.
>>.
>>commissioner bastien:
>>commissioner bermudez:
present.
>>commissioner regalado:
>>commissioner gilbert:
>> 4 members present, we have a
quorum.
>>commissioner gilbert:
[Inaudible]
>> pledge of allegiance to the
flag of the united states of
america and to the republic for
which it stands one nation
under GOD indivisible with
liberty and justice for all.
>>commissioner gilbert: a
reasonable opportunity to be
heard is open, if you have
business comments regarding an
agenda item you would like to
be heard on please approach the
podium, give me your name
address and I will give you two
minutes and then we will be
done with it.
No one approaching, reasonable
opportunity to be heard is now
closed, MADAM Attorney.
>> a motion to set the agenda
will be in order.
>>commissioner gilbert: moved
by commissioner bastien, second
by commissioner regalado, all
those in favor say aye, all
those opposed, so the agenda
adopted, first order of
business.
>> there are no additional
changes your agenda other than
those on the changes agenda
which include the adoption of
1g2 supplement, 1g1.
>>chair: public hearing is
open.
>> MAY I read the title?
1g1 relates to passenger motor
vehicles amending section 31
102107 of the code of miami
florida revising vehicle age
climates for motor carrier
vehicles and making technical
conforming changes providing
severability and an effective
date, 1g1 is a public hearing.
>>chair: public hearing is
open, anyone wish to be heard
on 1g1, public hearing is
close.
I see you, you don't want to
speak?
You looked like you did.
>>commissioner regalado: I want
to hear from the
administration, I voted against
this one.
It was presented to the board
and one of the reasons is it
could negatively impact the
city of miami so I know they
have older trolleys.
This was my understanding from
the sponsor was modeled after
something past by coral gables
but obviously there's a cost
associated with these
requirements so I want to hear
from staff in terms of any
changes that have been made to
the item and if we've talked to
our partners about potentially
this costing them because the
city of miami owns their
trolleys, a lot of them are
older than this and also how
would it impact us?
>> thank you through the chair,
stacy miller department of
transportation and public works
and I've spoken with
commissioner tran seven she is
willing to make a friendly
amendment to this item.
Unfortunately she's not here
now, she will be working with
the attorney's office to make
this modification.
I don't want to speak out of
turn.
It hasn't been proffered yet.
>>chair: on asking them to
speak out of turn.
>>commissioner regalado: is a
sunshine meeting so we are all
good.
>>chair: there is no thing
against telling me what an
amendment is in a properly
noticed meeting or I can make
the amendment for her.
>> I've not received that
communication yet.
>>chair: let's roll this item,
until the end of the agenda.
I want to talk to the
commissioner, let's go to the
next item.
>> next item is 1g2 relating to
the rapid transit system
development zone amending
section 33 c2 and 33 3.3 of the
code miami-dade county
augmenting the smart zone to a
compass certain properties on
west 30th avenue located within
a quarter-mile of a public
transit station providing
criteria related to public
benefits which allows for
certain development bonuses for
properties providing
severability inclusion in the
code and an effective date.
>>chair: public hearing is
open, public hearing is closed.
>>commissioner regalado: move
it.
>>chair: it's been moved by
commissioner regalado, second
by commissioner bastien,
anything the commission wants
to add hearing nothing call the
roll.
>>commissioner bastien:
>>commissioner bermudez:
>>commissioner regalado:
>>chair:
>> motion passes unanimously.
>> next item is 1g3, amendment
to the implementation plan ptp
directive will actively include
the purchase of 40 foot buses
for I-95 phase 1 and two
project funded in part by
charter county transportation
surtax funds, this is a public
hearing item.
>>chair: public hearing on 1g3
is open, public hearing on 1g3
is closed.
Administration I guess this is
your item.
>> commissioner we only ask for
this to be considered to be
waived till JULY 21 for full
consideration of the board.
>>chair: first you asked for us
to pass it and then you want us
to waive it.
I don't have a problem but let
me help, there's a new
procedure for waving something.
>>commissioner regalado: yes,
we need to explain why.
>>chair: I don't mind signing
the memo but you have to
prepare the memo so we have to
provide an explanation and the
explanation probably has to be
not only why it needs to
advance but why it's just
coming now.
I think that's what it has to
be so it's not as easy as it
was before but let's get
through passing it first, no
questions.
Extended seconded.
Call the roll.
>>commissioner bermudez:
>>commissioner bastien:
>>commissioner regalado:
>>chair:
>> motion passes unanimously.
>>chair: what is next.
>>commissioner regalado: we are
going to talk about the budget,
it's going to be great.
>>chair: where is stacy at?
What's the item I added on for
you?
The underline, we can take
everything together, I just
want to be shown on that.
Just to be nice to regalado.
So that we will take the
balance of that.
>>commissioner regalado: I will
move the balance of the agenda
with the exception of 3k.
>>chair: all those in favor say
aye, those opposed.
It's been moved and seconded by
bermudez, all those in favor
signify by saying aye, show me
as a no.
It's been passed.
>>commissioner regalado: do you
want to discuss the budget
while we wait for the
amendment?
>>chair: is someone calling the
commissioners office?
Out of an abundance of
curiosity.
An abundance of curiosity.
Good one.
Let's go, budget.
MADAM Director.
>> I would like to provide you
all with a brief overview of
information that was utilized
to develop dgp w's budget
moving into this season.
As you can see we have our
vision and mission statement,
obviously our goal is to
provide safe and efficient
transportation for all users.
We are the largest transit
agency within the state of
florida and 10th largest in the
country with a budget of over
$2.2 billion.
And a dedicated workforce of
4241 persons.
Our transit operations
obviously involve a multitude
of different functions.
