PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE MEETING June 24, 2015 The Public Works Committee meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mr. Fred Spears, Chair. The following members were present, constituting a quorum: Mr. Richard Collins, Vice Chair; Mr. John Skubal; Mr. Paul Lyons; Mr. Jim Kite; and Mrs. Terry Happer Scheier. Also present were: Mr. David White, Councilmember; Mr. Bill Ebel, City Manager; Mrs. Kate Gunja, Assistant City Manager; Mrs. Tammy Owens, Deputy City Attorney; Mr. Dave Scott, Chief Financial Officer; Ms. Gena McDonald, Assistant Chief Financial Officer; Mr. Anthony Hofmann, Director of Public Works; Mr. Brian Shields, City Traffic Engineer; Mr. Mike Miller, Assistant to the Director; Mr. Richard Profaizer, Maintenance Operations Manager; Mr. Sean Ruis, Public Works Maintenance Supervisor; Mr. Scott McClure, PC Technician; and Ms. Kathleen Behrens, Recording Secretary. Approximately five people from the public were in the audience. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Chair Fred Spears took the Chair’s prerogative of addressing the agenda items out of order. JOHNSON COUNTY TRANSIT UPDATE Mr. Chip Corcoran, president, Renaissance Infrastructure Consulting, 13006 Walmer, spoke on behalf of Johnson County Transit, Transportation Council. He introduced his colleagues, Ms. Alice Amrein, transit administrator, Johnson County, Kansas Government and Mr. Dick Jarrold, vice president regional planning and development, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA). Over the last six to seven years, there have been many financial challenges across the country and in Johnson County. A lot of work has been done in the area of trans- portation services in Johnson County during that time. The County assembled the Strategic Transit Action Recommendation Taskforce (START) in 2009 to study transportation services. They made a presentation to the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) in 2011 when they developed a long-term strategy for trans- portation services in the County. Financial challenges at the time limited their ability to implement the entire strategic plan, so they broke it into three pieces; short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans. During that same time period, the County was fortunate to partner with Overland Park to obtain a Transportation Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from the federal government that helped support significant infrastructure improvements along the Metcalf corridor. The infra- structure took approximately three years and was completed in 2013. Mr. Corcoran relayed that he is Chair of the Johnson County Transportation Council (JCTC). The JCTC consists of a body of individuals who were appointed by the Board of County Commissioners to advise them on transportation issues. The JCTC investi- gated the services being provided. They implemented the START strategic plan with the hope of making some significant changes. Those changes took place in subse- quent years. Some changes to the system’s operation happened. Simply by reviewing Public Works Committee Meeting June 24, 2015 Page 2 the different programs and examining things to a greater degree, significant savings was realized with how the County provided its services. Between 2014 and 2015, a management consolidation took place between the JCTC and the KCATA. That consolidation had always been discussed, but it did not take motion until mid-2014. By the end of 2014, an agreement was reached that folded the management of the Johnson County system into the KCATA system, which began the process to regionalize Kansas City’s transportation system. The consolidation resulted in huge savings, not to mention a multitude of efficiencies. Services were substan- tially improved, along with access to County residents and to the overall region. Ms. Alice Amrein, transit administrator, Johnson County, Kansas Government, reported that Johnson County Transit offered three programs. The JO is the County’s commuter express service. It predominantly takes people to and from the downtown Kansas City central business district for employment. The JO also offers limited midday service. The Metcalf and 75th Street services operate all day, but have limited hours and service. The Special Edition Program was designed for elderly and disabled residents. Those individuals can utilize the service for any trip purpose of their choice within the County limits. The program also transports to limited service areas in Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, for medical-related trips. The request for additional resources will significantly change the program moving forward. Sheltered Workshop Industrial Fixed Transit is a service provided to the Johnson County Developmental Support agency and transports clients to and from the workshop in Lenexa. The JO is comprised of three different components. The Xpress service utilizes I-35. The Xpress bus is allowed to drive on the shoulder when interstate traffic is moving slower than 35 mph. It can continue traveling on the shoulder until it is