Transportation Commission adopts annual report; staff advances statewide needs assessment after $300 billion shortfall noted

The California Transportation Commission adopted its annual report and directed staff to continue work on a statewide transportation needs assessment that identified a $300,000,000,000 funding shortfall, commission officials said.

Commissioners approved the report at the start of the meeting and granted staff authority to make editorial changes before publication. The action was taken after the commission received the most recent draft last week and after commission staff said it had already incorporated comments received to date.

The adoption matters because staff said the needs assessment will guide recommendations for the next 10 years on what the state should prioritize if the shortfall persists. "We have a $300,000,000,000 funding shortfall that was identified in 2011," said Susan Branson, commission staff, summarizing the work group's framing. Branson told commissioners the assessment will first focus on system preservation, then on system expansion and performance outcomes to be tracked over the next decade.

Branson said staff has convened several work groups to produce the assessment and to quantify potential cost savings from streamlining, permitting reforms and consolidation measures. She told commissioners the report will summarize accomplishments since Proposition 1B to demonstrate delivery and credibility with stakeholders. "I've asked the work groups to quantify wherever possible the actual projected cost savings that would be achieved through these measures," Branson said, and asked for a turnaround on several new requests by Nov. 15.

Staff outlined revenue options the assessment will examine, including cap-and-trade funds, vehicle license fees, an indexed fuel excise tax, a vehicle-miles-traveled pilot, tolling, a statewide infrastructure bond, public-private partnerships and TIFIA credit assistance. The report will include an economic analysis of benefits if targeted performance outcomes are achieved and of costs if they are not.

The commission also used the executive director's report to introduce a newly hired member of commission staff. Laura Pennebaker, who joined the commission after three years in Caltrans' planning division and who previously assisted the commission on RTP guidelines, was introduced to the panel.

The commission asked staff to return with additional updates as the work groups quantify savings and revenue options; staff said it expects to present further material and that the assessment is an active, iterative process.

Less critical details: commissioners later moved to other agenda items, including local reports, federal updates and project programming. The annual report adoption and the needs-assessment directions were taken without a recorded roll-call tally in the transcript; the motion passed on affirmative voice votes.