Board Meeting
Friday, January 14, 2005
10:00 a.m.
Activity Center
501 E. Hopkins
San Marcos, Texas 78666

I. Chairman and Member Comments

Chairman Wells thanked the Board, as well as the audience, for attending the meeting and wished everyone a happy new year.

II. Call to Order

Notice was duly posted and a meeting of the Austin-San Antonio Intermunicipal Commuter Rail District board began at 10:24 a.m. on January 14, 2005. However, Chairman Wells passed on calling the meeting to order because a quorum was not present.

Participants:

• Tullos Wells (Chairman)
• Tommy Adkisson
• Mariano Camarillo
• Sid Covington
• Fred Harless
• Al Notzon
• Daryl Slusher

Sam Barshop, Gonzalo Barrientos, Gerald Daugherty, Dave Marsh, Carroll Schubert, Tim Tuggey, and Jeff Wentworth were unable to attend. Other participants included Ross Milloy and Bill Bingham. Joe Morris attended in Senator Wentworth’s absence.

III. Approval of Minutes of December 3rd Meeting

Chairman Wells passed on requesting approval of the minutes of the December, 2004 meeting because a quorum was not present.

IV. Update on Board Member Appointments

Chairman Wells provided a brief update on Board Member appointments. Chairman Wells advised:

• Appointments are due in February by the Appointing Entities of the Members of the District; and
• Chairman Wells has confirmed with the Mayor of San Antonio that the City of San Antonio will have their re-appointment of Carroll Schubert out shortly;

Bill Bingham added the following comments:

• Capital Metro provided correspondence re-appointing their current appointee;
• VIA provided correspondence advising that whoever is elected as their Chairman will also serve as their appointee to the ASAICRD Board;
• Travis County has indicated that the appointment of their two members is on the agenda for this month;
• TXDOT has also indicated that they have scheduled the reappointment of their two appointees for their January 27, 2005 meeting;

Bingham also informed the Board that he has received, and will file with the Board Minutes, the Oath of Office and Statement of Elected/Appointed Officer of Tim Tuggey, whose first meeting was in December, 2004.

V. Adoption of District’s Document Control Plan

Chairman Wells passed on the discussion of the adoption of the District’s Document Control Plan because a quorum was not present.

VI. Status of Update to 1999 Commuter Rail Feasibility Study

Chairman Wells relinquished the meeting to Steve Lowry, who discussed the status of the update to the 1999 Commuter Rail Feasibility Study.

Lowry presented “Board of Directors Meeting: January 14, 2005 – Feasibility Study Update Report”, which included the following Key Issues:

• Intercity Travel Time:
  • By highway; and
  • By train.
• System Plans:
  • Full system plan; and
  • Initial system plan.
• Funding Options:
  • Multi-year financial model developed;
  • Uses of funds – Capital and Operating;
  • Variety of funding sources identified; and
  • Explore funding availability, reliability, and timing with the Board members.

An extended discussion ensued.

VII. Discussion of Local Funding Options for Commuter Rail Capital and O&M Costs

The Board members were provided a copy of a document entitled “Chapter 14. Financial Analysis” (DRAFT 7-Jan-05) for review and reference. The document included:

• Introduction;
• Financial Analysis Methodology
• Project Costs and Revenues;
  • Figure 1: Financial Planning Process (Interim Year Cost and Revenue Projections);
• Sources of Funding;
• Major Sources of Data;
• Financial Planning Process; and
  • Figure 2: Financial Plan Components
• Financial Analysis Model;
  • Figure 3: Financial Analysis Model Structure and Interactions.

A lengthy discussion ensued.

VIII. Status of Planning & Preliminary Engineering Work

Steve Lowry provided a brief presentation in the Project Manager’s absence (he is working on a very aggressive schedule). Lowry advised as follows:

• Kicked-off in November, 2004;
• Activities Report was provided to the Board;
• Program Management Team is working very closely with Project Manager on several deliverables integral to the New Starts Application; and
• Regularly scheduled staff meetings are conducted every Monday at 1:30 p.m. to ensure that the work towards the New Start Application remain coordinated.

IX. Legislative Update

Ross Milloy shared two items with the Board:

• The legislation that changes the terms of the Board to staggered terms (Senate Bill 182) has been drafted and filed. Milloy thanked Joe Morris and Graham Keever for effectuating this filing. The legislation has not yet been approved, has been submitted; and
• Milloy received a call from Congressman Lamar Smith’s office confirming that the committee requests for TEA 21 reauthorization has gone and they would like some sense of what we are requesting by the 2nd of February. Milloy stated that he has contacted our people in Washington, D.C., and will huddle with Steve Lowry and others in order to come up with a number. Milloy believes that we will be asking for the same thing we have previously asked for - full funding authority (up to $350 million).

X. Financial Report

Ross Milloy provided the Board with a copy of “Reconciliation Detail: Checking Account, Period Ending 01/14/2004,” for review and reference.

Milloy also confirmed that the City of San Antonio and the City of Austin have not made payment yet, but all other entities have. There has been a bookkeeping problem with the City of San Antonio, but the problem has been resolved and the check should be received shortly.

XI. Other Business

Chairman Wells turned the meeting over to Alison Schultz to discuss the Public Involvement Committee meeting prior to the Board meeting.

Schultz provided the following information:

• The website www.asarail.org is a PRIORITY for the District, as well as the Program Management Team;
• In December the website was updated (through December);
• Process is in place for an on-going website maintenance plan (schedule for monthly, annual and miscellaneous updates);
• A new feature that has been added is a link to meeting agendas;
• The plan is to use the website as a forum to inform the public (i.e., alternative analysis, announce important meetings; include major and important applications (in both English and Spanish), as well as provide means for public comment;
• The website will help obtain access to people we would not otherwise have access to;
• Series of public meetings set to begin in March;
• The plan is to identify strategic partners and have Sid Covington speak to those prospective partners; and
• Creation of Technical Advisory Board.

Chairman Wells then briefly discussed the PI Committee’s discussion concerning the possibility of creating an Inter-agency Advisory Committee.

Tommy Adkisson suggested sending out a one-page summary of “where we are” to each of the entities to keep them informed. Adkisson wants the Board to be very proactive, even scheduling time on the various County Commissioner Court’s agendas/meetings.

XII. Public Comment

Lori Anderson, with the City of San Marcos, addressed the Board regarding the current vacant position on the Board. Anderson stated that San Marcos is interested in filling the position and wanted to know what the process was in order to make this happen. Chairman Wells stated that during the February meeting, recommendations would be considered from the communities in the mid-corridor area to fill the vacant position.

XIII. Discussion of Employment of Project Administrator and Report by Board Screening Committee

Chairman Wells passed on the discussion of employment of a Project Administrator and Report by Board Screening Committee because a quorum was not present.

XIV. Adjourn

There being no quorum present, as well as no further items of business brought before the Board, the meeting concluded at 11:45 a.m.