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Adopt the 2026 Public Participation Plan - Deputy Director Riske-Gomez
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Requested Action(s)
recommendation
Adopt Resolution No. 09-2026 approving the 2026 Tehama County Transportation Commission Public Participation Plan.
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Financial Impact:
No direct impact to the adopted budget.
Background Information:
The Tehama County Transportation Commission serves as the Regional Transportation Planning Agency for Tehama County and is responsible for carrying out the regional transportation planning and programming duties assigned under state law. Government Code section 65080 requires regional transportation planning agencies to prepare and adopt a Regional Transportation Plan addressing the movement of people and goods across transportation modes and to include policy, action, and financial elements.
The RTP is the long-range policy document that connects documented transportation needs, local and regional priorities, available revenues, and future project decisions. TCTC also participates in programming activities, including the RTIP/STIP cycle, where regional priorities move from planning documents into funding programs. These responsibilities require a public process that is established before decisions are made, available to the full county, and capable of documenting how comments are received and considered.
State and federal transportation planning requirements recognize public participation as part of the decision-making record. Government Code section 65080 requires a noticed public hearing before adoption of the RTP. Federal statewide planning regulations in 23 C.F.R. section 450.210 require documented public involvement procedures that provide early and continuous opportunities for public review and comment, timely notice, access to information, reasonable access to meetings, consideration of comments, outreach to traditionally underserved communities, and periodic review of the participation process.
The Caltrans Regional Transportation Plan Guidelines apply these expectations to California regional transportation planning agencies and require a public participation plan, including a minimum 45-day public comment period before adoption by the regional agency. Related requirements also arise through Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Limited English Proficiency guidance, tribal consultation expectations, transit planning, and the annual unmet transit needs process under the Transportation Development Act.
For TCTC, public participation has practical significance beyond compliance. The Commission’s decisions affect road maintenance and rehabilitation priorities, transit service, bicycle and pedestrian needs, goods movement, emergency access, school and employment access, grant competitiveness, and the ability of local jurisdictions to connect projects to state and federal funding.
Public input can identify conditions that may not be fully captured through technical data alone, including seasonal travel issues, transit connection gaps, incomplete pedestrian or bicycle facilities, evacuation and emergency access concerns, and transportation barriers affecting older adults, persons with disabilities, low-income residents, tribal communities, students, workers, and residents in outlying areas. A structured public process also supports the integrity of Commission actions by creating a clear record that the public had notice, access, and an opportunity to comment before decisions are made.
The 2026 Public Participation Plan establishes TCTC’s procedures for outreach and consultation across its transportation planning and programming work. The plan identifies goals for participation, methods for public notice, opportunities for written and verbal comment, accessibility and language assistance practices, consultation with agencies and interested parties, procedures for tracking and considering comments, and an outreach framework that can be scaled to match the level of public interest, regulatory requirement, and project impact. The plan provides consistent procedures while allowing staff to use additional outreach methods when a plan, program, or project warrants a broader or more targeted effort.
The draft 2026 Public Participation Plan was released for public review from July 1, 2026, through August 17, 2026. This review period exceeded the minimum 45 calendar days required before adoption. The notice identified where the draft plan could be reviewed, how comments could be submitted, the deadline for comments, and how to request accommodation. No public comments were received during the review period.
Adoption of the 2026 Public Participation Plan by resolution will establish the Commission’s updated public involvement procedures for applicable planning and programming activities and will make the plan effective immediately upon adoption.