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Report No: Meeting Date:
T~IVS/T
15-271 December 9, 2015
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District
STAFF REPORT TO:
Finance and Audit Committee AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM:
Michael A. Hursh General Manager
SUBJECT:
FY 2015-16 First Quarter Employee and Non-Employee Out-of-State Travel
BRIEFING ITEM RECOMMENDED ACTION(S): Consider Receiving the FY 2015-16 First Quarter Employee and Non-Employee Out-of-State Travel Report. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: employee out-of-state travel for the First Quarter of FY 2015-16 totals $44,070.93, with $4,263.28 grant funded and $39,807.65 funded by the District Operating Program. There are no non-employee travel expenses to report. Attachm ent 1 summarizes the trips that were taken in the First Quarter, and Attachment 2 provides a det ail ed description of the justification for the trip and the nature of the expen ses. The
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT: Budgeted travel activity is included as part of FY 2015-16 budget.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE: The employee out-of-state travel for the First Quarter of FY 2015-16 totals $44,070.93, with $4,263.28 grant funded and $39,807.65 funded by the District Operating Program . There are no non-employee travel expenses to report. Attachment 1 summarizes the trips that were taken in the First Quarter, and Attachment 2 provides a detailed description of the justification for the trip, as well as the nature of th e expenses. The out-of-state travel was primarily focu sed on employee development activities. A brief summary of the out-of-state travel for the first quarter is as follows: Title of Conference
Month of Attendance
Hastus Training Eno Transportation Foundation COMTO 44th Annual US Hybrid Site Visit
July 2015 July 2015 July 2015 July 2015
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Report No. 15-271 Page 2 of 2 SHRM Annual Conference APTA 2015 Multimodal Operations Planning Northwest Transit Exchange
July 2015 August 2015 September-October 2015
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES: There are no notable advantages or disadvantages.
ALTERNATIVES ANALVSIS: This report does not recommend an action.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTIONS/POLICIES: Staff Report 15-186 FY 2014-15 Fourth Quarter Employee and Non-Employee Out-of-State Travel
ATTACHMENTS: 1: Employee Out-of-State Travel Summary, First Quarter FY 2015-16 2:
Detailed Description of Employee Travel, First Quarter FY 2015-16
Executive Staff Approval: Prepared by:
James D. Pachan, Interim Chief Financial Officer/Chief Operating Officer Sue Lee, Treasury Manager
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AC Transit
Sorted by name
OUT OF STATE TRAVEL SUMMARY (EMPLOYEES) 1st QUARTER (July - Sept) FY 2015/16 Name
Start Date
End Date
Purpose
City/State
Grant Funded?
Total Cost
Archer, Mary
9/30/2015
10/2/2015 Northwest Transit Exchange
SEATTLE,WA
885.68
Buller, Wilmer
9/29/2015
10/1/2015 ITS Arizona 22nd Annual Conf.
PHOENIX,AZ
882.36
Chen,Kwang-Hwei
7/26/2015
7/31/2015 Hastus Training Montreal CA
MONTREAL, CANADA
2,825.19
Del Rosario,Robert
8/9/2015
8/12/2015 APTA 2015 Multimodal Ops Plan
HOUSTON,TX
2,021.47
HARTFORD,CT
Durant, Chris
7/27/2015
7/31/2015 US Hybrid Site Visit CT
Greene, Beverly
7/10/2015
7/15/2015 COMTO Annual Training Conf.
CHICAGO,IL
1,621.15
9/8/2015
9/11/2015 2015 AFE Conference
BALTIMORE,MD
1,463.95
Martin,Ajay
7/26/2015
7/31/2015 Hastus Admin Training
MONTREAL, CANADA
2,717.85
Martin,Ajay
9/30/2015
10/2/2015 Northwest Transit Exchange
SEATTLE,WA
1,012.11
Medwin,Jonathan
9/30/2015
10/3/2015 Effective Employee Discipline w/s
NEWYORK,NY
3,299.77
9/8/2015
9/11/2015 2015 AFE Conference
BALTIMORE,MD
1,724.85
Newhouse, Stephen
8/9/2015
8/12/2015 2015 APTA Multimodal Plan
HOUSTON,TX
1,699.76
O'Neill, Tom
7/8/2015
BOSTON,MA
1,167.20
Hienzsch,Magnus
Michels, Craig
Prime, Thomas
8/23/2015
7/9/2015 Transit CIO Consortium 8/28/2015 TSI Supervisor Course
Yes
LAS VEGAS, NV
2,322.70
929.38
Tonis,William
7/26/2015
7/31/2015 Hastus Training
MONTREAL, CANADA
Vega,Jose L.
