Sunset Empire Transportation District Monthly Commissioners Meeting Minutes Web Page

BOARD MEETING MINUTES
Sunset Empire Transportation District Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes Astoria Transit Center Meeting Room 900 Marine Drive, Astoria Phone (503) 861-0657 Toll Free 866-811-1001 Fax (503) 325-1606 E-mail: cindy@ridethebus.org; sarah@ridethebus.org
January 22, 2008 9:30 a.m.
		Members present: Chair Fenske, Commissioners Gannaway, Gaebel, Goforth, Bline, Mendenhall
		Staff Present: Executive Director Howe, Executive Assistant Dailey, Lori Karl-HR/Payroll, Brenda Higgins/Accounting, Scott Smith/Operations
		Guests Present: Paul Hoskins & Suzie Conner, SETD Board Candidates

		Meeting called to order at 9:35a.m.


COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE:
.		Suzie Conner was interviewed by the board. They began by having her give a brief background of herself. She talked about owning her business, Leland Vessel Assistance, and serving as the Astoria Warrenton Chamber of Commerce Board President. The Commissioners then asked her the same questions asked of the first candidate:

		Board: Have you used the bus? What is your experience with SETD?

		Conner said she has ridden the bus once and it was kind of fun. She feels the transit system is important in the community. She also dealt with using SETD busses while serving as President of the Astoria Warrenton Chamber of Commerce Board.

		Board: Are you planning on staying in the community?

		Conner said "Yes, you would have to drag me away from this area."

		Board: How would you handle conflicts?

		Conner said she would have to excuse herself from situations if anything was a conflict of interest to her service as a Commissioner.

		Director Howe explained to the board that Sundial Travel and Cruise does contract with SETD for buses and that company is owned by Ms. Conner's husband Bruce Conner but the board is not involved in those transactions because it is an operational issue, not a policy issue. She stated that she did not believe it would constitute a conflict of interest.

		Board: How would you reach out to the community to get more riders using SETD?

		Conner said she isn't sure. She feels she can better assist once she learns more about the system and its needs.

		Board: Why do you want to serve on the board?

		Conner said she is finishing up her Astoria Warrenton Chamber commitment and she is looking for another way to serve the community. She said that she felt her problem solving skills and board experience would be beneficial to the SETD board.

		Board: Do you have any government budgeting experience?

		Conner said she has been the secretary on the Astoria Warrenton Chamber Board, which has given her some experience in how public budgets work.

		The board thanked candidates Suzie Conner and Paul Hoskins for joining them.

		Director Howe explained that once the board has voted they would be contacted.


CHANGES TO AGENDA:
		Commissioner Gaebel asked about when SETD posts budget committee meeting openings. She mentioned it said 'Fall' in the audit document.

		Director Howe explained that it must be a mistake because the Budget Committee does not meet in the fall. She said we prepare the budget documents in February and March, and the committee meets in late spring. Assistant Dailey has just begun to work on the documents.


APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
		Commissioner Goforth made a motion to accept the November 2007 and December 2007 minutes. Commissioner Gannaway seconded. All were in favor. The motion passed.


REPORTS FROM CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS:

		Commissioner Bline reported that ODOT put a lot of time and effort in preparing a storm portfolio. He said they reported the OTI funding is gone, so any STIP funding is coming from ODOT revenue, due to pulling money towards repairing storm damage. He explained the current funding changes should not affect us because the projects disrupted were in the Cornelius area. The project to add a passing lane at Glenwood Village/Hwy 101 is going forward per NWACT recommendation. He also mentioned that Jeff Schieke is accepting a job outside of Oregon, so his position is open. The Bierman Creek Flood Repair Project outside of Seaside is still being researched by the Corp of Engineers. ODOT cannot move forward on it until research is finished. He said ODOT is also developing a 3-tier layout system to show the 'what-if's' of project funding amounts.

		Commissioner Gaebel mentioned she gave Commissioner Bline a copy of the study for the Astoria-Warrenton Refinement Plan that was just completed. She said it includes some updates to current roads in Astoria but the bypass was a low priority because it doesn't meet the criteria required for bypasses.

