Statement of Intent

For the period of July 2002 through December 2007, the signing parties of this Statement of Intent pledge to voluntarily provide executive oversight to the demonstration and implementation of the Pierce County Coordinated Transportation Plan.

The signers of this Statement of Intent will work cooperatively to establish an agreed upon structure for administering, facilitating, and implementing a coordinated transportation system for Pierce County residents, particularly residents with special transportation needs*.  Cooperation and collaboration will be fostered among private and nonprofit transportation brokers and providers, local public transportation agencies, state and local human service agencies, businesses, regional transportation programs, school districts and riders.

The Vision

The vision for Pierce County’s coordinated transportation system is that:

Transportation services in Pierce County will provide mobility for the entire community where no one has to depend on a personal auto unless they choose to do so.

The Interagency Governing Assembly

The governing body of the Pierce County Coordinated Transportation System shall be referred to as the “Interagency Governing Assembly”.  

Mission and Goals:  The mission of the Interagency Governing Assembly is to work with stakeholders to develop coordinated transportation services and programs that will achieve increased efficiencies and will be able to provide enhanced mobility and accessibility to a greater number of residents, particularly those with special transportation needs. 

The goals of the Assembly are to:

• Develop a community-wide awareness of currently available transportation services and increase participation in coordination model.
• Reach consensus on a framework to achieve the mission, and a formalized decision to implement the framework.
• Reassess where there are mobility shortfalls and gaps.
• Update our transportation plan and model to solve mobility shortfalls and gaps through coordinated efforts.
• Integrate regional model into our coordinated transportation plan. 

Membership:  The initial members of the Interagency Governing Assembly   shall include executive leadership from the following agencies:

• Pierce County
• Pierce Transit
• Sound Transit
• School Districts
• Puget Sound Educational Service District
• Consumer Representative
• Boys and Girls Club
• Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
• Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Agency Council on Coordinated Transportation
• Others as determined

The Pierce County Executive or executive designee will chair the Interagency Governing Assembly.

Meeting Frequency:  The Interagency Governing Assembly will have regular meetings twice per year, and special meetings as needed. 

Roles and Responsibilities: The role of the Interagency Governing Assembly is to provide executive oversight and guidance to the demonstration and implementation of the Pierce County Coordinated Transportation Plan.      Responsibilities include:    

• Agree upon policies that jointly support and guide development of coordinated transportation
• Share ownership in decision-making and sponsorship of coordinated transportation projects
• Recommend, support and/or provide staff, financial or other in-kind resources to continue transportation projects listed in the Pierce County Coordinated Transportation Plan
• Positively engage labor unions in a discussion regarding the benefits of coordinated transportation
• Oversee the assessment and evaluation of coordinated transportation projects
• Designate standing and ad hoc committees and their chairs
• Monitor transportation quality
• Develop and recommend financial models and formulas for shared program trips
• Work with federal and state legislators to change policies or legislation that restrict coordinated transportation

Committees:  Two standing committees will support the Interagency Governing Assembly: a Steering Committee and an Accountability Consumer Committee.  The Assembly may designate other standing or ad hoc committees as desired.  The Standing Committees will meet frequently as needed.  Roles and responsibilities of the Standing Committees include:

• Steering Committee:  Stakeholders representatives that provide project management, policy recommendations, evaluations, draft deliverable products, execute awareness activities, and provide general staff support to the Assembly. 
• Accountability Consumer Board:  Consumers of coordinated transportation that review performance and recommend system improvements. Members of the Accountability Consumer Board elect their own chair, which serves on the Interagency Governing Assembly.

We, the undersigned, pledge to support the purpose and intent of the Pierce County Coordinated Transportation Interagency Governing Assembly as outlined above, over the period of July 2002 through December 2007.

Pierce County, Lyle Quasim, Chief of Staff
Pierce Transit, Don Monroe, Chief Executive Officer
Bethel School District, Thomas Seigel, Superintendent
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services , Doug Porter, Assistant Secretary
Sound Transit, Joni Earl, Chief Executive Officer
Puget Sound Educational Service District, Monte Bridges, Superintendent
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Marcia Riggers, Assistant Superintendent
Consumer Representative, Chris Ensor of TACID
Boys and Girls Club, Rickard Guild, President

* “People with special needs” are defined in RCW 47.06b as “people, including their attendants, who because of physical or mental disability, income status, or age, are unable to transport themselves or purchase transportation.”

ADDENDUM

Demonstration Project	Description	Project Coordinator
Beyond the Borders: Providing transportation in rural Pierce County	Build and test the first phase of a coordinated brokerage system in by utilizing the existing Medicaid broker to coordinate and schedule trips for residents in rural South Pierce County, with a primary focus on people with special transportation needs accessing critical services, employment-related services, and youth activities.	Jackie Montgomery, Pierce County
Common Ground: Coordinating Medicaid and ADA transportation	Assess and demonstrate potential efficiencies when ADA and Medicaid eligible passenger trips are scheduled together.	Christie Scheffer, Paratransit Services Ann Kennedy, Paratransit Services
LifeLink: Providing crucial service access for Medicaid participants	Enable all Medicaid eligible participants to access non-Medicaid eligible life support services (e.g. grocery store, pharmacy, etc.).	Tom Young, TransPro
Road to Independence: Addressing the transportation needs of WorkFirst participants	Enable transportation options for all WorkFirst participants who need door-to-door transportation service in order to successfully complete a training program or retain unsubsidized employment.	Jacque Mann-Israel, Puget Sound Educational Service District
McKinney Vento Homeless Pupil :  Providing transportation to homeless students to/from school of origin.	Eleven school districts in King and Pierce counties are contracting with the transportation brokerages to arrange for trips for McKinney-Vento eligible students.  The project will measure and demonstrate cost effectiveness, provider capacity, and level of driver standards.	Jacque Mann-Israel, Puget Sound Educational Service District

Other Roles and Responsibilities

Lead Agency:  The agency acting as the grant administrator for Pierce County’s coordinated transportation planning, implementation, and evaluation.  Responsibilities include: manage grant and vendor contracts; administer grant funds; comply with grant reporting requirements; and other administrative tasks.  The current lead agency and fiscal agent is Pierce County.

Executive Sponsor (Demonstration Projects):  – The policy-maker(s) endorsing the implementation of a coordinated transportation demonstration project.  The executive sponsor for each demonstration project should be from an agency that is directly affected by the demonstration results and/or receives funding to implement the demonstration project.   Responsibilities include, as presented by project coordinators: approve demonstration project plans; approve changes to project scope, timeline, or budget; determine level of staff support; act as spokesperson for the demonstration project to staff, clients, public, media and others; assist with removal of barriers; review evaluation reports; and recommend the continuation or termination of a demonstration project.  Executive sponsors may or may not be on the Interagency Governing Assembly. They may delegate many of their duties to staff.

Project Coordinator:  – The individual(s) managing the daily tasks necessary to implement a coordinated transportation project.  Responsibilities include: facilitation of stakeholders to develop project plans; assign work to project stakeholders; monitor and track the progress of project tasks; manage grant funds and reporting; manage contracts with outside vendors; provide updates to project manager; and participate in Pierce County Coordinated Transportation Coalition meetings.