Regional planner outlines unmet-transit-needs comment period; public hearing set for Jan. 21

Cassandra Barentos, associate planner with the Stannis Council of the Governments, presented to the Ceres City Council on Dec. 8 about the Transportation Development Act "unmet transit needs" process and the region's public outreach plan.

Barentos said the process seeks to identify transportation services that do not currently exist but that riders would want for daily mobility tasks, including access to medical appointments, recreation and education. She said the public comment period began Nov. 12 and remains open through Jan. 22, and that the Stanco Policy Board will hold a required public hearing on Jan. 21 to consider comments.

Barentos outlined the two funding sources administered through the process: the local transportation fund (from a quarter-cent sales tax) and state transit assistance (from gas and diesel taxes). She said staff will collect input across jurisdictions, conduct outreach through social media and a SurveyMonkey questionnaire in English and Spanish, and coordinate with transit operators including StanRTA and local city transit agencies.

"We are required to do public outreach," Barentos said, and described the council presentations, an open house at the Modesto Transit Center and other meetings intended to gather community input. She also described the three-category framework staff will use when writing the final analysis report for the Policy Board: (1) no unmet transit needs, (2) unmet needs exist but are not reasonable to meet, and (3) unmet transit needs including those reasonable to meet.

Barentos closed by giving contact information for the comment period and the survey: unmetransitneeds@stanco.org and 209-525-4600, and encouraged council members and residents to share information about the process.

The council did not take action on the presentation; Barentos said the comment deadline is Jan. 22 and the Policy Board hearing will be Jan. 21.