		Commissioner Goforth is working on the crosswalk improvement at Uniontown. It remains a safety concern because five people have died in the dangerous pedestrian crossing.

FINANCIALS:

		Commissioner Goforth asked if Director Howe's salary is coming out of NWRC's budget.

		Lori Karl from HR said yes, since September 1, 2007.

		Chair Fenske asked if a new NWRC Manager was hired in the new budget cycle, would adjustments have to be made to allow for their salary.

		Director Howe said that the current budget allows for a manager's salary, due to the fact that the budget was adjusted to show that her time is being used at the NWRC, not at the SETD office.

		Director Howe explained that the Board packets contain more information than in the past and this will be the case in the future as well. With help from Executive Assistant Dailey she is better able to attend to details of everything. She is currently helping with condensing the information from grants received into a summary that the board can follow in the future. She is also helping with preliminary work on the budget process.

		Commissioner Goforth asked where in the Cost Statement is the amount of SETD's reimbursement listed?

		Director Howe said it is not listed yet because it was not budgeted as revenue. We will have to accept it as unanticipated revenue if it's received.

		Chair Fenske said she is amazed at fuel costs, especially with our busses running all the time.

		Director Howe said we are still within budget and will end the year within budget.

		Commissioner Goforth made a motion to accept the December financials. Commissioner Bline seconded. Commissioner Gaebel opposed. All else were in favor and motion passed.

RESOLUTION 2008-01:
		There was some discussion about why SETD needed to update the policy.

		Lori Karl from HR said ODOT Public Transit has a contract with a consulting firm to do the reviews on the Drug and Alcohol policies of each transit agency because they are being audited by the Federal Transit Association. Director Howe said there were a few things to update due to changes in legislature which made the old policy inadequate. The adoption of the new resolution will make the policy up to date with state/federal laws. The risk management department at Special Districts reviews the policy once a year. The current changes are mandatory because of state/federal laws and are minor so they do not need to re-evaluate it until the annual review. After the manual has been updated, the changes will be distributed to employees to sign and return to HR.

		Commissioner Gaebel asked if we had to check with our insurance company about the changes.

		Director Howe said that in essence, it has been reviewed by our insurance agency because of the relationship we have with the Special Districts Association and the fact that they review it each year.

		Chair Fenske asked what changes were made.

		Lori Karl explained that some of the wording was changed to update the statute numbers that employees are referred to for questions in the FTA rules.

		Chair Fenske asked if there is random testing and what happens when and employee tests positive.

		Director Howe responded that we do random testing and we are a zero-tolerance company. She said Brenda Higgins from Accounting and herself are the only employees who aren't in the screening pool, because they are not in safety-sensitive positions (positions in which they communicate with or drive the busses).

		Commissioner Gaebe asked what policies are included in the manual regarding employees taking prescriptive medicine.

		Director Howe said the individual screened at random must give the drug screening company a list of their medications.

		Chair Fenske read the resolution aloud.

		Commissioner Goforth made a motion to accept and adopt the resolution. Commissioner Bline seconded.

		Role call vote: Chair Fenske - yes Commissioner Gannaway - yes Commissioner Bline - yes Commissioner Mendenhall - yes Commissioner Goforth - yes Commissioner Gaebel - No


OLD BUSINESS:

		Commissioner Appointment
		There was a discussion regarding what both candidates have to offer serving on the board. Some feel he would better serve on the NWRC Advisory Committee. Some feel it is important to have a commissioner who is familiar with the transit system, and others feel that is less important than reaching out to the community to form more partnerships at this time.

		Commissioner Gaebel made a motion to accept Paul Hoskins as the new commissioner. Commissioner Mendenhall seconded. Commissioners Gaebel and Mendenhall voted yes; Commissioners Gannaway, Bline and Goforth voted no. Chair Fenske abstained. Motion failed.

		Commissioner Goforth made a motion to accept Suzie Conner as the new commissioner. Commissioner Gannaway seconded. Commissioners Mendenhall, Gannaway, Goforth and Bline voted yes; Commissioners Gaebel and Fenske abstained. Motion passed.

