REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL August 21, 2014 FROM: JENNIFER K. CLARK, AICP, Director Development and Resource Management Department BY: MIKE SANCHEZ, Assistant Director Development and Resource Management Department BONIQUE EMERSON, AICP, Supervising Planner Development and Resource Management Department SUBJECT ..Title Action pertaining to an Annual Appropriation Resolution for the High Speed Rail Station Area Master Plan 1. * RESOLUTION- 3rd amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution (AAR) No. 2014-95 appropriating $1,020,000 for High Speed Rail Station Master Plan consulting services and miscellaneous City expenses (Requires 5 affirmative votes) ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends City Council take the following actions: 1. Adopt the resolution of the Council of the City of Fresno adopting the 3rd amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution (AAR) No. 2014-95 appropriating $1,020,000 for High Speed Rail Station Master Plan consulting services and miscellaneous City expenses. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On July 31, 2014, Council authorized the Director of the Development and Resource Management (DARM) Department to enter into a professional services agreement with the firm of AECOM Technical Services, in the amount not to exceed $966,068 for the preparation of a High Speed Rail Station Area Master Plan (STAMP) and $54,000 for miscellaneous City expenses. The AAR associated with this contract is being brought forward for Council consideration. BACKGROUND Council took action on August 25, 2011, to amend the AAR to appropriate a total of $900,000 from the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) for the preparation of a Master Plan. The $900,000 consists of $700,000 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dollars that the CHSRA is receiving from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), as well as $200,000 in Proposition 1A High Speed Rail bond proceeds. In addition, the Council took action on March 29, 2012 to amend the AAR to appropriate an additional $120,000 from Fresno Council of Government's (COG) Overall Work Program (OWP) for the STAMP. Thus, the attached resolution would appropriate funds that were budgeted in previous years but were not appropriated in Fiscal Year 2015. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS This is not a "project" for the purposes of CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, section 15378(b)(5), as it is an administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes to the environment. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference was not implicated due to State funding. FISCAL IMPACT Funding for this Consultant Services Contract will come from the CHSRA and Fresno COG and is sufficient to pay for the STAMP scope of services identified by AECOM. In order to receive this funding, staff has agreed to commit approximately $117,000 of staff time as an in-kind match. The salaries of staff who will contribute to the preparation of the Master Plan are funded by the General Fund. Attachment: Resolution Staff Report from July 31, 2014 for ID#14-181