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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 1997 0702 CC REG ITEM 10JTO: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: Executive Summary CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT CITY OF MOORPARK The Honorable City Council !14.556 ITEM /01,07 CITY OF MOORPARY, CALIFORNIA City Council Meeting of Z 199. ACTION: j0WAW . Mary K. Lindley, Assistant to the City Manager June 25, 1997 (CC Meeting of July 2) Consider Approval of VISTA -East Cooperative Agreement The City Council is being asked to consider and approve a Cooperative Agreement among the cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks and the Ventura County Transportation Commission for the continued operation of the Ventura Intercity Service Transit Authority (VISTA) -East. In FY 1997/98, the service will no longer be considered a demonstration program and as a result, will not be eligible for grant funding. Therefore the participating cities will be responsible for the total cost of the service. Background VISTA (Ventura Intercity Service Transit Authority) -East is one of four VISTA transit services which began in July 1994 and is administered by way of a Cooperative Agreement. The VISTA - East Agreement provides for commuter express bus service between the east county cities (Moorpark, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks). During its first three years of existence, VISTA -East operated as a demonstration project and was funded primarily (80 percent) from a federal grant (CMAQ). The participating cities contributed a 20 percent match based on population shares. VISTA -East has gone through several changes since its initial start. The system began with 30 minute headways, using 40 passenger buses which traveled between the cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, and Agoura Hills. When sufficient demand for service did not materialize, the cities of Westlake and Agoura Hills discontinued their participation and the remaining cities opted for smaller buses and 60 minute headways. The smaller buses created problems for Moorpark College students who required the use of a wheelchair, since the buses only accommodate one wheelchair at a time. To address this problem, "tripper" buses were added. A tripper bus is defined as a second bus that follows the primary bus to pick up any overflow. Currently, the tripper buses make three trips in the morning and three in the afternoon. Q\D0CS \TRANSP0R \VISTA97.AGD V V01LE -Z 9n_2,1 VISTA -East Cooperative Agreement June 17, 1997 Page 2 In October 1996, an on -board ridership survey was conducted to obtain information about where riders live and their destination points. The results are summarized as follows: riders using VISTA -East live in Moorpark (20.5 %), Simi Valley (33.3 %), Thousand Oaks (33.3 %), and other Ventura County cities (13 %); the destinations for the largest percentage of riders is Moorpark College (32 %), Simi Valley (25 %), and Thousand Oaks (24 %); students comprise the largest share of the ridership at 50 percent, with adults at 37 percent, and handicapped riders comprising 13 percent. The latest monthly ridership report (May 1997) shows that VISTA -East carries approximately 126 passengers per day; Moorpark's 20.5 percentage share would therefore be an average of 26 riders per day. The performance standards identified in the current Cooperative Agreement state that if the system's farebox return (the difference between operational [non capital] costs and fares) reaches 20 percent or greater, the parties agree to continue the service; if the farebox return is less than 20 percent, the parties agree to consider continuation of the service and system modifications. Under the current farebox formula, VISTA -East operates at a farebox return of approximately 14.16 percent, which includes an annual contribution from Moorpark College of $10,000. The College is under no obligation to provide future financial contributions. VCTC staff has identified a Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) rule which, under a bus lease arrangement, allows transit operators to treat bus maintenance costs as a capital cost. The impact this rule has on the VISTA -East is to increase the system's farebox return by removing maintenance costs from the operations side of the equation to the capital side. Under this scenario, VCTC estimates that the farebox return would be approximately 25.5 percent which exceeds the performance standard. In addition, FTA regulations allow a transit operator to use available federal transit funds (Section 9) to offset 80 percent of a system's capital