s restaurant next to their facility opened.
They are doing the beta testing this summer for the new Smartcard. They also had a fare increase to $1.25, first
increase in 7 years.
TOUR OF INTERCITY TRANSIT
The day ended with a
tour of the Intercity Transit facilities, the new Dash Shuttle, and concluded with dinner
at Mercato's.
TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2006
ATTENDANCE: All present except Sandy Byers, Pierce
Transit.
SUCCESSION PLANNING
Rhodetta Seward
presented information on Succession Planning.
“WILD & CRAZY IDEA – A DECADE OF
PATIENCE AND PARTNERING”
Tom Hingson, Everett
Transit, asked the group this question “Can you possibly get more revenue by reducing
fares?” Everett Transit’s current
fare is $.75 base fare and $.35 for youth, seniors and disabled. The next logical increase is $1.00. Paratransit is free or the client can donate for
their ride. They average about $.30 per rider
for 90,000 rides. They’ve not had a fare
increase in 10 years. There is an unwritten
expectation that riders will pay their fair share. Everett
experiences about a 10% fare recovery.
Staff
decided to propose a decrease to a $.50 fare for everyone, including youth and seniors. A pass currently $27 would be reduced to $18 and
Paratransit would increase to $2.00/day. Tom
distributed the Everett Transit Fare Change Proposal 2006 Brochure and explained their
public information process. A public hearing
is scheduled for May 17, 2006. The belief is
that they will bring in more riders, producing more revenue, which then indicates you can
reduce fares and receive more revenue.
Mr.
Hingson then discussed conditions Vs problems, and that you have one or the other. A condition is something you can live with and a
problem can be fixed. Everyone experiences
strategic moments where conditions can become problems and therefore, be a solution
identified. He shared two strategic moments
for Everett Transit involving the Everett Mall and the Everett Community College. He was able to demonstrate how these moments become
opportunities for solutions and shared the positive outcomes in both examples. Both
projects represented less than optimum (but tolerable) operating conditions for the agency
and its customers.
Through
planning, patience, and partnership, Everett Transit will be able to build a $3.2 million
dollar transit center at Everett Community College in 2007 with most of the funding coming
from its partners, Federal Transit Administration and Sound Transit. Through it's partner, the Everett Mall, ET recently
completed a four-bus facility at the mall for just the cost of customer and driver amenity
improvements.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will
be hosted by Community Transit (Jan McBride), October 23-24, 2006. Several items were discussed as possible topics,
including:
- Wellness theme (trainer,
nutritionist, physical fitness, chair massage)
- Attorney General’s
Office, Greg Overstreet to discuss requests for public records
- MSRC, Pat Mason, to share
what this resources offers and how to use it
- Agency update
- Tour
Jan
will provide Rhodetta with some possible costs/facilitators for the program to see what
the Training Coalition may be willing to subsidize.
ADJOURNMENT
Roberta thanked
everyone for attending. With no further items
of business to come before the Clerks, she adjourned the meeting at 11:17 a.m.
Respectfully
submitted by:
Rhodetta Seward
Intercity Transit
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