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2025-26 Overall Work Program - Senior Planner Fox
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Requested Action(s)
recommendation
Adopt the 2025-2026 Overall Work Program (OWP) by resolution and authorize the Executive Director or designee to submit the adopted OWP and execute all required documents, including the Overall Work Program Agreement (OWPA), with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). TCTC staff are further authorized to incorporate any additional administrative language or technical changes requested by Caltrans staff during the review process to ensure approval and maintain eligibility for Rural Planning Assistance (RPA) funding.
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Financial Impact:
The Tehama County Transportation Commission (TCTC) will receive $404,500 in Rural Planning Assistance (RPA) funds from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. These funds support the annual Overall Work Program (OWP), which outlines TCTC’s transportation planning activities from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 and serves as the basis for the agency’s planning budget.
RPA funding is administered through a Master Fund Transfer Agreement (MFTA), Overall Work Program Agreement (OWPA), and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Caltrans and TCTC, the designated Regional Transportation Planning Agency. Approval of this item authorizes staff to implement the OWP and carry out all related administrative and planning tasks in accordance with state and federal requirements. No local match is required, and there is no impact to the General Fund.
Background Information:
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), as a condition of Rural Planning Assistance (RPA) funding, requires each Regional Transportation Planning Agency to develop an annual Overall Work Program (OWP) as a planning and budgeting tool for the coming fiscal year. TCTC's RPA funds for 2025-2026 are $404,500.
The OWP is supported by a Master Fund Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding Comprehensive Transportation Planning for RTPAs that receive Rural Planning Assistance Funding.
The Master Fund Transfer Agreement (MFTA), is by and between the signatory public entity identified as the RTPA, established under Government Code Section 29532. 1 or 29535 and Title 49 CFR, Part 1 8, and the State of California, acting by and through its Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The State prepared the MFTA, which hereby, together with the annual OWP, and annual Overall Work Program Agreement, sets forth the entire terms and conditions under which these funds are to be expended by RTPA for the fiscal year period of that OWP and annual OWPA.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was entered into by the State of California acting through its Department of Transportation, herein referred to as Caltrans, and the Tehama County Transportation Commission referred to as Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA), established as the RTPA for Tehama County pursuant to the establishment of the Transportation Development Act, otherwise known as the Mills-Alquist-Deddeh Act (SB 325) and establishes a general transportation planning and programming process codifying the responsibilities of RTPA and Caltrans.
The RTPA is recognized as the agency responsible for comprehensive regional transportation planning, pursuant to State law, for the county and incorporated cities included in the RTPA planning area. This responsibility includes, on a regional basis: providing a forum for regional transportation issues, developing and adopting goals and objectives, performing intermodal corridor and sub-area studies, providing policy guidance, courses and training, along with allocating State and Federal transportation funds in accordance with applicable regulations and laws, assuring prioritization of proposed transportation improvements to be funded with State and Federal funds as required by applicable regulations, complying with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and coordinating the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) with other plans and programs as appropriate.
The parties addressed in the MOU expressed their joint intent to mutually carry out the described transportation planning process for this RTPA planning area in a manner which will assure full compliance with the laws referenced in this MOU, the RTP Guidelines, the Caltrans Regional Planning Handbook, and the planning constraints of the United States Department of Transportation, where applicable.
Annually the RTPA will prepare, adopt, and submit to Caltrans an annual Overall Work Program (OWP) in accordance with the Caltrans Regional Planning Handbook. The purpose of the OWP is to serve as a work plan to guide and manage the work of RTPA, identify transportation planning activities and products occurring in the region and to act as the basis for RTPA budget for Rural Planning Assistance and, if applicable, other State and Federal planning funds.
The Overall Work Program Agreement (OWPA) will serve as the general agreement by which State and Federal planning funds will be transferred to RTPA. The draft OWP and any amendments thereto will be subject to review and approval by the funding agencies. The OWP will also include all regional transportation planning and research activities conducted in the region, regardless of funding source.
The attached OWP summarizes the transportation planning activities for TCTC from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. It is the annual scope of work with activities organized by Work Elements as required by Caltrans. The 2025-26 OWP identifies all funding utilized by TCTC for transportation planning. The attached resolution summarizes the intent of the OWP and authorizes staff to perform all related tasks and administrative actions necessary to use the funds.