and planning costs. The remaining capital (20 %) and operational costs are borne by the operator, in this case the east county cities. Based on operating proposals received for VISTA -East, the total annual cost to operate the service for FY 1997/98 is estimated to be $236,253, of which 56.81 percent is capital costs ($134,215). The federal share of the capital cost (80 %) is $107,372, and anticipated revenues (including $10,000 from Moorpark College) are $32,258, which leaves $96,623 to be funded by the cities. C:\DOCS \TRANSPOR \VISTA97.AGD 0002.63 VISTA -East Cooperative Agreement June 17, 1997 Page 3 VISTA -East Anticipated Costs Total Contract Costs $236,253 Federal Share <107,372> Fare Revenue < 32,258> Total Local Costs $ 96,622 Since VISTA -East is no longer a demonstration project, it is not eligible for CMAQ funds. Therefore, operational costs and 20 percent of the capital costs, less revenue, must be funded by the cities. On March 31, the VISTA -East Committee comprised of elected officials from the cities of Moorpark (Councilmember Evans), Sind Valley, and Thousand Oaks, met to discuss cost sharing arrangements. For the demonstration period, the formula for sharing local costs was based on population, which meant that Moorpark's share was approximately 11.3 percent. A variety of formulas were discussed from the exiting one to one based solely on ridership and variation thereof. The cities of Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks prefer a formula based on ridership, of which Moorpark's share would be closer to 20.5 percent. Each formula favors one city over the others. The Committee agreed to stay with the population based formula for FY 1997/98 and move to a ridership based formula for FY 1998/99. As stated earlier, the responsibility for funding the VISTA-East system has now shifted - with the end of the demonstration period - to the operators (participating cities). The VISTA -East Committee (particularly Simi Valley and Moorpark) has expressed a strong interest in finding an alternative way to meet the transit needs of east county residents at a lower cost. One possible option is to have the cities' local bus systems meet at mutually agreeable locations (Moorpark College and East County Sheriff Station) where transfers can be easily made. VCTC has indicated that there may be problems with this option having to do with service to ADA riders and required transfers. The Committee agreed to use the next fiscal year to research the feasibility of this option (including consulting with the FDA) and will report its findings before a decision needs to be made for FY 1998/99. Lastly, as a result of testimony at the "unmet" transit needs public hearing, the VISTA -East Committee requested a cost proposal for Saturday service. There were several comments made from Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks residents requesting Saturday transit service. The Committee sought cost information so that it could evaluate the feasibility of offering Saturday service. The costs received from Santa Barbara Transportation (the current and proposed 1997/98 operator) show that the total contract cost for Saturday service is $14,560. This is based on one bus running eight hours with two, one hour headways. Based on the same capital formula used for weekday service, the share of the costs to be borne by the cities is $7,280, of which C:\DOCS\TRANSPOR\VISTA97.AGD VISTA -East Cooperative Agreement June 17, 1997 Page 4 Moorpark's share is $828. Staff recommends that the City Council decline the implementation of Saturday service for VISTA -East for FY 1997/98 for the following reasons: there was no testimony received from Moorpark residents requesting Saturday service for VISTA -East; efforts need to be focused on building ridership for weekday service before expanding days; and most importantly, a decision on Saturday service should be delayed until the Committee has completed its efforts to evaluate alternative service options for VISTA -East. If Saturday service were to generate a ridership equal to 30 percent of the weekday ridership, the City could anticipate approximately 40 riders per day between the three cities, of which approximately 8 would be Moorpark residents. Staff does not believe that the ridership numbers support even the relatively small expense of the proposed Saturday service. Recommendation Staff recommends that the City Council: Approve the Cooperative Agreement among the cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and VCTC for Ventura Intercity Service Transit Authority (VISTA) -East for FY 1997/98, pending final language approval by the City Manager and City Attorney, and authorize the Mayor to sign the Agreement on behalf of the City; and 2. Decline the implementation of Saturday VISTA -East service. C:\DOCS \TRANSPOR \VISTA97.AGD OWIss COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FY 1997/98 VENTURA INTERCITY SERVICE TRANSIT AUTHORITY (VISTA) EAST This Agreement is made and entered into by and among the CITY OF MOORPARK (Moorpark), the CITY OF SIMI VALLEY (Simi Valley), the CITY OF THOUSAND OAKS (Thousand Oaks) and the Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC). Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks are collectively referred to herein from time to time as the "AGENCIES." Section 1: Purpose The purpose of this Agreement is for the AGENCIES to cooperatively provide transit service within the service area outlined in Attachment A, and for VCTC to contract for and administer such service. Section 2• Name The name of the service to be provided pursuant to this Agreement shall be VENTURA INTERCITY SERVICE TRANSIT AUTHORITY (VISTA) -EAST. Section 3: Funding The service is to be funded to the maximum extent practicable with federal Section 5307 (49 U.S.C.) funds (formerly Section 9) as approved by the VCTC and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The required local match shall be paid by the AGENCIES in FY 1997/98 based on population per jurisdiction, as follows: City of Moorpark 11.37% City of Simi Valley 42.49% City of Thousand Oaks 46.13% Section 4: Administration VCTC will act as the administrator of the VISTA -EAST Service. The responsibilities of VCTC with respect to the administration of the VISTA -EAST Service are as follows: • Grant Funding: As Designated Recipient and Grantee, prepare, submit, obtain approval for federal Section 5307 funding. • Section 15 Data Collection: FTA requires that transit operators collect and report on ridership, operating data and other system characteristics. This data is used by FTA in allocating federal Section 5307 funds. Until such time that the required data is available through the SmartCard, VCTC will be responsible for providing part -time personnel to. ride on the buses in the FTA - prescribed manner, collecting the data and submitting the information to FTA for processing. • FTA Quarterly Reports: VCTC, as the Designated Recipient, is responsible for submitting - quarterly financial reports to FTA. VCTC shall also prepare quarterly project status reports Won(; describing the activities which occurred during the preceding quarter, all financial transactions which occurred, including farebox and other revenue (passport, tokens, donations), all expenditures and the type of funds used, staff hours expended on activities, and projected activities for the following quarter. • Operating Costs: Fare revenues, including monthly pass receipts and any passenger contributions collected from specific establishments being served will be used to defray operating costs. Fare revenues will be compared to actual ridership counts on vehicles to assure accurate ridership assessment. • Payments to the Contractor: VCTC is responsible for processing monthly payments to the transit contractor. This involves reviewing the contractor's bills for accuracy and electronic draw down of federal funds and payment to the contractor. • Farebox/Local SharelPass Sales/Deposits/Reporting: VCTC is responsible for collecting the local shares from the AGENCIES, collecting farebox revenues from the transit contractor and depositing the funds into a revenue account. • Bus Schedules: VCTC is responsible for coordinating schedules for VISTA routes. Schedules must be updated as route and fare changes occur. Schedules may also be changed for special conditions, events and holidays. VCTC is responsible to notify the Dial -A -Route Center of any changes as well as print and distribute new schedules countywide. • Community Advertising/Public Awareness: VCTC is responsible for providing public outreach for VISTA with community agencies, organizations and schools about service available during the year. VCTC, in cooperation with the AGENCIES, will develop and produce promotional materials and media buys for print, radio and TV, within adopted budgetary constraints. • Contractor Relations: VCTC will maintain an awareness of the contractor's staff, equipment, maintenance practices and safety training to assess the service and route. VCTC will monitor contractor performance to ensure the requirements of the contract such as hours of service, days of operation, etc., are met. VCTC will obtain certificates-of insurance. VCTC will inform the contractor of special programs VISTA offers such as the VISTA