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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 12 17 09 Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority MINUTES OF THE CAPE FEAR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY December 17, 2009 Mr. George Dolan, Vice-Chair, Presiding MEMBERS PRESENT Mr. George Dolan, Vice Chairman Mr. Andrew Koeppel, Secretary Mr. Henry Adams Mr. Jonathan Barfield Mr. William Bryden Ms. Laura Padgett Mr. David Scheu MEMBERS NOT PRESENT Mr. Don Betz, Chairman Mr. Euran Daniels Ms. Christine McNamee STAFF PRESENT Mr. Albert Eby, Director Ms. Cathy Beasley, Finance Director Mr. Matthew Kunic, Planner Ms. Kathy Williams, Administrative Assistant CONTRACT MANAGEMENT STAFF PRESENT Mr. Andrew Olsen, Attorney Mr. Irvin Cure, Interim General Manager, PTM GUESTS PRESENT Mr. Joshua Mello, Wilmington Metropolitan Area, MPO Mr. Pat Gannon, Wilmington Star News Mr. Ted Reick, AICP, TJR Advisors Mr. Ricky Meeks, Citizen Mr. Chad Wilgus, Citizen Ms. Tina Baysden, Citizen CALL TO ORDER  Vice-Chairman Dolan called the meeting to order at 12:10 pm  Mr. Dolan opened the meeting with a moment of silence CONSENT AGENDA AGENDA  Mr. Dolan presented the December 17, 2009 consent agenda  Mr. Eby stated that the PTM Worker Compensation Premium for FY 2009 totaling $203,722 to Travelers Insurance has been reviewed by staff and counsel and determined to be correct  Mr. Eby stated recommended that the premium be made in four equal installments to be paid in the months of January, March, April & May of 2010  Mr. Eby stated that this method provided the best protection for authority cash flow  Mr. Eby stated that PTM has been notified of the payment plans and so far no objections from Travelers have been made towards this plan  Mr. Bryden made a motion to accept the December 17, 2009 consent agenda  Mr. Barfield seconded and the consent agenda carried unanimously PUBLIC COMMENT  Mr. Dolan opened the public comment period  Mr. Wilgus stated that the buses are in need of repair, bus stops are in ditches, and there needs to be a new route from College Rd to 17th Street, which is similar to the old #6 route  Ms. Baysden stated that route 104 has dangerous bus stops for wheelchairs around Landfall area  Ms. Baysden stated that she has spoken with the City about this matter and they stated that they will need to work with Wave to get this corrected  Mr. Mello stated that the City is working to install right turn lanes and sidewalks  Ms. Baysden stated that the bus stop in the 300 block of Wrightsville Ave has been removed  Mr. Mello stated that the City has removed it because of construction construction work done in that area  Mr. Mello stated that a temporary sign should be placed there  Ms. Baysden requested that the bus stop at Best Buy be moved closer to the entrance of store because it is easier for wheelchairs to get off and on the bus safely  Mr. Kunic stated that the sign was placed there due to the bus having to change lanes after that stop and if it was moved then some of the drivers would have difficulty crossing back over  Ms. Baysden stated that some of the drivers do not have difficulty getting over when she is let off closer to the store street entrance  Mr. Barfield stated that the authority should consider the needs of the passengers and not bus operators  Mr. Barfield stated that businesses be approached to negotiate a deal with businesses with advertising on the inside of the buses in exchange for placing bus stops closer to the businesses front entrances  Mr. Eby stated that the bus stop were removed from business entrances due to traffic, pedestrians, time and safety issues  Mr. Dolan stated that the authority should have a friendlier transit system, it is hard to understand the bus traffic rules and our area should be more transit friendly  Ms. Baysden stated that there needs to be signs posted on the buses stating no weapons allowed  Ms. Baysden also stated that a driver told her that she was not allowed to bring her service dog on the bus  Mr. Eby stated that service dogs are allowed under the Americans with Disabilities Act and he would ensure that operations staff was aware of the law  Mr. Meeks stated that he would like to see service to the beach  Mr. Meeks also stated that sometimes the buses are clean and some of the seat cushions on some of the buses are missing RECOGNITION OF OUTGOING BOARD MEMBERS  Mr. Dolan presented Mr. Bryden with a plaque thanking him for his service on the board  Mr. Bryden highlighted on his years with the authority ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND ANALYSIS REPORT  Mr. Dolan recognized Mr. Eby to present the Organizational Analysis results  Mr. Eby stated that since its creation in 2004 the authority has grown its administrative staff based on available funding and pressing needs at the time of expansion  He stated that this reactive form of staffing is inefficient and fails to meet sound planning principles  Mr. Eby stated that following the resignation of the Assistant Director and the impending retirement of another administrative staff member, he was given approval by the Executive Committee to contract with a consultant to undertake an organizational structure and analysis  The consultant was also retained to undertake a salary analysis and provide job descriptions for key administrative personnel as part of the