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Item 12 - Overview of the Proposed SANDAG 2021 Regional Plan and Reso Opposing Adoption of the Proposed PlanDATE: TO: FROM: CONTACT: SUBJECT: Summary: AGENDA REPORT CityofPoway December 7, 2021 Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council Chris Hazeltine, City Manager(@ Chris Hazeltine, City Manager chazeltine@poway.org or (858) 668-4501 CITY COUNCIL Overview of the Proposed SAN DAG 2021 Regional Plan and Resolution Opposing Adoption of the Proposed Regional Plan The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Proposed 2021 Regional Plan is a 30-year plan that considers how the San Diego region will grow, where residents will live in the future, and how the population will move around the region. It is a comprehensive plan that combines the Regional Transportation Plan, Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), and Regional Comprehensive Plan. It is subject to multiple state and federal mandates. As has been widely publicized, the Proposed 2021 Regional Plan incorporates what has been referred to as the 5 Big Moves. At the center of the 5 Big Moves is a major shift within the region which mandates moving away from constructing and widening highways for individual vehicle use to focusing transportation planning and funding on new transit options. In the $165 billion plan, transit projects would receive approximately $105 billion while roads and highways will receive less than half of that amount, approximately $40 billion. Additionally, to achieve such a transit-oriented vision, significantly more revenue is needed to fund construction. The San Diego Region is very diverse and while high level dense development and more transit may work for some areas of the County, it does not work for all. A regional plan should be balanced and recognize and accommodate the needs of all local governments and communities within the region. The Proposed 2021 Regional Plan does not strike this balance and proposes a new road usage charge that will be charged to Poway residents and businesses who will see little if any direct benefit as the revenue from this new charge will be used to fund new transit options in other areas within the region. In addition to the road usage charge SANDAG is proposing to generate new revenue from two future ½ cent sales tax increases, and a $1.25 fee on Uber and Lyft rides. For these reasons and others, the attached resolution of the Poway City Council opposes the adoption of the SAN DAG 2021 Proposed Regional Plan in its current form. 1 of 5 December 7, 2021, Item #12 Recommended Action: It is recommended that the City Council adopt the attached resolution. Discussion: SANDAG is a regional organization that represents all 18 incorporated cities in San Diego County, as well as the County of San Diego. Every four years SANDAG and its member jurisdictions are charged with updating the Regional Plan which is a comprehensive long-range planning tool that contemplates how the region will grow, where people will live, and how people will move throughout the region. Because it is a long-range planning tool, it must anticipate future growth, future economic trends, future environmental changes, and future transportation needs. What it should also do is recognize that throughout the San Diego region there are small, medium, and large cities. We have urban areas and we have more rural areas. There are some central employment centers, but there are also many smaller businesses and employers spread throughout the region. The current and future needs of all SANDAG jurisdictions are not a one size fits all and the next regional plan should reflect those differences and strike a balance of the different needs throughout San Diego County. Based upon the SANDAG voting procedures implemented by the passage of Assembly Bill (AB) 805 a few years ago, votes of the SAN DAG Board may be done by a weighted vote which gives the region's largest cities the ability to approve items without majority support of all member jurisdictions. The emphasis on transit and new fees to fund transit infrastructure and services in the Proposed 2021 Regional Plan is a direct reflection of the influence of the largest cities through the weighted vote and is not representative of unique and individual needs of cities throughout the region. On December 10, 2021, the Proposed 2021 Regional Plan will be presented to the SAN DAG Board of Directors for adoption. Based upon how the plan is currently written and its focus almost exclusively on using all current and proposed transportation revenue to expand transit in ways that do not benefit all member agencies, the attached resolution opposes the Proposed 2021 Regional Plan until is revised to incorporate a more balanced approach to future transportation that includes a blend of new transit options, as well as expanded highway options. The resolution also states the regional plan should not include a road usage fee that charges people per mile driven. This structure is punitive and disproportionately impacts those who can least afford to pay more to travel to work, school, and other vital services throughout the region. Adding new fees and taxes only adds to the already high cost of living in California and not only impacts individuals but also impacts businesses by increasing their operating costs, discouraging customers from driving to patronize businesses and potentially impacting their ability to recruit employees who will have to pay more to get to work. Environmental Review: This action is not subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Fiscal Impact: There is no direct fiscal impact to the City with this item or the proposed resolution. However, should the 2021 Proposed Regional Plan be adopted with the road usage charge, Poway residents and businesses will be impacted when it is implemented in the future. Public Notification: None. 2 of 5 December 7, 2021, Item #12 Attachments: A. Resolution Opposing Adoption of the Proposed 2021 Regional Plan Reviewed/ Approved By: wendyserman Assistant City Manager 3 of 5 Reviewed By: Alan Fenstermacher City Attorney City Manager December 7, 2021, Item #12 RESOLUTION NO. 21-A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POWAY, CALIFORNIA OPPOSING THE ADOPTION OF THE SANDAG PROPOSED 2021 REGIONAL PLAN WHEREAS, the City of Poway is a member of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), along with all of the incorporated cities in San Diego County and the County of San Diego; WHEREAS, every four years SANDAG and its member jurisdictions are charged with updating the Regional Plan which is a comprehensive long-range planning tool that contemplates how the region will grow, where people will live, and how people will move throughout the region in the future; WHEREAS, the Proposed 2021 Regional Plan will guide transportation decisions for the next 30 years; WHEREAS, the Proposed 2021 Regional Plan being presented to the SANDAG Board of Directors for adoption on December 10, 2021 includes a major shift within the region to move away from constructing and widening highways for individual vehicle use to focus transportation planning and funding on new transit options within the region. To achieve this transit vision, significantly more revenue is needed to fund its construction and operation; WHEREAS, the San Diego region is diverse and while high level dense development and more transit may work for some areas of the County, it does not work for all; and WHEREAS, the Regional Plan should be balanced and recognize and accommodate the needs of all local jurisdictions and communities within the region. The Proposed 2021 Regional Plan does not strike this balance and proposes a new road usage charge and managed lane fees that will be charged to Poway residents and businesses who will see little if any direct benefit as the revenue from this new charge will be used to fund new transit options in specific areas within the region, not Poway. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Poway as follows: SECTION 1: The City of Poway will not support the Proposed 2021 Regional Plan until it is revised to incorporate a more balanced approach to future transportation that includes a blend of transit options and expanded highways. SECTION 2: The City of Poway opposes the additional fees and taxes included in this proposed regional plan to fund future transportation infrastructure. SECTION 3: The City of Poway will not support punitive road usage fees that charge people per mile driven. This structure disproportionally impacts those who can least afford to pay more to travel to work school and other vital services throughout the region. Adding new fees and taxes only adds to the already high cost of living in California and not only impacts individuals but also impacts businesses by increasing their operating costs, discouraging customers from driving to patronize businesses, and potentially impacting their ability to recruit' employees who will have to pay more to get to work. 4 of 5 ATTACHMENT A December 7, 2021, Item #12 SECTION 4: The City of Poway opposes adoption of the Proposed 2021 Regional Plan on December 10, 2021 and directs the City's representative to the SANDAG Board of Directors, Mayor Vaus, to vote no on the adoption of the Regional Plan until the point at which it is revised to address the concerns outlined above. PASSED, ADOPTED AND APPROVED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of Poway, California on the 7th day of December, 2021 by the following vote, to wit: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: DISQUALIFIED: Steve Vaus, Mayor ATTEST: Carrie Gallagher, CMC, City Clerk 5 of 5 December 7, 2021, Item #12