token. VCTC will handle all contractor complaints. • Customer Relations: VCTC will respond to customer comments and complaints in a timely manner. VCTC will develop, conduct and tabulate at least one on -board survey., • On -Board Survey(s): In October/November 1997, VCTC will conduct an on -board passenger survey, in a manner approved by the AGENCIES. VCTC will conduct an additional on -board survey, if so requested by the AGENCIES. • Accounting: VCTC will monitor and reconcile funds in the bank accounts and prepare monthly financial statements. VCTC will reconcile receipts from the contractor, token and pass sales. VCTC will electronically draw down federal funds to combine with the correct local match to pay bills. • Audits: VCTC will arrange to have the VISTA -EAST accounting records audited by an independent CPA firm. • RFP /Contract Preparation: VCTC will prepare an RFP to solicit the transit contractor and negotiate the contract. Selection of the transit contractor, and the final terms of the contract shall be subject to the approval of the AGENCIES, as provided in Section 8. • Meetings of the AGENCIES: VCTC is responsible for preparing agendas and agenda items for meetings of the AGENCIES as needed. Section 5• Term The term of this Agreement shall be for one year beginning July 1, 1997 and ending on June 30, 1998. The Agreement may be extended by mutual consent of all parties. Section 6: Evaluation of Service VCTC will provide the AGENCIES with quarterly reports about operations, as shown on Attachment B. Section 7: Meetings Meetings of the AGENCIES and VCTC shall be held in accordance with the "Brown Act" at least once each fiscal year. All decisions on service shall be made jointly by the AGENCIES with each of the AGENCIES having one vote and majority vote ruling. Each of the AGENCIES shall designate one elected official as a voting member by whatever local procedure is preferred. Each of the AGENCIES shall also designate one alternate voting member which may be a staff member. Each of the AGENCIES shall also appoint one staff person to serve on the VISTA Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Meetings of the TAC shall be held in accordance with the "Brown Act" as needed. Section 8: Contract Arrangements VCTC, as the Designated Recipient, will sign and monitor the contract, after approval thereof by the AGENCIES. Each of the AGENCIES (individually when referred to herein as the "Indemnifying Party ") shall indemnify, protect, defend and hold each of the other AGENCIES and VCTC, their officers, employees and agents harmless from all liability, claims or damages arising out of, caused by, or resulting from, the Indemnifying Party's negligence in performing its obligations pursuant to this Agreement. VCTC shall indemnify, protect, defend and hold each of the AGENCIES and its officers, employees and agents harmless from all liability, claims or damages arising out of, caused by, or resulting from VCTC's negligence in performing its obligations pursuant to this Agreement. Any contract for operation of a VISTA route pursuant to this Agreement shall provide that the 0001.683 contractor indemnify, protect, defend and hold harmless VCTC, its officers and employees from all liability, claims or damages arising out of, caused by, or resulting from, the contractor's performance of its obligations pursuant to this Agreement and such contract. The contractor shall also indemnify and hold harmless each of the AGENCIES, their officers, agents and employees from all liability, costs, damages or expenses, including attorney's fees, arising out of or incurred in connection with the performance of the contract services, and the contract will require the contractor, at the contractor's cost, expense and risk, to defend any and all resulting actions, suits, or other legal proceedings brought or instituted against any or all of the AGENCIES arising out of the contract services, and to pay and satisfy any resulting judgments, and shall provide to each of the AGENCIES insurance policies covering the contractor's activities, including general liability and automobile liability with policy limits of not less than $2 million combined single limit for general coverage and $10 million combined single limit for automobile liability coverage. Contractor's insurance shall be with an insurer admitted by the State of California and rated B +VII or better in Best's Insurance Guide. Each such policy shall be endorsed to include each of the AGENCIES as an additional insured. Each of the AGENCIES shall receive a separate endorsement page naming that AGENCY as an additional insured. Section 9: Beneficiaries of Agreement