Last year's boardings eclipsed
81 million with the largest
number obviously within our bus
services.
Public works operations
obviously we are the department
of transportation which is an
intrinsic component.
We oversee roadways, bridges,
traffic signals and signs,
pavement markings, streetlights
and of course we took over
stormwater utility and
maintenance of canals.
We obviously provide regional
conductivity for not just miami
dade county but for south
florida.
As well as regulate the four
hire industry.
We have many customers but we
are committed to making sure we
are an essential function of
our economy.
Most people talk about the
airport and seaport, those
don't function without the road
bridge and transit network to
support them.
We are an essential function
within miami dade county and we
are committed to accessibility
and safety are all vulnerable
road users and as noted our
infrastructure is the
underpinning of a successful
delivery of vital services.
Some key accomplishments for
the launch of our smart
program, first milestone
project of south corridor which
launched OCTOBER 27.
This has been a major
improvement for south county
and we are excited about that.
Midyear assistance we
established a mobility sourcing
program which allows us to go
to original manufacturers for
items which quickly shortens
the timeframe for procurement.
And we continue to work on
transit amenities which
recently assisted us with some
key issues.
Transit funding shortfalls,
this has been an issue looming
for over 10 years.
We have approximately a $100
billion shortfall moving into
the fiscal year 27.
The mayor has proposed a
solution for fiscal year 27 and
I know we all look forward to
those solutions for next year
and years forward.
We have an infrastructure
backlog of over $1 billion of
needs.
We have workforce vacancy
issues approximately 20% right
now and aging technology, we
continue to work with you all
to make sure we can update our
technology and provide a better
user experience for our
patrons.
>>chair: let's stop here for a
second, you talked about the
shortfall.
And I appreciate, describe for
us exactly what you mean by a
shortfall because the way I
understand our transit system
right now, we don't have a
shortfall.
We are designed in a way that
requires us to supplement from
the general fund
transportation.
Shortfall seems to indicate
that there's something we could
do to make that up.
And I don't know that there is
something we could actually do
to make it up.
i think our system public
transit generally through the
country is not designed to pay
for it self.
Sometimes we use this
nomenclature and vocabulary
that says that it kind of
indicates that it's running a
deficit, it's not running a
deficit, there's no shortfall.
We planted in a way to allow
the public generally to move
korea a public generally could
not pay the cost of the bus
ride, the people who need to
take the bus could not pay the
cost of the bus ride so we plan
our system in a way to
supplement that.
Hen we start
using words like shortfall I
would have the administration
to look at the vocabulary we
are using so we could properly
inform the public about how the
system operates and how it's
designed to operate.
Because if we were actually to
do this like proprietary
systems, it would look
completely different.
This is not proprietary.
It's not meant to be.
A proprietary, our proprietary
systems are designed so the
users pay for the service.
Though users are not meant to
pay for the full service of
this system.
So I know you have your whole
nice presentation, you spent a
lot of time on this I can tell
so I'm not asking you to change
it now but let's get into the
habit of speaking about
transportation or our transit
system in a way that does not
compare it to our proprietary
systems so we aren't doing that
and we aren't intentionally
misleading the public but we
are misleading the public about
what public transit is meant to
do.
Regalado.
>>commissioner regalado: I want
to add to that it's important
for us to consider that in the
last two years we have not
received as much funding from
the state as we have in the
past.
Not your fault, not my fault.
I think there were promises
made and we were expecting a
lot more funding from the
state.
That is not the case.
This year we were even
conservative in our ask and we
still didn't get it so that's
the first one.
And also we had the transit 16s
and the work you've done on
that rtz has benefited the tid
but we've been drawing down on
the tid.
As our needs and our
maintenance increases we've
been drawing down on the tid.
We had a lot of deferred
maintenance and I think the
administration for working on
that.
For those of us that represent
part of the metrorail these are
30+ year old stations.
In the case of my district I've
done a lot to have developers
pay for some of that.
But we still have dade land and
the transfer station and things
that are way beyond anything
that zoning could negotiate.
So I think it's a combination
of things.
We talked about how this was
going to be a difficult year,
four years ago and
unfortunately while the rapid
transit zone has aided with the
tid, we still don't have a
revenue source.
We are still at a loss.
We subsidize 80% of this and I
agree with the CHAIRMAN.
We need to be honest with
people about the level of the
subsidy.
And our commitment to transit.
So I'm with you.
I think when we talk about
transit we should be mindful of
the terminology we use to speak
of our commitment because our
commitment is from the general
fund.
That's where we are at.
We get a little bit from here
and from there but all in all
we have been taking from the
general fund from its
inception.
So I think that is a necessary
point.
It's not anything this
commission is doing.
We've gone above and beyond for
the maintenance and operation
which I think is important to
our users because it impacts
the level of service.
Class I'll finish my last
couple of slides, thank you.
As noted understood regarding
the verbiage we use going
forward.
Discussing our priorities, our
initiatives that we continue to
do and have done in the past
our marketing program for drive
less lives more as an
opportunity we used to
interface with the community
and to talk about how we run
our business, gather our
feedback.
We've used it as well not just
in the drive less, live more
but fill in the blank more.
we've used it for a lot of
different opportunities.
It's been a great marketing
program for us.
We are in the process of our
asset inventory and condition
assessment, something the
commission approved previously.
We are starting to gain that
data and that will help us make
better engineering decisions
about our priorities, it's the
first opportunity for
miami-dade to have a full
accounting of our assets as it
relates to our infrastructure
within the department of
transportation and public works
and we are winding down
construction for the south dade
transit operations center, the
first new operations center in
40 years and this supports
obviously the health or radar
and other bus routes that will
occur in the south county area.
