Your AMC membership allows us to advocate for transit issues in Juneau and Washington DC as well as around the state. Your support is greatly appreciated and I look forward to working with all of you in 2015/2016.

If you know of an individual or organization that believes in the importance of public and community transportation in Alaska, please encourage them to become an individual or organizational transit member. They can become a member online.

COMING EVENTS

DATE	EVENT	PLACE/TIME	additional info.
10/29	Deadline - AMC By-Laws Vote	On Line 5:00 PM	additional info.
11/18	AMC Monthly Board Meeting	10:30 AM	Contact Casey Anderson for additional info.
12/11	Deadline - SFY2017 AK Community Transportation Grant Applications	4:30 PM	additional info.
4/19-21, 2016	2016 Alaska Community Transit Conference	Westmark Hotel Fairbanks, AK	additional info. or contact Stephanie Bushong

AMC NEWS

Fairbanks Transportation Partnership Project

The work to update the coordinated transportation Plan has continued. We have put together a draft plan that will be considered by the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly. This coordinated Plan has involved lots of different community members, organizational input and involvement from the VISTA Volunteer. This will be the first coordinated Plan in three years and is allowing the community to apply for some much needed funding to support transportation services.

I want to thank all the different individuals, organizations, and community partners who have been involved in this project. The most recent efforts included public meetings held at the end of September which were well attended and lots of time was spent editing and rechecking the document. In preparation for the push to get the plan approved, I will be working with the VISTA Volunteer and the Steering Committee to put together a presentation highlighting all the benefits and improvements from the plan.

AMC Annual Meeting

The AMC Annual Meeting was held on October 15 via teleconference and webinar. During the meeting, project updates were provided, a discussion of the AMC finances was held, board elections took place and the bylaws were brought before the membership for a vote.

The membership, during the 2014 Annual Meeting, decided the Bylaws must be approved by a majority vote of the entire membership, not just those members present at the Annual Meeting.

In order to accommodate the vote and ensure we get the proper participation to have a legal vote on the proposed changes, we are holding a "rolling meeting". This rolling meeting means we called the meeting to order at 3:00 PM on the 15th and are leaving the meeting open until 5:00 PM on October 29 to allow members to cast their votes on the proposed Bylaws at any point during this time. To view a copy of the proposed changes click on this link.

Cast Your Vote

Board Elections: Current Board member, Adam Barth was re-elected and Judy Tymick was elected to the Board. We will be holding elections for the Executive Committee at the November meeting.

I want to thank Doug Bridges for his many years of service to the AMC. After serving on the board for several years, most recently as President, Doug is stepping down to pursue other opportunities. Please join me in thanking him for his dedication to transportation and the AMC.

LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES UPDATE

During the Annual meeting, the proposed legislative priorities were discussed and the AMC Board has identified two areas of focus for the upcoming legislative session.

* State Matching Funds: In spite of the tough financial reality that continues to face the state, we have heard from our members that state matching funds are an essential element of transportation's financial security. Knowing the interest of the AMC membership, but trying to be realistic in our expectations, we have identified a target of $1 million for this coming fiscal year. We had targeted $1 million in state match funds for the current fiscal year, but had the amount reduced to $750,000. Several times we were told we were lucky to be receiving any funds at all given the number of projects, both large and small, that were cut completely from the budget.

* Dedicated Transportation Infrastructure Trust Fund: Additionally, the AMC identified the dedicated transportation infrastructure trust fund as a secondary priority. The issue of a dedicated fund for transportation and infrastructure projects was an item the AMC pursued during the last legislative session. Our efforts were supported by a statewide network of advocates with a strong group of interested parties in the Fairbanks area including the Chamber of Commerce, one of the local unions, and other transit related interest groups. We understand that finances at the slate level and the Constitutional restrictions regarding a designated fund present very real challenges that will make any progress on this priority very difficult.


Check out the news articles and sponsors below. Sponsors assist us in bringing this newsletter to you. Back to top


AKDOT&PF Public Transit Announces Grant Award Recommendations SFY2016 Public Transit Grant Award Recommendations Back to top

Member Sponsor
- ROUTEMATCH - click on the image to view their website.

ALASKA TRANSIT IN THE NEWS

Actual article headings are used and the information contained in the articles is not necessarily the opinions of the AMC

"Alaska Railroad OK'd for LNG transport"

- newsminer.com

"Alaska 2035 Long Range Transportation Policy Plan Update"

- DOT&PF

"Alaska's transportation department moving away from 'bridge to nowhere' "

- Fox News

"We are one step closer to 'The Jetsons' pod"

- The Washington Post by Matt McFarland

"Refining Public Transit Benefits for Future Generations"

- Thought Leaders - Saptorta Report

"The 'Uber Effect': Will New Ride Services Reinvent Transit"

- Metro Magazine by Cliff Henke

"Why self-driving cars won't replace mass transit"

- Mother Nature Network by Sami Grover

Member Sponsor
-
AT&T
- click on the image to view their website.

Thank you for your support and interest in the Alaska Mobility Coalition (AMC). If you have questions about this report or any AMC project or activity, please contact me.

Sincerely,

Casey Anderson

Interim Executive Director
Alaska Mobility Coalition