HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 12041990 - IO.10 ` I .O.-10.
' BOARD OF SUPERVISORS M-0-7
Contra
Y
FROM:
Costa
o 'S
?NTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE ,; County
DATE:
November 26; 1990
SUBJECT: STATUS OF COUNTY-OPERATED PARATRANSIT SERVICES
SPECIFIC REOUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1 . Request the Health Services Director and Social Services
Director to investigate the possible use of Measure C
Transportation Funds to expand existing paratransit
services, recognizing that the Board of Supervisors is
unable to provide additional County General Fund dollars to
expand, or perhaps even to maintain, existing paratransit
services.
2. Request the Health Services Director and Social Services
Director to recommend that their paratransit service
contractors contact the Contra Costa Transportation
Authority about the Authority's Paratransit study so that
they can insure that their views and concerns are reflected
in the study.
3 . Request the Health Services Director and Social Services
Director to recommend that their paratransit service
contractors contact the Contra Costa Paratransit
Coordinating Council and offer to work with the Council in
studying ways in which 'paratransit services can be better
provided in the County.
4. Request the Health Services Director and Social Services
Director to recommend that their paratransit service
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YSYES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF B RD COMMI
APPROVE OT ER
SIGNATURE(S):
ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
X UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
CC: ATTESTED 19C/.L-dX-5A"X4A, 1 090
PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
M382 (10/88)Please see Page 2.
BY ,DEPUTY
i-
contractors contact the Contra Costa Transportation
Authority about how they may be able to qualify for Measure
C funds to expand their paratransit operations.
5. Refer this subject back to the Transportation Committee and
urge the Transportation Committee to do everything in their
power to urge discussions among all paratransit operators in
Contra Costa County with a view to consolidating their
services, in order to make them more accessible, efficient,
available and less expensive.
6. Remove this item as a referral to our Committee.
BACKGROUND:
As is indicated in the two attached reports from the
Transportation Planning staff in the Community Development
Department, this issue has been on referral to the Transportation
and Internal Operations Committee for some time. Our Committee
continues to be concerned at the apparent unwillingness or
inability of the various paratransit operators in the County to
meet with each other and seek ways in which they can consolidate
their efforts in order to make their respective operations more
efficient and less expensive for the taxpayer and for their own
customers.
We do not believe it is appropriate for the Board of Supervisors
to provide any additional funding for the paratransit agencies or
for those. agencies with which the County contracts unless the
Board is convinced that the various operators and contractors are
making a sincere effort to cooperate fully with the Paratransit
Coordinating Council and the Transportation Authority in _ trying
to find the most appropriate and least expensive method of
providing the most responsive service to all of the customers in
need of paratransit services.
We have therefore recommended that the Board urge all of the
agencies and departments involved to work with each other and try
to come up with the best available services at the most
reasonable cost.
cc: County Administrator
Community Development Director
County Counsel
Steve Goetz, Transportation Planning, CDD
Transportation Authority (Via CDD)
Paratransit Coordinating Committee (Via CDD)
Health. Services Director
Social Services Director
-2-
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
DATE: November 20, 1990
TO: Internal Operations Committee
FROM: Steven L. Goetz, Transportation Planning Division
SUBJECT: Status of Study of Coordination/Consolidation of
Paratransit Services
This report describes the status of efforts to coordinate or
consolidate the paratransit services operated by the County.
Background
On July 27, 1989, during the County's budget hearings, the Board
referred this issue to the Transportation Committee and the
Internal Operations Committee. The four paratransit services of
concern are operated by the Social Services Department and the
Health Services Department, representing an expenditure of over
$200,000 to the County. At that time, the objective was to
determine if any other funding sources were available to reduce the
demand on the General Fund for these operations.
On April 16, 1990, - the department reported to the Internal
Operations Committee that no outside funds were available to
replace General Fund revenues used by these services, and the only
potential opportunity for savings was through coordination or
consolidation of services with other paratransit operators. The
County's Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC) , agreed to evaluate
opportunities for coordination and consolidation as part of its
Measure C Study. Draft findings of this study are not yet
available.