		There was some discussion about other opportunities for candidate Paul Hoskins. The board would like him to be involved with SETD. They were impressed by his willingness to step forward and serve the community. They discussed other options that could be explored.


		Clatsop College Proposed Route
		Director Howe said her meeting at Clatsop College with the Business Office received a very positive response towards the proposed route. She still needs to meet with upper management. She is proposing an express route from the south, which consist of stops on the way to the school, but students would not have to make a transfer. The increase in tuition would be about $4 per student, which equals approximately $16,000 which covers the expense of having the express routes. If there is no increase in tuition then we will not do an express route, but will still relocate the bus stop. The bus shelter would be installed in front of the college library.

		Commissioner Gaebel asked if the shelter will still be ADA accessible.

		Director Howe explained the shelter is ADA accessible and is a narrower depth to allow passerby on the sidewalk in front of the shelter. Wheelchair access onto the sidewalk is available from the street corner.

		Chair Fenske feels the board should go ahead and draft a letter for the College Board and request to be on their agenda..

		There was discussion about how many students in each area of the county ride the bus. Approximately 20% of students who already ride the bus live in South County. They also talked about how the details of the student pass would work. It is unknown at this time because the college will have to help determine that. No one wants the route change to be a complicated process.

		Commissioner Gaebel asked if SETD had analyzed how many riders are or aren't buying a college bus pass, but are a paying customer, and would SETD be losing money.

		Director Howe said that is possible, but long-term we would be increasing ridership which in turn gives SETD more general public funding on the federal level.

		There was a discussion about doing the routes for a trial period of up to one year. Some feel the trial should encompass all the quarters of the year.


		National Center on Senior Transportation Grant
		Assistant Dailey gave an update on the grant. The grant was confirmed it was received and we were one in four applicants for Oregon State to apply. SETD should hear back from them soon. An article on a similar volunteer transit-training program was included in the board packets as an example of the type of program SETD would like to offer.

		Warrenton Parking Lights

		Director Howe said we have received a bid to install lighting in the parking lot to make it safer for drivers when doing safety checks before and after shifts. There is currently only one light in the bus parking lot in Warrenton. We have applied for a grant to help cover the costs associated. The company we have an initial bid from is the only company in the local area who can do the installation, because light poles must be installed, and the current one needs to be relocated.

		Commissioner Gaebel would like to see SETD entertain other bids, even if they are from outside the county.

		Scott Smith will contact some companies in Longview for another bid.

		Commissioner Gaebel asked if we had considered installing security cameras, with all the metal theft occurring.

		Director Howe said they had not, because they have not had any problems.

		Brenda Higgins from Accounting mentioned that the Warrenton facility is entirely fenced, and the only problem has been with mail theft, but the mailbox is outside the fenced area.

		Director Howe said there aren't funds in the budget to consider it this year, but maybe it could be considered next year.

		Commissioner Goforth asked if anyone had heard about the Urban Renewal Project and were they going to incorporate SETD property into the plan.

		Chair Fenske said we were told they would revisit the idea in 6 months. Their initial response was positive, but the timing was not right.

		Commissioner Gaebel mentioned they are appointing their advisory committee next week.

		Chair Fenske thought it would be a good idea for a board member to attend the next meeting. She said she would attend.

		Commissioner Gaebel asked if we could address the Cannon Beach Shuttle system.

		Director Howe said she didn't have any additional information regarding it.

		Commissioner Gaebel thought we were going to have a meeting with them in January, and that SETD wanted to meet with Cannon Beach before their new budget cycle begins.

		Director Howe said the board can appoint a Commissioner to meet with them if they'd like or she and Scott Smith will meet with the city manager in the next few weeks to initiate the conversation.

		Ms. Howe was directed to contact the city initially and go from there.


		Columbia County Transit Service

		Director Howe has met with management from Columbia County Transit and has begun to work out a plan to connect Sunset Empire's system to theirs. SETD has offered to give them our grant in exchange for including a SETD staff member on the planning committee. Columbia County has received additional grants to combine with this one that will fund the feasibility of route connections and develop the routes. They would like for SETD to provide the $2,500 match. SETD already has the funds included in the budget because we would have paid it if we kept the grant.