That should be completed in the
fall.
Our future outlook as was noted
we use the word funding
shortfalls, I won't be using
that anymore but we have known
about this looming funding gap
in our budget.
We continue to work with the
office of management and budget
as well as the administration
and you all to find a means of
modifying how we move forward
with our operations and capital
funding shortfalls in the
future.
I won't use that word, sorry I
used it, we apologize.
We continue to find wise 305
opportunities as we move
forward and we believe there
are more to come.
We believe we will have the
opportunity to provide better
scheduling and reduce our costs
in the future.
We have just started to use
that.
We are using planning
frameworks, our new county
master plan which we are using
to help us make better
decisions.
We also have master plans for
our escalator elevator and
other facilities as we move
forward.
Happy to answer any questions.
>>chair: commissioner bermudez.
>>commissioner bermudez: I
agree with you that obviously
no public transportation in
this country that I know of of
major size can operate without,
it can operate, or breakeven
that's just a reality but I
want to talk about something,
the difference between transit
and traffic and your department
has to do both.
We can argue until the end of
the day about whether it should
or shouldn't but the reality is
a large part of this county
deals with traffic, the other
part deals with transit.
Issues to the east have been
more referenced transit but to
the west it's been traffic.
Where many people live.
So I would ask you and I think
that's important because as you
move forward you have to keep
that in mind.
That doesn't make your job any
easier, it probably makes it
more complicated but the
reality is our system is trying
to.
It's not maybe what MAY happen
in other cities traditionally
in the northeast for example
where there's always a traffic
issue but more of a transit
issue and in our case it's a
composite of both korea for
growth to occur where growth
has occurred it needs to happen
and I've been a stickler with
the administration and
reiterated to you that one of
my concerns is always a lack of
metrics, the lack of knowing
where.
It drives me crazy when we set
up here and there's things that
pop up from 2013 and 2014 and
nobody knows where it's at.
First of all in both instances,
first of all do you have
metrics?
And some make sense like how
long does it take to fill a
pothole but are the metrics
being followed, are there
metrics, are they being looked
at?
That's one of my questions.
Claps through the chair we have
metrics associated with the
time when we receive I want to
say complaint but an issue till
the time we complete it but we
are wholly underfunded for
sidewalk improvements, pothole
filling and resurfacing, we are
about $1 billion behind on
maintenance and improvements
associated with our existing
road and bridge network.
>>commissioner bermudez: that's
a big concern because a lot of
times we're talking about
things like the underline and I
support it, I have no problem
but a vast part of this county
and not just my district going
south to the west is impacted
as a combination of both, it's
not just a matter of one.
I think that's something we
need to kind of focus on and
not always make it eastern
centric as it is.
talking about these old things
that have been approved and
what happened to them, the bus
depot on 14th and 15th street
here by the old miami herald
building.
What's happening with that?
Because way before most of us
got hear their was money
awarded to fix that.
And what's going on?
Does anybody know?
Claps I apologize, I do not
have that information but I
will find out.
>>commissioner bermudez: this
is not a criticism of anybody
that's been here before, I'm
sure there watching and they
can enjoy it but one of the big
problems I've seen and now as
our CHAIRMAN Goes on to bigger
and better things, bigger, I
don't know about better but the
reality is a lot of times that
headaches we inherited have
been around for 20 to 25 years
including the transportation
plan because CHAIRMAN Gilbert
remembers we were both in
elected office when this plan
came up a long time ago.
And we are still talking about
it.
One of the problems I see and I
point that out if you could
look into it because we can't
just, these things get lost in
the netherworld of county
politics.
Then they pop up out of the
blue and everybody points
fingers in each direction but
there has to be some sort of
accounting.
It's kind of like knowing
what's under your airports not
having a private company know
under your airport but you
don't know what's under your
airport which is a problem so
if you could check into that I
would appreciate it.
>>chair: that's great.
It's interesting the memo the
administration produced about
the funding possibilities,
that's something I requested as
an interesting thing.
It's especially interesting
when we compare it with the
possibility.
We analyze it under the context
of how much we supplement
transit through the general
fund.
Then we add in the possibility
of reducing the general fund
with property tax reform.
So we've been thinking about
this from the perspective of
rapid mass transit, the
question isn't going to be
rapid mass transit alone.
He
question will be how we operate
this transit system at all.
Because that's not one of the
necessary things that we have
to do.
Pretty soon there is going to
have to be a reconciling of how
we run the system.
And the split that has to exist
between the service that's
provided and how it's funded
with regard to whether it's
funded with a general tax
through general taxes or
whether it's funded through the
people who actually use the
system.
That's the question that's
actually going to be on the
ballot in NOVEMBER.
You might not know that your
answering that question but
that's the question you're
going to answer because if you
institute property tax reform
in a way that does not allow
the general fund to support
this transit system, you will
be raising either raising the
bus rate and metrorail rate or
you will be eliminating
services, that is what you will
be doing.
And the administration probably
needs to start having real
honest and direct conversations
about how that's going to look.
Because everyone on this board
and everyone in this building
understands that we can't
afford to take the level of it
in transit through the general
fund if that's contemplated.
In that ballot initiative.
We won't be able to run the
system that way.
We understand that.
We'd probably better tell
people that.
Explain to them that they are
paying, what is it, $0.11.
Claps our return is 11 or $0.12
on the dollar.
>>chair: let's say 12, $0.12 of
every dollar it takes to ride
that bus.
So this board and this
administration is not
recommending an increase in the
rate right now.
But in truth, we are going to
have to, we will need to find
what we believe to be the
appropriate balance so we know
it can never be 100%.
