CCMIN052014 - Laserfiche WebLink

Mayor Thorne asked and Mr. Dau confirmed that all expenditures are vetted through a full public hearing by ACTC. He also noted that both James Paxson of Hacienda Business Park and Bob Tutnot, neither of whom are inclined to rubber stamp anything, serve on the watchdog committee. Councilmember Cook-Kallio said she sits as alternative on the ACTC Board and has been heartened by the spirited and thorough discussion that accompanies each project as it comes before the board. Councilmember Brown said she has received several emails from citizens discussing the current tax rate. She said her understanding is that if this passed and an additional half cent tax were added to what is already a hefty tax, Pleasanton would have one of the highest tax rates in the state. . Mr. Dau said that if approved, sales tax would increase to 9.5% (9.25% once the Governor's quarter cent tax expires in 2016), which is still lower than some jurisdictions in Contra Costa County. He again stressed the importance of transportation facilities to economic development and job creation and said there are more than adequate safeguards built into the Plan to ensure that funds are used appropriately. Councilmember Brown asked and Mr. Dau confirmed that ACTC manages the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority funds that took effect in 2002. She referred to a slide indicating that certain funds were earmarked for El Charro Road, but said this is misleading in that it is up to the Council to determine how to use streets funds. She explained that her math indicates an annual funding pool of$1.26 million for this purpose, which would take 70 years to fund the $90 million project. Mr. Dau explained that El Charro has two possible funding sources, the lesser of which that allocated for local streets projects at the discretion of the Council. If the city can demonstrate to ACTC that the El Charro project is sound, ready to move forward, and meets the necessary criteria the commission will pull funding from another larger pool to support the project. Councilmember Narum asked what basis ACTC uses to allocate streets funding throughout the region. Mr. Dau said it is formula driven, based primarily on population and total road miles. Councilmember Narum asked and Mr. Dau confirmed that the formula is applied equally to each city. She asked if these funds could be carried over to another year for a larger project than the annual allocation might accommodate. Mr. Dau confirmed, though said it is limited to three years of reserves. Councilmember Narum asked and Mr. Dau confirmed that bicycle and pedestrian funding is in addition to streets funding. Mayor Thorne opened the public hearing. Mary Lim-Lampe introduced herself as the lead organizer of Genesis, a coalition of congregations and other Bay Area organizations focused on regional policy. As part of its work in support of the plan and ballot measure, Genesis has reached out to a broad community base including Ark of Alameda, St. Clare's Episcopal Church and Catholic Communities of Pleasanton. She stated that Genesis supports the plan because of its built-in accountability, public transit opportunities for youth, low and moderate- income residents, and paratransit opportunities for seniors and those with disabilities. John Claassen, Genesis, said the youth transit program is a critical part of ensuring the community's youth have access to school and after school programs. He provided flyers advertizing a rally at St. Clare's on June 8th in support of the measure. City Council Minutes Page 13 of 17 May 20, 2014