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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 02011994 - TC.1 T.C. I Contra TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Costa FROM: TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE County DATE: January 24 , 1994 SUBJECT: Annual Report on county Employee TDM Program SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Accept 1993 Annual Report on County Employee TDM Program; 2 . Approve 1994 TDM work program (Exhibit B) ; and 3 . Request County department heads to cooperate in TDM efforts. FISCAL IMPACT None directly. to County general funds. Costs for Community Development Department staff time to provide support services for the County Employee TDM Program are borne by Measure C (1988) funds. In addition, grants have been secured from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District ($27, 250) and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority ($124 ,775) for equipment for the pilot telecommuting program and four new vans for the employee vanpool program. Costs may be incurred by other departments to meet TDM requirements which may indirectly impact General Fund revenues by an unknown amount. BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS As a major employer, the County is required by Measure C (1988) and the state-mandated Congestion Management Program to participate in the regional transportation demand management (TDM) programs and to develop programs to help its employees find alternatives to driving alone to work. The Board has authorized a number of commute alternatives for its employees since the mid-1980 's. Collectively, CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S) : Gayle Bishop Tom Torlakson ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A X, UNANIMOUS (ABSENT TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN AYES: NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE ABSENT:- ABSTAIN: MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Orig Dept: Community Development ATTESTED Contact: Ernest Vovakis, 646-2355 PHIL BATCHELOR, CCERk OF cc: Phil Batchelor, CAO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Val Alexeeff, GMEDA AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Department Heads BY Qa:ge DEPUTY Departmental TDM Coordinators (via CDD) U Regional TDM Program Managers (via CDD) Annual Report on TDM Program January 24, 1994 Page 2 these efforts are referred to as the County Employee TDM Program. 1993 was the first year in which the County came under the purview of the regional TDM programs established in east, central and west County. During the year, TRANSPAC, Tri-Delta Transit, and WCCTAC all assumed administrative responsibility for the TDM ordinances of their jurisdictions. Although the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's Trip Reduction Rule for Large Employers (Rule 13) does not become effective in Contra Costa County until July 1, 1994, the standards embodied in the Rule were applied in the local TDM requirements in order to prepare for meeting the BAAQMD standards. The 1993 annual report for County's Employee TDM Program appears in Exhibit A. 1994 Work Program 1993 may be considered a trial year for the regional TDM programs since the BAAQMD rule was not in effect (although local ordinances were) , the regional TDM programs were new, and County TDM coordinators were newly designated. However, this will not be the case in 1994. The Average Vehicle Ridership (AVR) goal for 1994 will be 1. 15 and will increase in subsequent years. A concerted effort will be required by the County to meet this goal at its affected work sites. Although 20 County sites were identified as subject to TDM ordinances in 1993 , six are expected to be exempt in 1994, either because the employment level has fallen to below 100 at these sites, or because fewer than 50 employees report to work between 6 and 10 a.m. The detention facilities and Juvenile Hall are examples. These sites are identified in Exhibit A. This leaves 14 work sites which must participate in the regional TDM program. Exempt sites will continue to participate in the TDM information program and other voluntary programs such as Spare the Air and California Rideshare Week, which are coordinated by the Community Development Department. The TDM work program for 1994 (Exhibit B) calls for amending the County TDM ordinance and requesting delegation by the BAAQMD of authority to implement the trip reduction rule concurrently with the local TDM requirements; continuing efforts to coordinate the County's compliance with local TDM ordinances; developing guidelines