We know that, is it $0.50 on
every dollar?
Is it $0.60 on every dollar?
Is it $0.70?
On every dollar that we are
going to supplement so in other
words the people or using it
and whatever it is it is.
But the conversation needs to
be had and we need to
standardize it because if we
don't, this system cannot
sustain itself.
And that's not counting what we
know we have to do.
We know that if we don't invest
in a rapid transit, we know in
40 years if we don't invest in
rapid mass transit identifying
these corridors, housing prices
and congestion will cripple
this county eventually, we know
that's what we have to do.
But we are not prepared to do
what we are doing right now, if
the property tax initiative
passes so that needs to be a
real conversation because we
are not some of these other
counties that are small and
insignificant.
When we cripple our economy we
actually change the state of
florida.
And the department that you run
and you will oversee is what
allows the most recovered and
robust economy in the state to
exist.
If you stop rapid mass transit
or you make it cost
substantially more, it's not
just dade county.
It's florida.
So we had probably be better
having that conversation.
The chamber is starting to talk
about it because we don't
necessarily see it but how much
we invest in public transit
allows our businesses to thrive
because they have workers who
can come to work so it's a
challenge we have to have a
more active conversation.
You've been doing a lot of
talking in the corner, I
haven't interrupted you, do you
have an amendment?
Okay.
bastien.
>>commissioner bastien: I
wanted to say that I agree with
commissioner gilbert and with
my colleagues.
This discussion needs to be had
sooner rather than later.
I-4 one have so many residents
and I know other colleagues who
are experiencing the same
thing.
A lot of our residents are on
fixed income.
They will not be able to
contribute much.
So if we agree and we know
transportation must find a way
to fund itself and there are so
many residents that rely on
these services to move around
in my district I get calls from
residents all the time who are
having a hard time because of
the changes in the routes.
They are really really having a
hard time because some of the
elderly unfixed income rely on
transportation, rely on the
routes to go buy groceries and
I receive these calls every
day.
We need to be proactive.
Because every year we have
people moving in to miami dade
county.
So you have to balance the
needs of the residents and the
needs of those coming in for
other places because they are
attracted by what we have to
offer.
I agree we need to be
proactive.
We need to really have this
hard discussion sooner rather
than later and another thing
I'd like us to really consider
is to look at the contracts
that we give when we, to fix
these roads.
in the past I've talked about
some of the changes,
infrastructure changes in my
district and how soon after we
repair it MAY deteriorate.
So these are also discussions
that we need to have.
We have to do an overall
assessment of how we do this
work.
How we award these contracts.
How we assess the work after
it's done so that we don't have
to continuously invest in
repair for all the roads to
deteriorate again.
I think there's a lot of work
to do and I agree with
commissioner gilbert, these are
discussions we need to have.
We need to come to the fact
that we have to find a way
because so many of our
residents cannot afford it.
And transportation cannot fund
itself.
>>chair: thank you, regalado.
>>commissioner regalado: I have
a few questions.
Commissioner gilbert mentioned,
the CHAIRMAN Mentioned the
smart plan medal.
Thank you for putting that out,
I think it was necessary and we
all know that it was about time
we actually put it out there
and started talking about our
challenges.
The one thing I wish that smart
plan medal included was the
opportunity to have enterprise
departments do some of this
work.
Specifically as I've mentioned
at the tvo and I've mentioned
it to the administration have
an opportunity to put a
tri-rail station at the port
where the airport pays half and
the port pays half, it would be
between 30 and 33 million and
it would give us access to the
railroad we spent 80 million
on.
This board already approved a
station at little river.
Then it goes to the port so why
not do a port station and get a
transit win without is coming
out of the transit budget?
Think we also need to get a
little creative here in terms
of places where we know that
there is a need for transit.
And there is enterprise funds
that could do it.
The idea to commissioner
bermudez point about
alleviating traffic, we have so
much congestion between the
airport and the port if we had
a transit line.
Hen this was
presented it was $1 billion to
extend metrorail, $1 billion to
extend metro mover.
That's madness, we don't have
that kind of money but if we
could do a tri-rail station for
30 million student that.
We have to start changing our
mindset because what happens to
us a lot of times is a lobbyist
have to come and pitch the
thing and we react to it as
opposed to us saying wait a
second, there's an opportunity
here.
I think we can have some
transit that is a little
different and I give that as an
example.
And in little river we've got a
tri-rail station built by the
developer and that's because of
the rtc which leads me to my
second point.
We have a dependence on the
tid.
now that the rtz has been in
place for some time we need to
look at the growth in the tid
since we started these
developments and start looking
at where these developments
have come and what our options
are for the places in the rtc
where we haven't seen
development so the rtz has seen
development in my district and
a little bit in bastien's and
the question is MR. Chair do we
go back to the drawing table
and figure out what we do for
those other areas to
incentivize that development
and how do we capture that?
Ecause the growth of the tid
is what we need and for those
of us that have transit, we are
also having a tremendous amount
of development along those
transit lines and that money is
going into tid.
It's important to start having
that baseline conversation to
see where this is coming and
what changes we can make
because we have proven changes
to zoning can benefit our
transit system so let's keep
having that conversation, let's
not just leave it in a vacuum.
The other issue is the mover.
Will say it again, we should
charge for the mover.
Speaking of tri-rail we are
going throw whole process with
our fair collection and one of
the things we're looking at is
starting with digital first and
not the fair dates and this
board should seriously consider
starting with a pilot for the
mover that has a digital price
collection.
Those people are sophisticated
enough over there in downtown
to be able to do it.
that will bring us some
revenue.
We MAY not capture all of it
but we are capturing nothing.
