REPORT TO BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
SUBJECT
Title
VTA BPAC Representative (Hardy)
Report
BACKGROUND
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) requests that cities appoint members to its Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). The VTA BPAC is comprised of one representative from each of the sixteen member agencies, which includes the City of Santa Clara. VTA BPAC members serve two-year terms starting on July 1 and ending on June 30 of the second year and may serve successive terms. The VTA BPAC advises the VTA Board on matters pertaining to funding and planning issues for bicycle and pedestrian projects and serves as the countywide bicycle advisory committee for Santa Clara County. Typical duties involve review of regional plans related to bicycling and walking, review of funding proposals for projects and consideration of specialized issues of regional or cross-jurisdictional significance.
The appointee will serve a term which will begin after the City Council appoints the City’s VTA BPAC member and the VTA Board of Directors ratifies the appointment. Members must live and/or work in Santa Clara County during their term. VTA requires that the appointee be either a representative of the City’s BPAC or an individual interested in bicycle or pedestrian issues and not a City or VTA staff person. Santa Clara BPAC member Rafael Rius has indicated he will no longer be a member of the VTA BPAC after December 31, 2019. As a result, VTA has requested that Santa Clara appoint a City representative to the VTA BPAC to complete Rafael Rius’ term, which ends in June 2020. Staff has requested that the VTA consider an amendment to their appointment rules to allow the City Council’s appointment to extend to June 2022. VTA staff indicated support for this proposal to minimize the administrative burden for Santa Clara and the VTA and to provide continuity. This proposal will be discussed at the VTA Governance and Audit Committee in March 2020.
DISCUSSION
At the January 27, 2020 BPAC meeting, the Santa Clara BPAC shall vote to recommend to Council that a member of the Santa Clara BPAC serve as the City of Santa Clara’s VTA BPAC representative.
To ensure that Santa Clara has VTA BPAC representation as soon as possible, this January 27, 2020 action precedes the VTA’s Governance and Audit Committee in March 2020 in which the proposed term extension to June 2022 will be discussed. If the VTA does not approve this extension, staff will return to the BPAC and Council this summer for a new VTA BPAC appointment.
Staff requests that the Santa Clara BPAC take two actions. The first action is to select and vote on a candidate to serve on the VTA BPAC until June 30, 2020. The second action is to select and vote on a candidate to serve on the VTA BPAC from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022. Staff asked the BPAC for volunteers to serve on the VTA BPAC and Santa Clara BPAC members Megas and Perzov indicated that they would be willing to serve on this Committee.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
The Committee to select a candidate for City Council approval to serve as the Santa Clara representative on the VTA BPAC until June 30, 2020 and to select a candidate for City Council approval to serve as the Santa Clara representative on the VTA BPAC from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022.
Staff
Reviewed by: Carol Shariat, Principal Transportation Planner, Public Works
Approved by: Michael Liw, Assistant Director/City Engineer, Public Works