Drafter
Clerk 02/05/2020
Title
AN ORDINANCE changing the term length for members of the Access paratransit advisory committee; and amending Ordinance 11431, Section 7, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.124.010.
Body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. Access paratransit is a supplementary transit service for people with disabilities who are unable to use regular transit services for some or all of their travel needs. The federal Americans with Disabilities Act ("the ADA") requires all transit agencies to provide paratransit services that meet minimum requirements established in the ADA and implementing regulations. The King County Code authorizes additional paratransit service in excess of minimum federal requirements and the program is delivered by contractors.
2. During 2017 and 2018, as part of a procurement process for a new vendor for Access paratransit, King County Metro transit department convened an Access paratransit request for proposals work group to evaluate Access service and make suggestions for service improvements as part of the new contract.
3. In April 2018, following the work of the request for proposals work group, the Metro transit department convened an Access paratransit task force, which was charged with advising the agency on priorities and areas of mutual concern while developing a vision for ongoing improvements. The task force, which has been meeting monthly since April 2018, is comprised of either riders or riders' family members, or both, representatives of human service organizations that serve Access riders and additional members of the public that are reflective of the communities that Access serves, which include people with disabilities, people who speak English as a second language and all geographic locations in King County.
4. In November 2018, the Ordinance 18838, created an Access paratransit advisory committee to advise the Metro transit department, the executive and the council on issues related to Access paratransit relative to the terms of the contract for Access paratransit service.
5. Ordinance 18838 established a term length of four years for members of the Access paratransit advisory committee. As part of their work, the volunteer members of the Access paratransit task force recommended that the length of these terms be two years.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Ordinance 11431, Section 7, as amended, and K.C.C. 2.124.010 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
The King County Metro transit department shall employ a transit public involvement model to promote responsiveness and accountability to the community. The Metro transit department shall provide staff support for the transit public involvement model, which shall include the following major elements:
A. Sounding boards, which are geographically, topically or community-based groups convened for a limited time to consider specific transit topics. Sounding boards shall be established by the Metro transit department to provide advice on identified issues including, but not limited to, transit service changes. Sounding boards shall provide information to the transit advisory commission, local jurisdictions, subarea transportation forums as well as the Metro transit department, the executive and the council. For major planning exercises such as service changes, sounding boards shall make consensus recommendations to the transit advisory commission and the Metro transit department.
B.1. The transit advisory commission, which is a permanent body that shall advise the Metro transit department, the executive, the council, local jurisdictions and subarea transportation forums on transit issues and policy, including matters of concern to the elderly and persons with disabilities. The transit advisory commission shall advise the department on the inception and development of long-range planning efforts and serve as a resource for transit promotion.
2. As of February 18, 2011, the commission shall have up to thirty members who were appointed by the executive and confirmed by the council to serve on either the transit advisory committee or accessible services advisory committee. These initial members may serve for the remainder of the terms for which they were appointed to the transit advisory committee or accessible services advisory committee. The executive shall not appoint individuals to fill vacancies in these positions if the result would be to exceed the membership limits in subsection B.3. of this section.
3. Except as otherwise provided in subsection B.2. of this section, the commission shall have eighteen members who are appointed by the executive and confirmed by the council to two-year terms.
a. Nine members shall be transit riders, recruited by the Metro transit department to reflect the diversity and geographic distribution of county residents.
b. Nine members shall be persons with disabilities or elderly persons or be associated with an agency that works with disabled and elderly persons, recruited by the Metro transit department to reflect the diversity of the communities they represent and types of disabilities, as well as consideration of the geographic distribution of county residents.
4. The commission shall:
a. adopt by-laws, elect a chair and vice-chair to quarterly terms and adopt an annual work program, which shall include issues of interest to transit riders and issues related to accessibility and ((ACCESS)) Access services for elderly and disabled riders as well as all items requested by the council or the Metro transit department;
b. meet as needed to complete the work plan and address other issues as they arise; and
c. designate one member to serve on each sounding board.
5. The transit advisory commission may establish standing and ad hoc subcommittees to review issues that, in the commission's discretion, require in-depth study. The subcommittees shall report to the transit advisory commission and are not authorized to take actions independent of the commission.
C.1. The Access paratransit advisory committee, which shall advise the Metro transit department, the executive and the council on issues related to Access paratransit relative to the terms of the contract for Access paratransit service.
2. The Access paratransit advisory committee shall have at least nine members who are appointed by the executive and confirmed by the council by motion. Membership shall be comprised of Access paratransit riders, family members of Access paratransit riders, representatives of organizations that provide services to Access paratransit riders and representatives of organizations that support Access paratransit riders or potential riders who have limited English proficiency. Members shall serve for ((four)) two-year terms.
3. The Access paratransit advisory committee shall:
a. adopt bylaws, elect a chair and vice-chair to annual terms and adopt an annual work program focused around review of Access service;
b. meet as needed to complete the work plan and address other issues as they arise;
c. provide verbal reports to the council's mobility committee, or its successor, at the request of the committee; and
d.(1) prepare and transmit to the executive and the council an annual report, beginning in August 2020, on Access paratransit service, including:
(a) a review of and comment on the Metro transit department's annual performance metrics and trends relevant to Access paratransit;
(b) a review of and comment on information from customer surveys distributed by the Metro transit department relevant to Access paratransit;
(c) a summary of areas of strength, deficiency or priorities for improvement in the provision of Access paratransit services; and
(d) an overall assessment of Access paratransit service for the prior year.
(2) The Access paratransit advisory committee shall file the report required under subsection C.3.d.(1) of this section in the form of a paper original and an electronic
copy with the executive and the clerk of the council, and the clerk of the council shall retain the original and provide an electronic copy to all councilmembers.