Chapter 1. General Provisions of California Public Utilities Code >> Division 10. >> Part 6. >> Chapter 1.

This part shall be known and may be cited as the Yolo County Transportation District Act.

As used in this part, the following terms have the following meanings:
  (a) "Authority" means the Yolo County Transit Authority, a joint exercise of powers agency.
  (b) "Board of directors" means the Board of Directors of the Yolo County Transportation District.
  (c) "Board of supervisors" means the Yolo County Board of Supervisors.
  (d) "County" means the County of Yolo.
  (e) "District" means the Yolo County Transportation District created by Section 60004.

There is hereby created the Yolo County Transportation District. The jurisdiction of the district extends throughout the county, including all of the incorporated and unincorporated territory.

On and after July 1, 1997, the authority is dissolved and the district succeeds to, and is vested with, all of the rights, powers, duties, and obligations of the authority. The district is the successor to the authority's interests in any property, its rights and obligations under any contract, any outstanding indebtedness of the authority, and its rights under any grants, without the necessity of any further action.

(a) The district shall be governed by a five-member board of directors representing the county and cities in the county in the district, appointed as follows:
  (1) One member representing the County of Yolo, appointed by the board of supervisors.
  (2) One member representing the City of Davis, appointed by the city council of that city.
  (3) One member representing the City of West Sacramento, appointed by the city council of that city.
  (4) One member representing the City of Woodland, appointed by the city council of that city.
  (5) One member representing the City of Winters, appointed by the city council of that city.
  (b) An appointing authority shall appoint one of its members to serve as a member and one member to serve as an alternate member of the board of directors. The alternate member shall serve only in the absence of the regular member.
  (c) The University of California at Davis shall appoint a person to serve as a nonvoting ex officio member.
  (d) The Department of Transportation shall appoint a person to serve as a nonvoting ex officio member.
  (e) Voting members of the board of directors will receive a stipend per meeting to be established by the board in its bylaws.

Upon dissolution of the authority, employees of the authority shall be deemed to be employees of the district without any break in service nor any loss or reduction of compensation or benefits, except as may be imposed by express action of the district governing board.

(a) The district shall assume the duties of public transit provider performed by the authority. On and after July 1, 1997, the Cities of West Sacramento, Davis, Woodland, and Winters are included within the district.
  (b) Additionally, the district is deemed to be each of the following agencies, with all of the powers and duties attendant thereto:
  (1) The consolidated transportation services agency for the county, with the concurrence of the Regional Transportation Planning Agency.
  (2) The congestion management agency for the county.

The district, at its first meeting, and thereafter annually at the meeting designated by the district, shall elect a chairperson who shall preside at all meetings, and a vice chairperson who shall preside in the absence of the chairperson. In the event of their absence or inability to act, the members present, by an order entered in the minutes, shall select one of their members to act as chairperson pro tempore, who, while so acting, shall have all the authority of the chairperson.

The district shall adopt rules for its proceedings consistent with the laws of the state.

A majority of the board of directors entitled to vote constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business. All official acts of the district require the affirmative vote of a majority of the board of directors entitled to vote.

The acts of the district shall be expressed by motion, resolution, or ordinance.

All meetings of the district shall be conducted pursuant to Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code.

The district shall do all the following:
  (a) Adopt an annual budget.
  (b) Adopt an administrative code, by ordinance, which prescribes the powers and duties of the district officers, the method of appointment of the district employees, and methods, procedures, and systems of operation and management of the district.
  (c) Cause a postaudit of the financial transactions and records of the district to be made at least annually by a certified public accountant.
  (d) Do any and all things necessary to carry out the purposes of this part.

(a) The district may hire an independent staff of its own or contract with any department or agency of the United States or with any public agency to implement this part.
  (b) The district may contract with private entities in conformance with applicable procurement procedures for the procurement of engineering, project management, and contract management services.
  (c) The district shall rely, to the extent possible, on existing state, regional, and local transportation planning and programming data and expertise, rather than on a large duplicative staff and set of plans.

The board of directors shall fix the compensation of the district's officers and employees.

