Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Transit Authority Meeting   3/27/2025

So Ben, would you officially start?

I'm the city's Transportation Planning Manager.

Mike Pruitt, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors.

She's joining us.

All right, Lucinda.

Lucinda Shannon, TJPDC.

what I call the vote roll.

Counselor Pinkston.

Yes.

Supervisor McKeel.

Yes.

Right.

I'm sorry.

And until you get another jurisdiction, that's as many votes as they're going to get.

If no one did, I will entertain a motion because we also have to approve the meeting minutes.

I motion that we approve the meeting minutes from the previous meeting.

Second from Natalie.

Councillor Hinson?

Yes.

Councillor O'Shern?

Yes.

Supervisor Pruitt?

Matters from the public.

We have three attendees and no one has raised their hands.

Looking at the bylaws, and we all had copies in our packet of the bylaws.

And we do the audit, not the auditor, a public account.

It felt like the same thing, but great.

And let me open it up for questions.

So, with that, I'm looking at Natalie because you look like you're still reading.

No, I'm confident that everything we talked about is fine, but I was just reading.

I'm happy to move the adoption of the authority bylaws reflecting the amendments that are in this document for our adoption.

You want to call for the vote, Luthynia?

Counselor Pinkston?

Yes.

Supervisor Prewitt?

Ben, we're moving to...

But this is a time for y'all to discuss that open question.

Can I ask a question?

I'm just going to open it up for questions.

And what considerations went into that?

We need to think higher than just the UTS.

I hope they can move beyond just buses and UTS and figure out how we can.

And so I just think we need to think bigger.

Like the process of building this roster.

We went through and identified the organizations or the groups in Albemarle and Charlottesville that we thought would be appropriate.

And at that time, the partnership did agree to allow, I believe it was Piedmont Environmental Council and Peter from the Charlottesville Area Alliance, those folks were allowed to join at the board's approval.

And I think specifically Martha Jefferson Hospital.

I don't know how others feel.

And that could be a way you define that role or define it opposite of that and say, you know, you're not supposed to be in here, but we're still connected in some other way.

So I'm just putting that out there as just a reference point for the types of things you might want to be discussing or thinking about.

So Appendix E, Appendix F is the actual legislation and Appendix E are the bylaws.

42, page 42 seems to be consolidated into a table.

Thank you.

It has a rural, an urban, and then the CEO.

Right.

You'd have to make some determination of who would be appropriate if you decided John was one of the members you'd like to invite.

And most have included VDOT, which were the two that came to my mind.

I think they're value-added, without a doubt.

I would just observe that UVA jaunt as one member, DRPT and VDOT would fill our possible slots.

with what intention?

That's in the legislation.

Oh, this is the legislation?

It gives you up to four.

We could certainly ask the General Assembly to change.

So I think this is almost like a short term to fill what's within our enabling authority right now.

Yes, eventually.

We said certainly eight to nine months.

I would defer to you all.

That's what my thought was.

You could have a better idea probably next February of what that shape looks like, but right now we're starting with this guy.

and in that capacity Garland or anyone from CAT are natural persons who can be representatives of a member of the board right so they can be they can serve on for example the finance committee as a member of the finance committee because they are a person who is a member who is part of a member and they could very much be in the room

Ben Smith.

Yeah.

I mean, we're, we're open to the public so they can be in the room in any capacity.

If you could go in and get back to Sam, that would be our expectation along the lines of what I just stated.

Is that what I'm hearing or would be invited invited to be in the room?

So in the future I think they do expect to participate and to show up and be active in this but they are a little uncertain about what their role is supposed to be and are hoping to get some definition from y'all on that.

And if they show up as non-vote, as not non-voting members but just people in the room

then we, basically the difference is they're not at the table and in the discussion unless they get called to the table.

And then the Garland has to say, so can you like talk normal?

But you guys sometimes need me to answer a question and you pull me up and I answer a question that I go sit back down like that sort of function is what they're looking at.

the back row wouldn't be that far it's right there so yeah I'm just trying to think this through because we do have other authorities like the MBO we have the um you know water and sewer authority with the airport authority just trying to figure out how they're structured a little bit as we're having this discussion right um

There's an efficiency to small groups.

I'm of the opinion at the end of the day everything gets accomplished by one to two people just actually knuckling down in a small room.

Who's going to fill in the gaps for you with the information that you're going to need to be contributing to that discussion?

because it would seem like to me that what we do for one of those we would do for the, I mean it just would make sense, right?

When we're talking about needing input and decisions that we're making, what are the decisions that we're going to be making that we're going to need input on?

so great question and help me with this a little bit but one thing we'll be deciding about is our funding stream where the funding comes from we would also be depending i would i think we would be deciding on or prioritizing projects

Yes, we have.

We'd be prioritizing perhaps Albemarle County projects, right?

I think the idea is at this table.

and funding, those are the two big ones.

Those are going to be two big efforts that you'll be taking on this year.

What would be something, do you all have any thoughts on other?

That's going to take up most of your time.

And Christine, feel free to jump in here as we're talking.

So, you know, the methodology for scoring projects, for identifying who gets the funding, so that's longer into the future, but that is what this board's responsibility will be.

Because that becomes essential to what kind of ask we're making to the GA.

have to ask GA for permission for to do, to absorb?

But I'm just, I'm saying, it strikes me as that has to be a first conversation because that informs what kind of money.