Current Activities
Recent discussions with PCC staff indicate that the Measure C Study
is not meeting staff's expectations and that it would be more
productive if the PCC were to directly investigate opportunities
for coordination and consolidation with the assistance of County
staff. During the next several months, County staff will collect
specific ridership, routing, and revenue data for the PCC's use.
This effort would conclude with a recommendation by the PCC to the
.. Board on modifications to the County's paratransit operation that
will result in savings to the General Fund.
SLG:iorpt.tll
cc: T.S. Khanna, CDD
R. Serviss, PCC
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
DATE: April 16, 1990
TO: Internal Operations Committee
FROM: Steven L. Goetz, Transportation Planning ,Divisi.o�
SUBJECT: County-operated Paratransit Services
On April 16, 1990, the Transportation Committee directed staff to
provide the Internal Operations Committee with this report on ways
to reduce County casts for paratransit services. On July 27, 1989
Board referred this issue to the Transportation and Internal
Operations Committees. The paratransit services of concern are
operated by the Social Services Department and the Health Services
Department.
Social Services Operations
The Social Services Department contracts to transport mentally
disabled children between their homes and disability centers
throughout the county. In FY 88/89, this service cost $12,000, two
thirds of the funding came from federal and state sources.
Health Services Operations
Various contractors provide fixed-route van service between public
and private health facilities for the general public. The County
pays the full cost of this service, which in FY 88/89 was $61,790.
Various contractors provide patient non-emergency ambulance
transportation for mental health patients and indigent patients to
get to or from treatment programs. The County pays the full cost
of this service, which in FY 88/89 was $123,008.
Transportation is provided for the elderly who participate in the
department's Congregate Meals for Seniors program. . Federal funds
provide 90 percent of the program's funding, fares cover the
remaining ten percent. The cost of this service in FY 88/89 was
$29,000.
Issues
Since September, staff has researched the following issues:
1) Are County-operated paratransit services eligible for,, funding
from the Transportation Develop Act (TDA) or from Measure C?
2) Is there potential. for improved efficiency and economy through
coordination of County operations with other paratransit
providers?
TDA and Measure C Funds
County paratransit services are not eligible for TDA funds.
Eligible services must be generally available to the elderly and
handicapped population or the general public, and must charge a
specified fare. The operation could not be limited to a certain
segment of the elderly and handicapped population, or be free.
"Handicapped" is defined as a permanent disability or a temporary
disability lasting 90 or more days.
Even if County paratransit services were eligible for TDA funds,
their availability is limited. Contra Costa's annual allocation
of $900,000 under the TDA Article - 4.5 Program for elderly and
handicapped transportation is fully utilized by other paratransit
operations. Using a portion of these funds for County operations
would result in a corresponding loss in funds to other operators
in the county. There is an unallocated surplus of over $5.8
million in Article 4 TDA funds available to Tri-Delta and County
Connection. The County could claim these funds to operate elderly
and handicapped transportation services in central and eastern
Contra Costa County, but it would take money away from these two
operators for future capital improvements.
County paratransit services are not eligible for Measure C funds.
Measure C funds have the same eligibility requirements as TDA
funds, and further require that Measure C revenues only be
available for service improvements, not for existing services.
Coordination of Operations with Others
An opportunity may exist to coordinate County-operated paratransit
services with those operated by others. The Contra Costa
Paratransit Coordinating Council is conducting a study of
paratransit operations in the county. The study will be used as
the basis for allocating Measure C funds and to identify
opportunities for service coordination and consolidation among
various paratransit operators in the county. The PCC has agreed
to evaluate the County-operated paratransit services in this study,
which will be completed in the later part of 1990.
Conclusions
There are no funds from the TDA or Measure C programs available to
assist County-operated paratransit services. The PCC has agreed
to evaluate the potential to coordinate or consolidate the County
operations with other paratransit operations as part of it's
Measure C study. Community Development staff will report to the
Transportation Committee and the Internal Operations Committee when
the draft findings of this study become available.