Tehama County commission adopts unmet‑needs finding, directs further study and approves LTF distributions

The Tehama County Transportation Commission on Feb. 23 adopted a finding that unmet transit needs exist in the county and directed staff to pursue further operational and financial analysis on requests deemed "possibly reasonable to meet," including earlier morning service to Corning, later‑day service and splitting routes 1 and 2 to increase frequency.

Jessica (TCTC staff) said the Social Services Transportation Advisory Council reviewed public input collected by direct correspondence, surveys and a January public hearing and used the commission’s adopted definitions to evaluate requests. The TAC concluded Sunday service would meet the definition of an unmet need but is "unreasonable to meet" at this time because of cost; several other requests were referred to staff for additional cost analysis.

Sharon Young, general manager for paratransit services, explained the route‑split proposal: routes 1 and 2 currently operate on hourly headways. Splitting the routes into a half‑hour pattern would require an additional two buses and additional drivers and staffing. "We'd need two more buses," Sharon said, and added that operating costs and contractual procurement through an upcoming RFP will determine how soon the change could be implemented.

"Based on the review, the TAC requested staff deliver a recommendation that the commission adopt Finding 3: that there are unmet transit needs, including needs that are reasonable to meet," Jessica said. The commission voted to adopt the finding and directed staff to return with implementation recommendations prior to FY 2026–27 LTF allocation decisions.

On the funding side, the commission authorized the executive director to distribute Local Transportation Funds (LTF) for the current program year, allocating $963,448.68 among the cities (Red Bluff, Corning, Tehama) and the county as presented by staff; the motion carried by voice vote. Commissioners also approved a transfer of $91,552.87 from LTF into TCTC for commission use.

Next steps: staff will perform cost and operational analyses on the items referred by TAC (including the route split), include estimates in the upcoming RFP for the transit contract, and report back with recommendations before final LTF allocations for FY 2026–27.