for a guaranteed ride home program for use at all major work sites; preparing an evaluation of the pilot telecommuting program and report to the Board of Supervisors; expansion of the employee vanpool program with the acquisition of four new vans using Measure C grant funds; and evaluation of additional measures that the County may take to increase employee use of commute alternatives. The Board of SupervisorsContra Clerk oaheheloBoard Costa and County Administration Building County Administrator 651 Pine St., Room 106 (510)646-2371 Martinez, California 94553-1290 County Tom Powers,1st District Jeff Smith,2nd District Gayle Bishop,3rd District `* s�E;;Z Sunne Wright McPeak,4th District _�" : .• Tom Torlakson,5th District ' \' February 1, 1994 S�q COU,v'C'` . To All Department Heads: The Board of Supervisors needs your cooperation to help the County achieve our employee transportation goals. Today, the Board received a report on the performance of the County Employee Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program during 1993 as measured by the annual employee transportation survey. This information is summarized in Table A of the annual report. It is evident that the 1993 results are quite mixed by work site. Some sites performed quite well while others did not. Less than half the affected work sites achieved the 1993 average vehicle ridership (AVR) standard of 1. 10. The Board is proud of Contra Costa County's award-winning record in promoting commute alternatives for our employees; however, we need to improve. The AVR goals set by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District will continue to increase every year, reaching 1. 35 in 1998. The Board will do its part in authorizing new programs; we need your cooperation to make these programs available to our employees. Please note the departments at each affected work site are responsible for compliance with local TDM ordinances and could subject the County to fines for noncompliance. Beyond these sanctions, however, the Board believes that the County should set a good example. Specifically, we ask you to do the following: 1. Encourage your employees to complete the annual employee transportation survey to be conducted during May 1994. We must obtain a response rate of at least 60% at every work site of 100 or more employees in order to accurately reflect performance. 2. Support your departmental TDM coordinators in their efforts to achieve good response rates and allow them to attend training workshops and meetings providing TDM information. 3. Permit your employees to participate in carpooling, compressed work week schedules (9/80 and 4/40) , telecommuting, and other measures that result in fewer automobile trips to work. Telecommuting is a low-cost and easily implementable method to reduce commute trips. The Board previously authorized 105 County employees to participate in the pilot telecommuting program; Department Heads February 1, 1994 Page 2 although we now have grant funds to support this program, we still only have about 50 participants. In addition to being a pilot program for the County at large, this program is also a pilot for each department. If your department is not yet participating, please ask your supervisors to sign up appropriate employees in the pilot program. For our part, the Board will allow employees in our Supervisorial offices to participate in commute alternatives such as carpooling and telecommuting and we'll ensure that they complete the annual survey form. Together, we can improve on our 1993 performance and provide a good example for the private sector to emulate. Sincerely, Tom Powers, Chair Board of Supervisors EXHIBIT A 1993 ANNUAL REPORT COUNTY EMPLOYEE TDM PROGRAM Preparing for TDM Ordinance Compliance In order to comply with state and regional mandates, local jurisdictions in Contra Costa County have adopted ordinances requiring work sites with 100 or more employees to: (1) provide employees at the site with information on commute alternatives; (2) conduct an annual employee transportation survey; and (3) prepare an annual TDM program outlining steps that will be taken in the coming year to meet TDM goals. During 1993 , staff identified 20 County work sites with more than 100 employees that appeared to be subject to local TDM ordinances. In response to a request by the Board of Supervisors in March, the departments at these work sites designated onsite TDM coordinators for each department. In the case of buildings occupied by more than one department, the largest department represented was asked to serve as coordinator for the entire building. Departmental TDM Coordinators attended training sessions sponsored by the regional TDM programs. On August 12 , the Community Development Department conducted a workshop which was attended by 13 departmental coordinators as well as by representatives of the regional committees and RIDES for Bay Area Commuters. Supervisor McPeak presented the opening remarks. 