7/27/2015
7/31/2015 US Hybrid Site visit CT
HARTFORD,CT
Walls, Frederick L.
7/27/2015
7/31/2015 Eno Transit Seminar
SALTLAKE CITY,UT
1,072.59
Waters,Julie
7/10/2015
7/15/2015 COMTO's 44th Annual Conf.
BOSTON,MA
2,384.85
3,126.73 Yes
1,940.58
West, Elisabeth
6/27/2015
LAS VEGAS,NV
3,189.94
West, Elisabeth
7/26/2015
7/31/2015 ENO Transportation Foundation
SALTLAKE CITY,UT
4,884.95
Wyrick, Stanley
7/26/2015
7/31/2015 Hastus Training
MONTREAL, CANADA
2,897.87
7/1/2015 SHRM Annual Conference
Total
44,070.93
Grant-Funded
4,263.28
District Funded
39,807.65
"' "'I "' ::::
Total
44,070.93
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SR 15-271 ATT.2
Employee:
Chris Durant
Date:
7/27-7/31/2015
Purpose:
US Hybrid Site Visit
Place:
Hartford, Connecticut
Cost:
$2,322.70
Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($819.18); Lodging ($834.90); Auto Rental ($259.D3); Per Diem ($252.00); Miscellaneous ($19.34); Mileage ($63.25); Parking ($75.00)
Justification: This trip was to provide oversite of testing for a Fuel Cell Power plant which was not able to be diagnosed at the Division. The oversite included verifying US Hybrid was complying with agreed upon testing procedures and monitoring the unit's performance throughout the process.
Employee:
Beverly Greene
Date:
7/10-7/15/2015
Purpose:
COMTO Annual Training Conference
Place: Cost:
Chicago, Illinois $1,621.15
Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($561.00); Ground Transportation ($65.30); Per Diem ($390.50); Lodging ($569.35) Miscellaneous ($35.00);
Justification: receive training on current transportation issues, gave a panel presentation along with a representative from MARTA on working with public officials, met with other transportation officials from across the country and heard remarks from current Transportation Secretary Foxx and former Transportation Secretary Slater.
Employee:
Stephen Newhouse
Date:
8/9-8/12/2015
Purpose: Place:
2015 APTA Multimodal Planning Houston, Texas
Cost: $1,699.76 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($378.48); Lodging ($618.57); Registration Fees ($575.00); Ground Transportation ($18.30); Per Diem ($109.41) Justification: The Multimodal Operations Planning Workshop is APTA's annual event dedicated to transit planning and scheduling. This workshop is organized by transit professionals who have taken a leadership role within APTA. This year, sessions were focused on several topics relevant to current assignments at AC Transit: Planning-Consultants Relationships; Operations Scheduling; lntermodal Facilities Planning, Design, and Operations; Annual Budgeting Processes; Emerging Technology; Innovative Outreach Methods; and Succession Planning. The conference provided new insights about the use of cellular data for travel-demand modeling, environmentally conscious design of intermodal facilities, active line management, alternative schedule reliability improvement processes, and various approaches to comprehensive operations analyses. Also, an opportunity to form new relationships with peers from other transit properties and consulting firms, which have proven valuable when seeking an outside perspective on particular challenges.
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Employee:
Tom O'Neill
Date:
7/8-7/9/2015
Purpose:
Transit CIO Consortium Conference
Place:
Boston, Massachusetts
Cost: $1,167.20 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($592.92); Per Diem ($142.00); Parking ($42.00); Lodging ($390.28); Justification: Attended Transit CIO Consortium meeting at Volpe, The National Transportation Systems Center, and at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Discussion topics included multimodal payments convergence, mobile payments & ticketing, cyber security, performance analytics, and asset management. MBTA's employee availability analytics have spurred a more detailed look at AC Transit's data and a revision of one of the Key Performance Indicators (KPis).
Employee:
Thomas Prime
Date:
8/23-8/28/2015
Purpose:
TSI Supervisor Training
Place:
Las Vegas, Nevada
Cost: $929.38 Nature of Expenses: Registration Fee ($65.00); Airfare ($146.00); Lodging ($240.80); Per Diem ($390.50); Ground Transportation ($87 .08) Justification: Attended the TSI Transit Supervisor Certification Course.