Right, it's the narrative of what we're building and asking for.

Versus bringing them in here and then making one take a bear.

I agree.

Why don't we move forward?

Whereas UVA, I think that there's probably more discussion that you need to have.

We need that population if at all possible because it really helps us pull down funding.

Yeah.

At least in the past, it's helped us pull down.

You could set that up and then start filling out the money to three different transit agencies based on what priorities they're serving for you based on this regional transit vision plan.

We're talking about putting them under an umbrella, right?

You can add up to four and you all can decide on the timing of that.

It would be interesting what their membership is like.

I think HRTC has one.

not transportation, but just transit.

So they've got, you know, a board of directors, but they've also got a group of advisors, you know, where they've got their foundation, they've got their university, they've got DRPT.

That community, that's a university.

Because they may very well not even know that we're doing this.

Maybe we can look to set that up as part of the town and gown discussions.

Why don't we do that?

Because we've had one discussion with the court.

And I would be interested in

We'd have to call them and book to them.

We could just brainstorm here.

Was it the sort of thing we could ask staff to make a recommendation or is that putting off on what we should be doing?

I don't think we wanted

to make a recommendation unless y'all ask for it.

Yeah.

Right, right, right.

I don't want to tax everyone's time.

But your thoughts with your recommendation is what I'm hearing, right?

And you know, beyond if you have ones beyond these, this handful, you know, like alliances, health districts, whatever.

I'm just curious about your thoughts.

I will allow them both to talk.

Can you

Do they have to be promoted to participants or panelists?

I was allowing them to talk.

This is Grant.

Just trying to get a sense of your all's thoughts as the DRPD representatives, right?

I'm certainly feel free to reach out to them to confirm that.

Just think you were value added.

But if right now the thought is a non-voting member, I think we're totally on board with that.

Maybe she's, yeah.

Nope, I think Grant kind of covered everything.

Just want to leave you out.

All right.

Our next meeting here?

Yeah, and I think knowing that UVA is a partner that we'll probably be moving forward with in some capacity, we'll go ahead and get those discussions engaged at our executive levels.

Okay.

So I just wanted to put that out there to make sure that

And that's fine.

Let's take a look at it and see.

So certainly want to put some, some more thought into that.

That'd be great.

Thank you.

The additional non-voting directors.

which would allow us to accept everything if we wanted those persons on.

That's your attorney, Brent.

And I'm not saying the RTP should be the member, but like something.

Because you could pull in anybody from the RTP.

I think four is probably sometimes, sometimes limits are good, but I just raised that for me.

So I think our next item then, Anne, is a regular meeting resolution, am I correct?

And I would thank you, Christine, for doing that.

So this is excellent.

We can do that.

Yeah.

Yes, starting in May, but reflecting that it's January, then March, then starting in May.

That's good.

Yeah, that was a good catch.

Right, is there a second?

Do we need to include any virtual meeting information here?

And we would not need to include anything in the scheduling resolution.

And remember, it's as amended, so yeah.

So Supervisor McHale.

Yes.

All right.

So Ben, I'm looking back to you for, I like the way you want to take care of this.

That's a nice addition.

At City Council we have public comments at the beginning, then we have the whole meeting, then we have public comments at the end

Do we need that?

Well, we have two periods of public comment because our meetings are broken into two halves before and after the closed session.

We just have ours in the second one and it's before and after.

But if you want to add five more on there, go for it.

I mean, I'm just pulling this out of thin air, but

with resources potentially, you might need a public hearing.

I mean, it was a non-event because no one showed up, but right.

You wouldn't obviously have another public.

So your public hearing would be, the requirements of that would be dictated by the public.

Yeah.

Well, what's important also to note in a public hearing then is required to go into the newspaper like there's a whole different.

Maybe think about public hearings and I thought we're going to be having some public hearings eventually.

Yeah.

We hope that there would be a reason to have a public hearing.

That'd be a good thing.

Yeah, I think most.

It seems like there is a board that has the two minutes.

I think our rules allow us to exercise the discretion depending on how many people.

But that's for public hearings for the most part.

We could say two minutes and allow more speakers.

I mean, three minutes is consistent with everything else we do.

Y'all don't do the, if you're speaking on behalf of an organization, you get more time saying, do you, I know some places.

We did see that come up when we were pulling these together and saw one that said five minutes, if you're a recognized organization, but we thought that might get out of hand.

So are we good with this thing for right now?

Devise.

This is just an edit, right?

I'm sort of lost track.

Okay.

There we go.

Sorry.

Counselor Pankston?

Yes.

Supervisor McKeel?

Yes.

Supervisor Pruitt?

Yes.

Christina.

And the address of the Water Street Center is 407.

We could just say at the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and not put an address in.

I just I just caught that teeny little detail that 401 is typically only half of our building technically.

Yeah, and that's under number one is what we're looking at.

Resolution yeah.

Well, it was a reference to use though.

So do we need that specific thing at all?

Frequently that once per quarter at a place to be determined by the chair or at such time and places shall be out may determine.

Is that right, Lucinda?

I mean, I guess they look at it.

Yes, I like that.

You want to say that's in the form of a motion?

So this is what I just said.

Seconded.

So if you'll call for the vote on that one.

It's fine.

We're abusing you today because I'm trying to vote for you.

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HUD's website is getting mostly destroyed tomorrow.