So whatever we capture I think
it would be a benefit to us.
And we need to eliminate this
idea of free transit.
I've said this last budget,
I'll say it again.
We need to kill baylink, nobody
has money for baylink.
Instead of the planning money
we are spending on baylink we
need to get a trolley and get a
trolley that goes across the
venetian and be done with this.
Fdo t won't pay for it, we
can't afford it and at some
point we've got to cut our
losses and move forward.
And if a bart was good enough
for south dade and is working
why is a trolley not good for
miami beach.
Is there a different standard.
Because last time I checked it
was all the same, we had to
approve ridership and interest
to move forward.
I think when we look at the
smart plan we need to say okay,
what doesn't have the ability
to get funded and let's find a
solution.
I think that is something miami
beach would like to consider.
It concerns me we keep cutting
bus routes and I'm not going to
get ahead of the budget but I
want to say the constant
cutting of the bus routes, if
we're going to keep doing this
we have to go back and look at
metro connect.
We have to look at it because
we need to use the same
standard that we use for the
buses for metro connect.
How much are we paying for that
one writer because time and
again we come to the buses and
say it's low ridership, caught
the bus route in the meanwhile
metro connect is existing out
there in the ether and I think
we are getting to a point where
we might be reverting back to
the original letter bus that
just had buses and arteries and
if we are doing that we need to
be honest about it.
I think we need to be honest
about it.
Because if you start looking at
the pattern of pattern is
moving us towards that.
We need to be honest with
people about the bus routes
that are working and the ones
that are important and if the
bart is working we need to
invest because it's working and
have a comprehensive
conversation, not just a
reactionary conversation to
better bus.
I also think we need to deal
with some of our liabilities.
I know our legal department was
looking into the proterra
issue, we are not the only ones
that have this issue but we
also have sp 7046.
Sb 7046 puts a pin in some of
our electric bus purchases and
the question is what are we
going to do about that because
after proterra broward decided
to purchase diesel so that's
another conversation we need to
have.
How much are we investing, how
much is it costing and how do
we deal with the state
preemption that makes us look
at that money differently.
I would like to see that.
And finally in terms of the
roadway issue, I think we need
to have a conversation about
the stormwater and the
stormwater fees.
And how we do that and how we
collect that.
Are we really doing that work,
what would it actually take for
us to be able to have a good
stormwater plan and what does
that cost?
That doesn't mean we have that
money but as we have these
conversations we should have a
minimum have an idea.
When we do zoning, we need to
take that into account.
Because sometimes we do and
sometimes we don't.
Ut maybe
there are some changes to the
comprehensive master plan that
could help us alleviate some of
this.
We also need to start looking
at our impact fees.
And I'm not a fan.
This administration has been
good to my district in that we
are finally fixing some of the
roads.
And we fight for them and I
thank you.
But my district for 10 years
and the impact fees taken and
put in other districts and I
had roads that had been built
and resurfaced for 30, 40, 50
years and I know that happens.
There is a disparity here and I
understand that.
Some people have more
development than others but for
those of us who are suffering
the development, those potholes
are more painful because people
drive down our streets and to
say I don't understand, I see
this building, once this
pothole and meanwhile we're
talking about building roads
outside the you dv so what's
going to give here?
I think that we need to look at
the impact fees and to be
honest about what our road
plans are so that we could then
articulate to our residents
what the needs are and how we
are doing our best to meet
those needs.
Because we are put in a
difficult position.
So I think moving forward as we
go into the budget we have to
look at what are our revenue
opportunities and what are our
existing liabilities and match
these up because there's a lot
of policies that have been set
by this board that then get
mirrored back to us in the
budget.
And I think we are at a point
where we need to reevaluate
those and figure out is this
really working for us or not
and try to find some revenue
generation.
I think the rtz has shown us
zoning can help transit so we
should revisit that and have
these conversations about
different ways to fund transit.
And what we can do to ensure
where the density is coming
that money at a minimum fixes
the roads that are adjacent to
it, thank you.
>>commissioner bermudez: just
one thing, when we look at
impact fees municipalities look
at the impact fees to end the
one we are in coextensive so
the responsibility will have to
be we've got, it's not a
one-way road.
Unfortunately to the west where
we do need roads particularly
in areas that this county
allowed, the city of hialeah.
any growth there within the you
dv and you know how I feel
about the udb, we've got to
stop with this 52 years we
can't talk about it like it's a
bad word.
Everybody could be at the
table.
Environmentalists and you guys,
us, everybody but if you look
at impact fees I want to make
sure we look at what
municipalities do because they
also charge impact fees.
>>commissioner bastien: on the
bus route changes moving
forward it is important that
district commissioners sit down
with you before you change the
routes.
I-4 example have pockets of
residents who are basically cut
off, mainly elderly's, the
elderly as I was referring to
earlier cut off.
So before these changes I
definitely would like to sit
down with the department to
analyze, to see the plan for
this bus route because we know
our district best.
We know where our residence
needs are.
So I really would like to be
part of that conversation and I
know other commissioners would
like to also to make sure that
we just don't react to the
changes after we hear from the
residence, it's important for
us to sit down with you moving
forward to find better
solutions to keep our elderly
is moving.
We need them to keep moving.
It has an impact on their
health and on life in general
so this is something we really
need to work on and on free
transit commissioner regalado i
agree it cannot be free but
there will always need to be
considerations for others.
It's not everyone and I am
always referring to the elderly
because I know what they are
going through right now.
The decisions, the hard
decisions they have to make
every day to make ends meet.
To keep their homes.
To pay insurance.
Many are losing their homes
because of their high cost of
living.
So we have to find ways to help
them.