(a) Notice of the time and place of a public hearing on the adoption of the annual budget shall be published pursuant to Section 6061 of the Government Code not less than 15 days prior to the day of the hearing.
  (b) The proposed annual budget shall be available for public inspection at least 15 days prior to the hearing.

The district may sue and be sued, except as otherwise provided by law, in all actions and proceedings, in all courts and tribunals of competent jurisdiction.

All claims for money or damages against the district are governed by Division 3.6 (commencing with Section 810) of Title 1 of the Government Code, except as provided therein, or by other statutes or regulations expressly applicable thereto.

The district may make contracts and enter into stipulations of any nature whatsoever, either in connection with eminent domain proceedings or otherwise, including, but not limited to, contracts and stipulations to indemnify and hold harmless, to employ labor, and to do all acts necessary and convenient for the full exercise of the powers granted in this part.

The district may contract with any department or agency of the United States, with any public agency, including, but not limited to, the Department of Transportation, any county, city, or district, or with any person or a private entity upon the terms and conditions that the district finds in its best interest for the procurement of engineering, project management, and contract management services.

(a) Contracts for the purchase of services, supplies, equipment, and materials in excess of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder after competitive bidding, except in an emergency declared by the district or by an executive committee to which the district has delegated responsibility to make that declaration.
  (b) If, after rejecting bids received under subdivision (a), the district determines and declares that, in its opinion, the services, supplies, equipment, or materials may be purchased at a lower price on the open market, the district may proceed to purchase these services, supplies, equipment, or materials in the open market without further observance of the provisions regarding contracts, bids, or advertisements.
  (c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the district shall comply with Federal Transit Administration Circular 4220.1 (d), as amended, relative to third-party contracting.

(a) The district has no authority to impose property, sales, or special taxes, but may, with the concurrence of a majority of the member jurisdictions represented on the board of directors, cause to be submitted to voters of the district a ballot measure for the imposition of those taxes.
  (b) If approved as required by law, the district may impose and administer fees and other funding sources secured for transportation system maintenance and improvement.
  (c) The board of directors may set fares for public transit service by resolution or minute order.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law which relates to the functioning of the district as the Yolo County Congestion Management Agency District, the district may not exercise any authority over the land use decisions of a local governmental agency.

The district shall include in its bylaws a process for assuring that member jurisdictions of the district may reasonably determine to what extent their share of Mills-Alquist-Deddeh Act funds and other local state or federal revenue sources are used by the district. The district does not replace nor supplant the role of the Regional Transportation Planning Agency to allocate Mills-Alquist-Deddeh Act funds. Each member jurisdiction shall be financially responsible for its share of obligations incurred by the district on that member jurisdiction's behalf. The district's bylaws shall include a budget conflict resolution process.

The district may advocate and act on behalf of all district member jurisdictions with their concurrence to further Yolo County transportation system interests, funding, projects, and priorities.

The district shall act as a countywide forum for the coordination of transportation system planning, programming, and prioritization of significant projects.

The district may promulgate a plan for funding transportation projects within its jurisdiction.

The board of directors shall adopt priorities reflecting the district's goals, including consideration of being designated as the federal Designated Recipient for Yolo County, consideration of additional transportation funding sources, examining the feasibility of Yolo County becoming a self-help county, and examining possible agency consolidations within Yolo County.

The district bylaws shall establish an advisory committee structure, which shall include a Technical Advisory Committee and a Citizen's Advisory Committee and other advisory committees as it deems necessary, and shall establish a process for appealing decisions of the board of directors.

Transportation funding and project prioritization decisions made by the board of directors shall endeavor to be mode neutral, not biased in favor of any one transportation mode with the district seeking local concurrence when appropriate. Those decisions shall take into account the needs of the local jurisdictions, the overall county needs relative to streets, roads, transit, pedestrian, bicycle, telecommuting, light rail, heavy rail, and other alternative transportation mode projects, shall consider the movement of information and freight as well as people, and shall attempt to balance all transportation choices in order to most effectively utilize limited funding sources to the best advantage of Yolo County residents and others in the region.

The district shall act as the coordinating agency for all state and federal funding applications where appropriate.