able to merge back into the regular flow of traffic. The Connect service concentrates on localized Metcalf and 75th Street east/west connections and north/south connections throughout Johnson County. A grid system is being created in the County for people to commute throughout Johnson County without having to first travel to the downtown Kansas City central business district. The Johnson County Transit local services operate into portions of Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, but the service area is limited. The routes are longer and not typically conducive as a commuting option. The Route J service is offered to residents of Overland Park Towers and Santa Fe Towers. This is a cooperative agreement between Johnson County Transit and the City of Overland Park. It has been in place for over 25 years. The program was initiated by the City of Overland Park and it continues to operate two days a week. Total Johnson County Transit annual ridership is nearly 600,000 and has been on a steady increase. When gas prices started to decline, the program experienced some- what of a decline as well. Most of that ridership was seen on the K-10 connector route. Mr. Corcoran stated since the inception of the strategic plan, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners has been very active and focused on the system and its operation. They continue to search for more efficient ways to operate the system, Public Works Committee Meeting June 24, 2015 Page 3 but also try to get the most out of it, in terms of getting people to the places they need to go. In 2012, Johnson County Transit implemented $327,094 in annual service reductions, which related to underperforming routes. It was found that while the routes were providing a service to people, they were underperforming nonetheless. Those were hard changes to make, because they affected people’s livelihood and ability to have access to their jobs. Johnson County Transit entered into some agreements with the KCATA, in terms of how they operate the bus system. Several buses are now parked downtown. They investigated different fuel agreements. They were able to produce $1 million in savings from system operation out of the budget. The system operates under a service contract with Kansas City First Transit. A restructure of that contract provided an additional $500,000 in annual savings. The management consolidation resulted in another $450,000 in annual savings. It primarily involved the consolidation of staff positions and the administration of the program. Over time, the system found efficiencies that totaled $2,360,624. Johnson County Transit federal funding flows through the KCATA. It is a complicated formula, but the KCATA is responsible for distributing the funds and conducted reviews of both the County system and their system to determine different ways to cooperate. Those efforts ultimately resulted in additional revenues to the County system of $1.2 million. Johnson County Transit’s annual budget is $13 million, so the savings was significant in their efforts to both find savings and search for good revenue sources for the system over that period of time. Chair Spears asked if $13 million was the net budget after the increase in revenue of $2,360,624. Ms. Amrein answered yes, based on capital, but sometimes it is higher. Mr. Corcoran stated the system positioned itself to strategically begin looking to the future. Operational programs, management, and administration have been put in place to begin to enhance the services. As part of the 2016 budget process, Ms. Amrein stated the JCTC and staff submitted three requests for additional resources to the Board of County Commissioners. The first request was an expansion of service between Wyandotte County, Kansas University Medical Center (KUMC), and the Mission Transit Center. The expansion equates to approximately $55,000 that Johnson County Transit will fund out of its existing resources within the transit budget. It will begin to make connections between Wyandotte County and Johnson County. The KCATA will operate the route. It will be the first time to have a KCATA bus operating at the Mission Transit Center. It is the first time a route has been funded by all three jurisdictions. Ms. Amrein stated they are requesting approximately $1.1 million for the Metcalf/ 75th Street and connector services. The plan is beginning to create more of the grid system within Johnson County, so people can commute within Johnson County using their system. Johnson County Transit has received two requests for additional resources as it relates to the paratransit service expansion. One relates to the Special Edition Program. It involves the expansion of service and removal of the trip restrictions. As previously mentioned, Special Edition riders are only allowed to go to medical appoint- ments in Kansas City, Kansas, or Kansas City, Missouri, in the areas where they Public Works Committee Meeting June 24, 2015 Page 4 provide service. The request would remove that restriction, so people can use the service to travel to other locations besides medical-related services.