study  Mr. Eby recognized Ted Reick of TJR Advisors to present the report  Mr. Reick stated that adopting the proposed organizational structure could reduce the amount of time used in overseeing the contractor and should increase efficiency  Mr. Eby recommended adopting the first two levels of the organizational structure and work in phases for the rest of the fiscal year remaining revenue neutral for the remainder of FY 2010  Mr. Barfield made a motion to adopt the structure as presented with the stipulation that it is worked in phases and remains revenue neutral for the remainder of the FY 10 fiscal year  Mr. Koeppel suggested that the resolution adopt the organizational chart from a conceptual standpoint with the understanding the board be kept appraised as to the financial implications as they evolve  Ms. Padgett made a substitute resolution stating that the authority should adopt the top two levels with the provision that the senior vice president of the fixed route operations and positions under that are continued for consideration at a later date  Mr. Adams seconded Ms. Padgett’s substitute motion  Mr. Adams opened the item for discussion  Mr. Barfield stated that there needs to be a potential plan in place in order to proceed with the recommendations of the plan and his motion would allow staff to proceed  Mr. Eby stated that the purpose for approving the top two levels was to allow the authority to proceed with advertising for a finance director based on the job description in the plan  Mr. Eby suggested that an ad hoc committee or a work session be scheduled to discuss the study in greater detail  Mr. Barfield withdrew his motion in favor of a work session  Ms. Padgett withdrew her substitute motion in favor of a work session  Ms. Padgett made a motion to move forward to hire a Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration based on the job description in the Organizational Structure and Analysis Report  Mr. Koeppel seconded and the motion carried unanimously  Mr. Eby stated that the work-study session for the Organizational Structure Study will be announced at a later date  He apologized for not offering enough time to discuss the study before seeking action  He stated that Mr. Rieck would be asked to prepare a final report and staff would move forward with a work session with the board to begin the process of implementing the study EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE  Mr. Dolan stated that the committee did not meet PLANNING COMMITTEE  Mr. Dolan recognized Mr. Adams to give the committee report  Mr. Adams stated that contract for funding for route 205 had not been received from NCDOT but was expected in the first quarter of 2010  He stated that service to Ashley High School and Veteran’s Park needs funding does have support of New Hanover County Schools  Express routes need to be addressed in the short range plans FINANCE COMMITTEE  Mr. Dolan stated the committee did not meet  Ms. Beasley stated that the audit report was expected to be presented at the January 28, 2010 meeting if the auditors have received acknowledgement by the Local Government Commission FACILITIES COMMITTEE  Mr. Dolan recognized Ms. Padgett to give the committee report  Ms. Padgett stated that the Cando Street extension is moving forward and close to being complete  Ms. Padgett stated that sixteen construction firms have been prequalified for Wave Station  Bids are due on January 15, 2010  Ms. Padgett stated that the committee has chosen an artist has and a contract and model of his proposed art would be forthcoming STAFF REPORT  Mr. Dolan recognized Mr. Eby to present the staff report  Mr. Eby stated that he and Ms. Beasley attended an Office of Inspector General seminar on fraud, waste and abuse of Recovery Act funding  Mr. Eby stated that the OIG outlined the statutes concerning this type of activity and asked staff to share the information with their governing boards  Mr. Eby asked any board members who may be contacted by potential contractors to the authority be referred to staff to prevent any suggestion of impropriety  Mr. Eby stated that the due to a dramatic increase in the number of requests for reduced or free services, he had temporarily suspended all requests until the authority could implement its plan to create a 501c3 to handle such requests  He stated that counsel was working on the implementation of the non-profit  Mr. Eby presented the Annual Report  Mr. Eby stated that the annual report will be mailed to the elected officials and funding partners  Mr. Eby stated that the Ms. Beasley will be resigning her position of Finance Director effective January 1, 2010  Mr. Eby thanked Ms. Beasley for her service and wished her success in her future position  Mr. Eby stated that former Finance Director Mr. Mike Kincaid has agreed to renew his contract with the authority to provide financial management until a replacement for Ms. Beasley could be hired OLD/NEW BUSINESS  Mr. Eby stated that the groundbreaking for Wave Station will be included as part of the January 28, 2010 meeting SCHEDULING OF NEXT MEETING  Hearing no further business, Mr. Bryden made a motion to adjourn the meeting and  Mr. Koeppel seconded and the motion carried unanimously  The Authority’s next meeting is scheduled for January 28, 2010 at 12:00 pm in the Castle Street Conference Room Respectfully Submitted, Albert Eby Director /kw