This Agreement is for the sole benefit of the parties hereto and no individual, organization, group, firm, or other entity shall have any claim for benefits hereunder. Section 10: Changes to Agreement Any changes to this Agreement must be approved by the governing board or the governing board designee for each of the AGENCIES participating in this Agreement. Section 11: Counterparts This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and will become effective and binding upon the parties at such time as all the signatories hereto have signed a counterpart of this Agreement. All counterparts so executed shall constitute one Agreement binding all the parties hereto. Section 12: Notices or Notification Any notice required to be given in writing under this Agreement, or other notifications, shall be given to the parties at the following addresses: MOORPARK City Manager City of Moorpark 799 Moorpark Ave Moorpark, CA 93021 111 .• ` SIMI VALLEY City Manager City of Simi Valley 2929 Tapo Canyon Road Simi Valley, CA 93063 THOUSAND OAKS Public Works Director City of Thousand Oaks 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 VENTURA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION Executive Director Ventura County Transportation Commission 950 County Square Drive - Suite 207 Ventura, CA 93003 In witness whereof, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement on the dates stated below. CITY OF MOORPARK 2 CITY OF SIMI VALLEY A Date City Attorney Date Date City Attorney . Date 0001'05 CITY OF THOUSAND OAKS Date City Attorney Date VENTURA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION LO-Z Date Counsel Date QWIL71 6 Attachment A ROUTE AND SERVICE DESCRIPTION The following is a general description of the VISTA -EAST Service, and may be revised and/or adjusted during the fiscal year by agreement of the AGENCIES. The VISTA -EAST Service is an intercity, fixed route express bus service in eastern Ventura County with connections to adjacent Los Angeles County. The route will include stops at Westlake Boulevard/Agoura Road, the Oaks Park and Ride Lot, the Oaks Mall, the Route 23 Park and Ride Lot and the Thousand Oaks Library in Thousand Oaks; the Moorpark Metrolink Station and Moorpark College in Moorpark; and, Madera Road/Los Angeles Avenue and Wood Ranch in Simi Valley. Service will operate between approximately 6 am and 7 pm weekdays. In the morning and evening peak hours, buses will have approximately 60 minute headways. In the off -peak hours, the headways will be approximately 120 minutes. The peak hours will be a maximum of three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon. A tripper bus service will also operate daily for three round trips in the morning and three round trips in the afternoon to provide additional accessible service for persons with disabilities to and from Moorpark Community College. The schedule will be arranged to provide timed transfers with local and intercounty transit providers such as the Moorpark City Bus; Simi Valley Transit (in particular, to access the Simi Metrolink Station); Thousand Oaks Transit, and the VISTA HWY. 101 service. VISTA -EAST one -wgy passen erg fares are: $1 for adults between 21 and 61 years of age; 75 cents for youth aged 6 to 20 years; and 50 cents for seniors aged 62 years and older and persons with disabilities. Children 5 years and under ride free if accompanied by fare paying adult. The SmartCard Passport fares are: adults $40; youth $30; seniors and persons with disabilities $20.' The cash debit feature is sold in $10 increments. Purchased monthly, this passport is valid for unlimited trips on all Ventura County fixed -route public bus systems. For an additional 50 cents per trip, holders of the base pass may use the Dial -A- Rides. 0001,'71 7 Attachment B PERFORMANCE REPORTING On a quarterly basis, VCTC will summarize monthly statistics by quarter and total year -to -date, as well as calculate and provide the following indicators: • Farebox Revenues • Farebox Recovery Ratio* • Contractor Operating Costs • Administrative Costs • Total Operating Costs • Passengers • Total Operating Cost per Passenger • Vehicle Service Hours • Total Operating Cost per Vehicle Service Hour • Passengers per Vehicle Service Hour • Total Hours • Vehicle Service Miles • Passengers per Vehicle Service Mile • Total Miles * Farebox Recovery Ratios shown will be the "adjusted ratio" so that all transit systems may be compared equally. For all VISTA contract services, this means that operating costs equal the sum of operating and maintenance costs contained in each contract, or, conversely, contract costs minus all capital costs. 0001,'74