Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (PCTPA) is the forum for making decisions about the regional transportation system in Placer County. The decisions made are reflected in PCTPA’s planning and programming of the area’s state and federal transportation funds. In developing and adopting plans and strategies, we not only make the best use of these funds, but also fulfill the requirements of our state designation as the Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA) for Placer County.
PCTPA was created as the transportation planning agency for Placer County excluding the Lake Tahoe basin. PCTPA represents Placer County and six incorporated cities located within the political boundary of Placer County. In total, Placer County contains 1,506 square miles ranging in elevation from 160 feet to nearly 9,500 feet.
The mission of the Placer County Transportation Planning Agency (PCTPA) is derived from its numerous state and local designations. The agency has been designated in state law as the Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA) for Placer County. PCTPA is also the county’s Congestion Management Agency (CMA), a statutorily designated member of the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA), and the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) for the Lincoln, Auburn, and Blue Canyon Airports. As part of their Joint Powers Agreement, PCTPA is the designated administrator for the South Placer Regional Transportation Authority (SPRTA) and the Western Placer Consolidated Transportation Services Agency (WPCTSA). Under an agreement with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), PCTPA also represents Placer jurisdictions in federal planning and programming issues. Since the PCTPA has a local Agency-State Agreement for federal aid projects, it is also eligible to administer federal projects. PCTPA also acts as a resource for offering services, information, and incentives to those persons interested in using alternative modes of transportation.
The nine-member PCTPA Board of Directors consists of one councilmember from each of Placer County’s six incorporated jurisdictions, two members of the Placer County Board of Supervisors; and one citizen representative.
The following is a summary of PCTPA’s key responsibilities related to statutory requirements and JPA responsibilities.
Local Transportation Fund Administration: As the transportation planning agency, PCTPA allocates the Local Transportation Fund (LTF) to Placer County public transportation agencies. The administration of these funds includes the establishment of a Social Service Transportation Advisory Council, the implementation of a citizen participation process appropriate for Placer County, annual recommendations for productivity improvements for transit operators, the performance of an annual fiscal audit of all LTF claimants, the implementation of a triennial performance audit of all LTF claimants, and the preparation of an annual unmet transit needs determination.
PCTPA receives an allocation of LTF funds for the administration of the LTF fund pursuant to Section 99233.1 of the Public Utilities Code and for transportation planning pursuant to Section 99233.2 of the Public Utilities Code and Section 6646 of the Government Code. It is the responsibility of PCTPA to establish rules and regulations to provide for administration and allocation of the LTF and State Transit Assistance (STA) Funds in accordance with applicable sections of the Government Code, Public Utilities Code and Administrative Code included within the Transportation Development Act. It is also the responsibility of PCTPA to adhere to the applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency of the State of California as addressed in the Transportation Development Act, Title 3, Division 3, Chapter 2, Article II, Section 29535. Under SB 45, signed by Governor Wilson in October 1997, Regional Transportation Planning Agencies (RTPAs) such as PCTPA are responsible for selection of projects, known as the Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP), to be funded with the county’s share of STIP funds. This power also comes with the responsibility of ensuring that the projects are on schedule and within budgetary constraints.
Federal Transportation Planning and Programming: PCTPA has executed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Caltrans and the Sacramento Council of Governments (SACOG) on April 11, 2001 and February 23, 2005 to govern federal transportation planning and programming in Placer County. This agreement integrates the PCTPA Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP) within the SACOG process.
Pursuant to these agreements, PCTPA receives a “fair share” allocation of both federal urbanized Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG) funds and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program funds (CMAQ). PCTPA nominates projects for these funds, and SACOG has agreed to select these nominated projects unless they fail to meet a federal requirement. SACOG cannot add projects to the PCTPA nominations. PCTPA submits the state mandated RTP to SACOG for inclusion in the federal Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). As part of this agreement, SACOG conducts a federal air quality conformity test on the Placer County transportation program and plan.
Administration of Federal Aid Projects: PCTPA executed a Local Agency – State Agreement for Federal Aid Projects (Agreement 03-6158) with the State of California on March 2, 1994 and reauthorized on January 28, 2004. The execution of this agreement qualifies PCTPA to administer federally funded projects.
Passenger Rail Administration: PCTPA is statutorily designated as a member of the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA). Through an interagency agreement with Caltrans, the CCJPA administers the intercity rail service on the San Jose-Auburn railroad corridor.
Airport Land Use Commission: PCTPA was designated the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) for Placer County in 1996. PCTPA acts as the hearing body for land use planning for Placer County airports. PCTPA is also responsible for the development of airport land use plans for Placer County airports as specified in Section 21674.7 of the Public Utilities Code. Placer County, Auburn, and Lincoln each collect a fee on development projects by local ordinance in the area governed by the airport land use plan. This fee is passed on to PCTPA to help defray the cost of project review.
South Placer Regional Transportation Authority: PCTPA was designated as the administrator of the SPRTA under the terms of the Authority’s Joint Powers Agreement dated January 22, 2002. As such, PCTPA provides staffing and management of the Authority, and is reimbursed for these services under a staffing agreement.
Transportation Sales Tax Authority: PCTPA was designated as the transportation sales tax authority for Placer County by the Placer County Board of Supervisors on August 22, 2006. In the event that a transportation sales tax is adopted by Placer’s voters, PCTPA would be designated as the entity to administer the sales tax expenditure plan.
Western Placer Consolidated Transportation Service Agency: PCTPA was designated as the administrator of the WPCTSA under the terms of the Agency’s Joint Powers Agreement dated October 13, 2008. As such, PCTPA provides staffing and management of the Agency, and is reimbursed for these services under a staffing agreement.
Overall Work Program: The Overall Work Program (OWP) is the primary management tool for PCTPA, identifying the activities and a schedule of work for regional transportation planning in Placer County (excluding the Tahoe Basin). The Overall Work Program (OWP) documents the management, budgetary, and monitoring activities performed annually by PCTPA. It is developed annually for Caltrans review and for approval by the PCTPA Board of Directors. The OWP is the result of input from jurisdiction management, public works and planning officials, air district management, elected officials, and the general public. A new OWP is prepared for each fiscal year.