Whatever plans we make we have
to take into consideration in
miami dade county they are the
elderly populations that are
hurting right now like so many
other families.
We have to decide whether to
buy food or pay for medication
or pay for taxes, insurance,
everything is going up that
their income remains stagnant.
These are things we need to
take into consideration as we
plan forward because it's all
linked.
It is all linked.
You cannot take any of this
problems or issues and deal
with them in silos.
Nd in our
best interests to find ways to
keep the elderly population in
miami dade county moving.
You need to be able to walk,
it's better for them.
We win in the end if we find
ways to keep them moving so
before we change these bus
routes I'd like to sit down.
>>chair: okay.
Hold on.
It's not superquick.
Is he going to be superquick
what she says?
Does anybody think it's going
to be superquick?
>>commissioner regalado: you
can tie me.
>>commissioner regalado: maybe
I was too subtle.
I want you guys to consider
metro connect should not be a
say great cow because she needs
to find money and if metro
connect we are paying for it
because we canceled bus routes
and in order to continue we
need to cancel bus routes.
At some point we need to decide
what is more important, the bus
routes or the metro connect
because the tail is wagging the
dog again so we can increase
the price, cut it,
geographically limit it.
>>commissioner bastien: we need
to have these conversations.
>>chair: my turn.
I agree that we need to I think
they called it the golden
passport for the seniors.
We need to keep it free.
I know.
>> 40% of our patrons pay
nothing or half-price affairs.
>> thank you.
I think we need to keep that in
place but then you probably
need to look at raising the
rates on other people.
So you probably need to look at
50%.
It is not a free ride.
The ride is going to be paid
for or subsidized.
So the question is where you
are going to get that subsidy
from.
What you're saying with metro
connect is the same thing.
If you provide a free ride on
one else has to pay a little
more.
so I took rapid mass transit
and transit to go to law
school.
I remember when it used to go
up $0.10 and $0.15 and if you
have years where it went up
every year then you would never
face a system that was so far
out of balance.
So what happens is for folks
watching its basic stuff.
The price of gas goes up.
And we use gas in the buses.
But the bus ride doesn't go up.
So it's basically that simple.
For people who want to take it
a little further.
Every year we will give a
cost-of-living increase which
we should do our people who
operate transit.
But the price, and we will give
that because we should because
the cost of living has gone up
so to live here then they have
to actually make more.
Not unlike everyone else.
But the price of the ride does
not go up.
In a cummins way.
That's not fiscal
responsibility.
That's dishonesty.
So the system is fundamentally
not supporting itself.
That aside, you're right.
Rapid transit zones have
increased.
The tid, we know the pay
increase on it.
E allow
people to do different sars and
high density along the
corridors, we can increase the
taxable value, increase goes
into the system.
We understand that.
You all last year came to me
when you raided the tid and
said we need to do it for this
year and I thought you were
being optimistic when you said
that.
We've got a plan, we're doing
it this year but that was last
year and this year you are
raiding the tid again and I
don't know that I'm going to be
supportive because it places me
in the position of doing what
prior commissions have done
when they make difficult
decisions when they took the
half-penny honest for rapid
mass transit and used it to
support a system.
I don't begrudge them their
situation, they were facing a
situation where the county was
broke, housing was in a
freefall.
They did the hard thing.
But now we are faced with
essentially the broken promises
of the half-penny. So we have
to live with the legacy of a
broken promise at the
half-penny. People do not
understand the buses that they
are able to ride on those buses
they will do things because
those commissioners made a very
difficult decision.
I understand that, I do not
begrudge them their decision.
It was difficult.
It is difficult because you get
to choose to do some hard
things, it's a rock and a hard
place.
The question is what we are
going to do.
So we know at some point
whether it's a dedicated
millage, another halfpenny, a
general obligation bond
something has to fix the
system.
Not just operate the system,
somebody has to fix the system.
the money we have in
maintenance that's behind,
something has to fix the
system.
That's what I'm looking for
from the administration and my
colleagues before I leave.
And if I end up going to
congress you know I will fight
for it.
It means that much to be, this
is the system that got me my
law degree, took my system to
our future.
I want that opportunity to
exist for young people going
forward.
But we have to come up with a
plan.
When I tell you this is not a
sustainable orbit, it's not a
sustainable orbit and there is
a crash coming quickly for us.
We are we are going to make
some hard decisions about
villages or cuts in services or
terminations, there's some hard
decisions coming our way.
We can look at the budget that
administration proposes and
tread water but there's a point
where you're treading water,
you know you're not going
forward but most people can
tread water and they can tread
water for an hour or two hours
but this isn't the movie
titanic, you eventually just
drown.
That's coming our way.
So we know it's coming our way.
It's undesirable it is not
unforeseen.
So when regalado talks about we
have to have a plan, there's
going to be a plan but
everything has to be on the
table, everything has to be on
the table.
So I don't know where we end up
on the tid this year.
What is likely that will happen
from my perspective as I want
that plan because if you're
telling me I spent 18 months
traveling up and down this
county fighting with our
residents about the rtz so that
I could find funding that would
eventually accumulate enough
money to fund rapid mass
transit but I did all that
fighting so you all could take
the money every year to support
the system, that's problematic.
Because now you're putting me
in a situation where I've gone
to those people, I've made
those arguments you all are
essentially making me into a
liar.
You all have been on the board
with me when I started using
the word liar, I can't do that.
So that's my problem with
raiding the tid, because we
said something else.
We said something else and when
I said it it was true, this is
what it was meant to do.
So it was an emergency last
year but every year can't be
the same emergency.
Every year can't be the same
emergency so that my problem
with it and that's a
conversation.