1993 Transportation Survey Employee transportation surveys were conducted during the last week of March, prior to the assignment of departmental TDM coordinators. As a result some distribution problems were encountered, resulting in low response rates at many sites. The BAAQMD "average vehicle ridership" (or AVR) objective for 1993 was 1. 10. Eleven County buildings reported an AVR of 1. 10 or better based on actual survey results (See Table A) . However because buildings with response rates of less than 60% are penalized by assuming that all nonrespondants drive alone, only five of the buildings attained an "adjusted AVR" of 1. 10 or better. As an example, respondents from the Social Service building in Richmond achieved an excellent AVR of 1. 38, reflecting in part the availability of frequent transit service in the area. However, due to a low response rate of only 33%, the "adjusted AVR" fell to 1. 10. The best results came from the Finance Building (625 Court Street) , which had an 85% response rate and an adjusted AVR of 1.20, and the Public Works Building (255 Glacier Drive) , which had a response rate of 65% and an adjusted AVR of 1. 13 . Annual Reports Annual reports were due from each site on September 30. Using the survey as an analytical tool, TDM coordinators were requested to complete a form indicating what steps would be taken to work toward the 1994 AVR objective (1. 15) . Nine of the County annual reports were conditionally approved by the regional TDM program managers, requiring additional or clarifying information. Several departmental coordinators complied with the request, but five buildings had not been received approval by the end of the year. Although no further action will be taken this year for failure to comply with TDM requirements, the consequences of noncompliance in future years could entail fines imposed on the County by local jurisdictions. Departments occupying each affected work site are ultimately responsible for ensuring compliance with the TDM requirements. Rideshare Matching Services and County Vehicle Pool Program Using information in the 1993 survey forms, the Community Development Department developed an in-house rideshare matchlist service. Upon request, County employees are provided with a list of names and phone numbers of other employees who live and work near them. Over 150 County employees are currently listed in the ridesharing matchlist database. During the year, the County Vehicle Pool Program was expanded to a total of 10 carpools using County vehicles and three vanpools. Measure C grant funds have been obtained for the purchase of four new vans for vanpools. A waiting list has been established for two of these vans. Exhibit A 1993 Annual TDM Report Page 2 Pilot Telecommuting Program An evaluation of the Pilot Telecommuting Program was conducted in May and showed a very positive response by both telecommuters and their supervisors. On July 13, the Board of Supervisors extended the program for one year and authorized the participation of up to 105 employees. Training was conducted in September for 23 new participants and their supervisors. Additional training was scheduled during December but was cancelled due to low enrollment. During the year, the Community Development Department secured grants from the BAAQMD and the CCTA to support the program. Awards In March, Contra Costa. County was selected as one of the 11100 Best Employers for Bay Area commuters" by RIDES. In addition, Daniel Pulon, an employee of the Community Development Department, was selected as one of five "Clean Air Champions" by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in recognition of his commute habits. Spare the Air Program and California Rideshare Week During the year, the County also participated in the BAAQMD's "Spare the Air" campaign and California Rideshare Week/Beat-the-Backup. Acting as coordinator for the entire County workforce, the Community Development Department developed procedures for the County's participation in the Spare the Air program and distributed them as well as promotional materials throughout the County's worksites. Nine Spare the Air alerts were received during the August-October smog season and were faxed to all County departments. The Community Development Department also coordinated