		Commissioner Gannaway made a motion to provide the $2,500 match for the grant given to Columbia County. Commissioner Goforth seconded. All were in favor. Motion passed.

		Director Howe discussed connecting our routes to Columbia County via Westport. The route connection would be 3 days a week, 2 roundtrips a day. It would cost approximately $17,000 to add the routes. The details of marketing and logistics of bus stops are still to be determined. This would allow Clatsop County riders to connect to Columbia County's transit system which can get them to Longview/Kelso, or to Portland.

		Commissioner Gaebel made motion to pursue connecting routes to Columbia County. Commissioner Gannaway seconded. All were in favor. Motion passed.


		Executive Director Evaluation Process

		Commissioner Gaebel would like to see some additional questions added to the sample Performance Evaluation for the Executive Director regarding budget and communication with the board. She would like to see other samples of evaluations for comparison.

		There was some discussion about how thorough the evaluation should be. There are options for people to write in their own comments in one of the sections. Some commissioners would like to see the questions have a numerical system of rating the director. They also agreed that the external/internal stakeholder sections were valuable input.

		Commissioner Goforth would like to see the answers to the questions have numerical scoring.

		Commissioner Gaebel left the meeting at 11:30, requesting the discussion of the audit that she added to the agenda be held over until the next meeting.

		It was stated, for the record, that nothing in board policy states there is a specific end time for meetings and that board members should always be prepared to stay for the entire meeting. In addition, it was stated for the record, that additional agenda items should be added before the meeting date in order to give the Executive Director and staff an opportunity to be prepared to discuss it at the meeting. A call or e-mail to the Executive Director or Chair at least one week prior to the regular board meeting would be appropriate.

		Commissioner Gannaway said he has a thick file of past SETD Executive Director Evaluations, and he feels the sample is adequate if the idea of numerical scoring is used.

		There was additional discussion of matters regarding the Executive Director and the SETD Budget would fall under the evaluation questions pertaining to Administrative or Managerial Duties. Also, there are plenty of areas provided for additional comments.

		Director Howe asked that the board choose the individuals from partnering agencies they would like to complete the external input forms. She will email the list of contacts and each Commissioner can choose one.

		Commissioner Goforth made a motion to use the proposed Executive Director Evaluation once the numerical scoring is added. Commissioner Mendenhall seconded. All were in favor. Motion passed.

		Director Howe stated that the board should also determine which Commissioners they would like to appoint to begin reviewing her contract, which will expire in June. The process should begin soon, as any revisions to the contract will have to be discussed with the other Commissioners at the upcoming board meetings before June.

		There was discussion about who had assisted in reviewing the contract previously, and how often. Commissioners Gannaway and Mendenhall reviewed it last time. It was agreed that Commissioners Goforth and Bline would assess the contract this time.

		Cannon Beach Shuttle

		There was a discussion about whether the City of Cannon Beach will contribute funds towards keeping the shuttle to Cannon Beach running. The board felt it would be a good idea for Director Howe and staff to visit first, before having the board approach them.


OTHER ITEMS:

		SETD/NWRC Phone Menu When calling 861-RIDE or 866-811-1001, the phone menu has changed. There is now an option for NWRC or SETD Administration. The option for NWRC directs the call to the NWRC Administrative Staff in the Astoria office, while the SETD Administration option sends the call to the Warrenton Administration office.


OPERATION, HUMAN RESOURCES and NWRC REPORTS:
		Operations, Human Resources, and NWRC Reports

		The reports were accepted as submitted.

		Meeting adjourned at 12:05 p.m.

		Sarah Dailey Recording Secretary













Approved:







		Secretary/Treasurer






THIS MEETING IS ACCESSIBLE TO THE DISABLED, AN INTERPRETER FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED MAY BE REQUESTED UNDER THE TERMS OF OS 192.630 BY CONTACTING SUNSET EMPIRE TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT AT 861-7433