I'm going to need a plan so
this is my notice to all of
you.
I'm going to need a plan.
Last year I took your word you
wouldn't do it again this year.
All this stuff popped off, we
lost more money in the
legislature this year.
We could stop asking, we know
we are not getting it at this
point.
They are not going to help.
we have to do it ourselves so
let's figure out a plan to do
it ourselves.
>>commissioner regalado: with
you 100%.
That's why I started saying I
appreciate the memo but I also
think there is opportunity in
other revenue sources.
So I get it.
You get a bond, increase the
half-penny, we all know these
things.
But can you charge for the
mover, can you put a trolley
and get rid of baylink?
Can you find other
alternatives?
Can we go back to the rtz and
figure something out?
I don't think there's one
solution to all these problems.
I think it has to be a
collection of things.
And we can start with those
things.
The problem is last year when I
said let's charge for metro
mover, it's going to take two
years, somebody has an
election, here we are again,
it's an election year and by
the time we have the
conversation it will be another
election year.
I think we need to start on
these things.
And whatever it is at least
it's a start.
Nd look, I
think we also I don't think we
should have, putting aside the
golden passport which we have.
This concept of free transit,
unless there's a hurricane or
national emergency I don't
think we should dispense with
fairs and we've gotten into
these arguments about fair
suspension.
i don't think we should.
If there's an emergency, we
suspend the fairs and if not we
have to charge because we lose
so much money.
It's already so subsidized.
We lose so much money so
there's policy changes that
need to be made so we can give
you the flexibility to come
back to us and say look, these
are the different options but
we also have to be honest that
the politics of this thing and
MR. CHAIRMAN I was with you.
You and I took the blows for
the rtz and I have to hear my
residence say here's this
density, where is the transit
beyond what we already have?
When projects come to my
district I go above and beyond
to try to get money for the
stations, to get money to
offset it so I'm not taking
from the half-penny but not
everybody does that.
Some people are just like I
will fix my station from the
half-penny. We have to figure
out a way to do it so there's
some equity as we all try to
make this work because it is to
all our benefits to stretch the
money we have as much as
possible to oliver's point to
get us as far into the smart
plan as we can.
But that's going to take a
little bit of sacrifice.
And I don't, I don't think
there's one thing but this
budget, we should at least have
in the horizon one or two or
three things.
That's are going to start
changing the conversation
because if we read the tid this
time what happens next year and
we have an election year end
the same thing and if we are
going to do something I think
we need to be honest about it.
I don't think it's death by
1000 paper cuts which is what
we're doing now that it's very
reactive.
>>commissioner bermudez: I
agree, we have to have the
discussion.
The half penny went the wrong
way from the beginning.
None of us had anything to do
with that but sadly it went the
wrong way from the beginning.
But I think when those
decisions were made during the
crisis of 2008 obviously people
lost confidence because when
you move use money you promise
for something else the voters
as you fool me once, you're not
going to fool me again this is
what we talk about when we talk
about these tid dollars is we
don't want to repeat that.
The reason this county has been
in a position with transit
that's so difficult is because
elected officials, transit
takes 10 or 12 or 10 years
before you see the results and
that means you're not in office
to benefit from the fruits of
what happens but put that aside
and make a difficult decision.
I agree we need to have a plan.
I will say I'm going to quote
eisenhower, plans are useless
but planning is essential.
Everybody knows the plan MAY
not be perfect but if you don't
even start thinking about it
and what I've seen here and I'm
speaking for myself is a lot of
plans that just sat there and
then we talk about it and
that's it, we don't even know
and another plan comes along
five years later on the same
thing and that's not what
eisenhower meant.
Things change within that plan
but you've got to be planning
because if not there's going to
be a problem.
The CHAIRMAN You'll have me on
your side if we tried to get
this transparency and before
you go I'll be happy to back
you up because that's what I
felt from the beginning and as
far as commissioner regalado
before I forget she starts to
like me again and I want to
wish her happy birthday so I
won't be able to be here when
she's here, early birthday to
her.
>>commissioner regalado: I
don't get to share it with you,
usually I met a bcc meeting
with a cake.
>>chair: darn.
>>commissioner regalado: that's
what happens when your birthday
is so close to the budget
break.
>>chair: on the tid, when you
are raiding the tid, why
wouldn't it be a son?
>> we had a similar
conversation and mayor, asked
the board to consider the gas
tax and she was rejected.
She asked the board to consider
fairs to consider solving some
of this in balance.
That's why it was rated then
and she's going to put out a
budget that is not going to
propose any tax increases or
fare increases and the only way
to make the imbalance is the
tid.
>>chair: you didn't actually
answer the question, former
trial attorney I'd like you to
answer the question then you
can go into the soliloquy.
why is the raiding the tid not
a loan from the tid to the
general fund?
Like last year you took the
money, it's like strong arm
robbery but the loan is you
borrow the money.
You can over time pay it back.
I know when I was in miami
gardens at one point before I
got all the development getting
the general fund had the I
guess our version of our er, we
had to loan them money but when
I got development kicking they
paid it back.
Why are you taking it instead
of borrowing it?
>> we have not considered that,
I've not had that discussion.
I'm happy to have the
discussion.
I would point out the obvious
challenge is we are so
imbalanced now we don't have a
path to breakeven much less pay
something back but I didn't
wouldn't be opposed to
attempting a plan but the plan
MAY include fare increases or
implementing charges that
historically we've not been
allowed.
>chair: but then you also
don't know what happens.
The challenge with the rtz when
she talks about we need to look
at what we can do with it we
understand the challenge, that
people in the corridor don't
want to build density.
So we've left the option for us
to come back and oppose it if
we want to so future boards
can't impose that.