the County's participation in California Rideshare Week in September by distributing a letter signed by the County Administrator to all County employees and making rideshare petitions, posters, and other materials available to departmental TDM coordinators. v� rn x N C • r ri a E :::::::::::: x x x x x x m x ::<: O W ..... d z<z' u F- O o >::: a ....... d :>::::>:: X X X X X �. a o 0 z .... w o w o N fl m .....:..... La a ...... o .. . «> a >::::>::>:<:> X X x x x x x:;:;:;:::: x x Q:: :::: Q) �i w v cc Q _ _ _ O >: N O N r N W R M n N R CO «:<i: O N Ln:::::>::<:::> CO N ¢ O N O r 0 0 0 r O r O 0::': :::: O r 0 0::":::?: 00 7 0 c r c r X Q :: ar C m v �, O �. O ++ R m O O w a W ¢ v O N N n 0) 1 V O CO Cl) CO 0) 0) 3 O Q : >: :<: rR r r r N O r O r 0 r 0:i:<>.i i::i: r Cl) O r O O i-1 C r c r O 3 o R .. 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W :»>« 2 H G N U Z F=,.or.- .:;;;;;, H _ cr �1 N NN U : y fA >`:3; 2 p 3 LL fn Ur fq fn m ui - Q .. ` — w ar R r r r $ R ro m m v o N o <.<.; 0 CO cA ss:: o U C L U U '� .... _ RLL : t 7 C 7 m 8777 O O O m 7 7A .5 " U U U U 0 0 0 7 7 a co (rj O O 0 0 pp O:::i::::; Lo 0 :: � 3 O 10 In � � N LO 00 O:: N 0 0 0�:��>��� � O �A N N t� M O 10 O O 10 O i:: Ln co 0 0::<�:: 1n 2 m ?'>: N f0 n M O N N M v r t0 r %': Un r i::> Ln EXHIBIT B 1994 TDM WORK PROGRAM The following tasks will be performed by Community Development Department staff during 1994 in order to strengthen the County Employee TDM program and meet the TDM requirements of Measure C, the Congestion Management Program, and the BAAQMD Employer Trip Reduction Rule. 1.0 COUNTY TDM ORDINANCE 1. 1 Amend the County's existing TDM ordinance to achieve consistency with the BAAQMD Employer-Based Trip Reduction Rule and maintain consistency with CCTA TDM policy requirements. (February) 1.2 Cooperate with OCTA and four regional transportation planning committees in regional administration of TDM programs and preparation of delegation plans for BAAQMD Trip Reduction Rule. 1. 3 Prepare delegation agreement with BAAQMD and submit to Board of Supervisors for approval (June) 2.0 PLEASANT HILL BART STATION AREA TDM PROGRAM 2 . 1 Continue to administer agreement with Contra Costa Centre Association for management of TDM program at the Pleasant Hill BART Station area. 2 . 2 Provide staff services for quarterly meetings of Pleasant Hill BART TDM Advisory Committee. 3.0 COUNTY EMPLOYEE TDM PROGRAM SUPPORT ANNUAL EMPLOYEE TRANSPORTATION SURVEYZANNUAL TDM PLAN 3 . 1 Conduct training workshop for County Departmental TDM coordinators at work sites of 100 or more employees. (April) 3 .2 Develop TDM information dissemination program for use by Departmental TDM coordinators. 3 . 3 Prepare brochure of employee TDM services and distribute to Departmental TDM coordinators. 3 .4 Provide TDM information during orientation of new employees. 3 . 5 Prepare quarterly TDM newsletter. EMPLOYEE INCENTIVES 3 . 6 Develop guidelines .for a Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) program at all work sites of 100 or more and request departments to implement. 3 .7 Evaluate use of incentives to promote commute alternatives and make recommendations, as appropriate, to Board of Supervisors. 3 .8 Evaluate need for additional bicycle parking facilities and showers at County work sites and make recommendations, as appropriate. PARKING MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 3 .9 Evaluate preferred parking spaces for carpoolers at County employment sites and request departments to implement, as appropriate. 3 . 10 Evaluate feasibility of parking charges and make recommendations, as appropriate, to Board of Supervisors. COUNTY EMPLOYEE COMMUTE POOL PROGRAM 3 . 11 Acquire four new vans for Employee Vanpool Program using Measure C grant funds. (February) 1994 TDM Work Program Page 2 3 . 12 Conduct marketing to recruit drivers and riders for new vanpools, giving priority to buildings with 100 or more employees. PILOT TELECOMMUTING PROGRAM 3 . 13 Continue pilot telecommuting program and efforts to expand participation to authorized level of 105. 3 . 14 Utilize available grant funds to acquire modems, fax machines and other equipment in support of pilot telecommuting program. 3 . 15 Conduct evaluation of pilot telecommuting program and make recommendations to Board of Supervisors (July) OTHER ACTIVITIES 3 . 16 Coordinate County participation in special events including California Rideshare Week/Beat the Backup, and the BAAQMD Spare the Air program. 3 . 17 Participate in traffic mitigation programs for major highway construction projects including 680/24 interchange, I-80, and Benicia Bridge. tdmwkprm