But we haven't gone that route.
Things will happen and there
will be more money that comes
in but the question just being
even if we adjust the
percentages of what comes from
the tid there are things you
can do in the future to reclaim
some of that money if it's a
loan.
But if we're just giving it to
you.
And also it being a loan helps
from my perspective because
it's very difficult for me to
reconcile the fact that I told
people this would go into the
fund that would help with rapid
mass transit and I let you read
it.
Last year was an emergency, I
explained but I can't explain
an emergency two years in a
row, that's a challenge so I
don't like doing that.
That is the challenge.
Everyone here and everyone
watching these are the candid
conversations.
That I have with the
administration behind closed
doors.
We don't have an opportunity to
speak behind closed doors but
this is it.
So I understand their need is
actually pressing.
It is not an insignificant or
trifling need.
There is an actual problem.
They are solving a problem,
this is the only way they think
they can solve it because the
board to your acknowledgment is
not allowed you to raise fairs,
I understand that.
But two things can be true at
the same time.
That can be true and also one
can be true as I told the
resident if they pull this out
and it goes into the tid you
can bank money for rapid mass
transit, that's true to.
>>commissioner regalado: to
follow-up, my cities it's been
paid in full but they've
managed our zoning permit coral
gables created their own rtz
overlay which we helped them
create in their doing that.
South miami meant our zoning so
along the corridor I've asked
our partners to suffer this
density in the name of a
comprehensive transit plan.
So I agree with you, the
question is what are our
revenue sources in the future?
Like what can we do?
It's very difficult for me to
go back to my residence and say
you are suffering density along
this corridor, you're building
the tid and we are paying for
people to have subsidized metro
connect.
The fact that we've spent 32
million on that over the last
four years, now they are paying
something but it's still a huge
subsidy.
For someone in my corridor they
are like, we would like to have
transit that goes countywide,
we are suffering the density
but somewhere in that either
someone is doing something
else.
I'll give you an example.
At tri-rail we got fdot money
to do first and last mile and
contracted with uber and my
board wanted to do something
similar and I was against it.
Instead of subsidizing the full
ride we gave people a five
dollar credit if they were
going to go beyond five dollars
that was on them, not me.
It's insane that we do it the
other way around so we are
having the user pay 350
subsidized what the difference
is irrespective of what the
difference is even at tri-rail
we did this for a year.
We follow the mystics, and when
it came back and we looked at
what we were investing versus
what we were getting we decided
to give the money back to fdot
and canceled it and only kept
ourselves at the airport which
was not an easy thing to do.
You can invert metro connect
and say this is the line item,
this is what we are doing.
We will give you a credit and
you deal with the rest.
Or you can shrink the geography
of it so that is meeting its
needs.
But the reason we are in this
conversation is because we
canceled bus routes and now
we're going to subsidized metro
connect so we can cancel more
bus routes?
Then what do we do, come back
and say we need more metro
connect to deal with the
canceled bus routes?
It's madness.
So I think we should look into
some sort of mechanism that
brings the money back in order
to do that we need to have a
conversation about revenue
generation and that means
putting a pin in some of these
things.
We've got a tourniquet here and
we're bleeding out.
And we need to be honest about
our priorities are and those
priorities should be buses, we
should prioritize buses over
alternatives to buses.
Then we need to figure out what
we are actually building and
what we are doing.
And how we can get some easy
wins in terms of transit and I
think we can do some of that in
the next few months as we look
into this budget and create
some revenue generation.
>>chair: to the attorney, do we
have language, you can read to
us and see if we can bring the
item.
>> the motion would be too
amend item 1g1 to provide
municipal circulator service be
operated until such vehicles
reach 20 model years of age.
He change would only apply to
municipal circulator vehicles
and not fixed road vehicles in
reference to 350,000 miles will
be stricken from the ordinance.
>>commissioner regalado: the
city of miami's issue is
because remember this was from
coral gables, coral gables has
short routes so their mileage
is low.
City of miami travels a lot
more, their mileage is high
they are less than 20 years old
so if we take out the 350,000
mileage issue it's good with
the city of miami.
I want to make sure it doesn't
impact us so if it's
municipalities.
>> with this change it would
apply to municipal circulators.
>>chair: show the item amended
and I will need a motion.
S
amended, seconded by bermudez,
ordinance or right resolution?
Call the roll.
>>commissioner bastien:
>>commissioner bermudez: yes.
>>commissioner regalado: yes as
amended.
>>chair:
>> motion passes unanimously.
>>commissioner regalado: I need
to move 2a to our next bcc
because of the gap.
'm happy
to draft the memo.
2a is a interlocal agreement
between miami dade county and
the village of key biscayne for
the e bikes.
Perfect, thank you.
>> I'd like to add request 3k
to advance and we will draft a
memo for your consideration.
>>commissioner regalado:
please, pretty please.
JULY.
And I'm committed to helping
transit while you are gone,
committed.
>>commissioner bermudez: the
letters say she has committed
to helping transit because all
of us are committed to helping
transit while you are gone,
she's trying to butter you up.
>>chair: I credit stacy with
this, she called at 7:41 in the
morning pleading this case.
>> you don't answer my calls at
7:41 but you answer hers?
>>chair: is called caller id,
she calls a lot less frequently
than you do so you can wait
until 10, she's calling at 7:41
it is a pressing issue, I might
have a bus on fire if she calls
at 7:41.
I guess we will move it ahead.
You've got to draft a memo.
Happy birthday but let's
remember that CHAIRMAN's office
has to approve this.
I'm just recommending it, thank
you all.
So anything additional?
Need a motion to adjourn.
Show us adjourned, thank you.