Employee:
Jose Vega
Date:
7/27-7/31/2015
Purpose:
US Hybrid Site Visit
Place:
Hartford, Connecticut
Cost: $1,940.58 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($819.18); Lodging ($869.40); Per Diem ($252.00) Justification: This trip was to provide oversite and technical support of testing for a Fuel Cell Power plant operated by AC Transit and being tested by US Hybrid. The technical support included verifying US Hybrid was operating the unit within the agreed upon operating parameters and monitoring the performance of the fuel cell stacks and supporting components.
Employee:
Frederick Walls
Date:
7/27-7/31/2015
Purpose:
ENO Transit Seminar
Place:
Salt Lake City, Utah
Cost: $1,072.59 Nature of Expenses: Lodging ($653.08); Airfare ($241.01); Ground Transportation ($25.00); Per Diem ($153.50)
Justification: The training at this seminar provided greater knowledge of how to optimize workplace safety, improve management I employee relations, and communicating and translating the needs of staff and upper management. By attending this seminar it has allowed for greater successes within the materials department in regards to team building and implementation of a safety culture.
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Employee:
Julie Waters
Date: Purpose:
7/10-7/15/2015 COMTO 44'h Annual Conference
Place:
Boston, Massachusetts
Cost: $2,384.85 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($649.94); Lodging ($1,287.60); Ground Transportation ($110.06); Per Diem ($337.25) Justification: Attended various transportation workshops which provide knowledge of transportation trends and ways to encourage diversity and inclusion. Also, networked with national transportation leaders and had the opportunity to meeting the rising stars of transit.
Employee:
Elisabeth West
Date: Purpose:
7/26-7/31/2015
Place:
Salt Lake City, Utah
ENO Transportation Foundation
Cost: $4,884.95 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($349.20); Tuition ($3,300.00); Lodging ($1,007.75); Per Diem ($198.00); Ground Transportation ($30.00) Justification: Attended the ENO Center for Transportation Leadership's Transit Mid-Manager Seminar. The leadership program is an intensive weeklong training course that was developed in conjunction with the National Transit Institute, and partners with the American Public Transportation Association. The goal of the training was to develop a broader knowledge of trends across all modes of the transportation industry, gain a deeper understanding of critical issues affecting transit, develop skills to resolve conflict, hone listening and communication skills and learn how to provide constructive feedback. Employee:
Elisabeth West
Date: Purpose:
6/27-7/1/2015 SHRM Annual Conference
Place:
Las Vegas, Nevada
Cost: $3,189.94 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($116.20); Conference Fee ($1,804.00); Lodging ($913.92); Per Diem ($289.00); Ground Transportation ($66.82) Justification: Attended the Society for Human Resources Management's annual conference on Human Resources best practices. The conference included workshops and sessions on specific areas such as employment law updates, ACA healthcare reform, impact of social media in recruitment, veterans hiring programs, wage and hour compliance, employee well ness programs and new trends in human resources management.
Employee:
Robert Del Rosario
Date: Purpose:
8/9-8/12/2015 APTA 2015 Multimodal Ops Planning
Place:
Houston, Texas
Cost: $2,021.47 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($608.00); Lodging ($618.57); Ground Transportation ($65.01); Registration fee ($575.00); Per Diem ($154.89) Justification: The Multimodal Operations Planning Workshop is APTA's annual event dedicated to transit planning and scheduling. This year, sessions were focused on several topics relevant to current assignments at AC Transit: Planning-Consultants Relationships; Operations Scheduling; lntermodal Facilities Planning, Design, and Operations; Annual Budgeting Processes; Emerging Technology; Innovative Outreach Methods; and Succession Planning. The conference provided new insights about the use of 224 of 388
cellular data for travel-demand modeling, environmentally conscious design of intermodal facilities, active line management, alternative schedule reliability improvement processes, and various approaches to comprehensive operations analyses.
Employee:
Magnus Hienzsch
Date:
9/8-9/11/2015
Purpose:
2015 AFE Conference
Place:
Baltimore, Maryland
Cost: $1,463.95 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($597 .20); Lodging ($436. 70); Mileage ($92.58); Conference fee ($101.97); Per Diem ($230.50); Miscellaneous ($5.00) Justification: Attended 5 training classes per day with topics ranging from cooling tower efficiency to the latest in LED lighting technology. The conference was sponsored by various vendors in the Facilities Engineering and Maintenance fields and staff were able to visit booths to learn about current products and services. A keynote speaker from the Smithsonian shared her experiences and challenges managing multiple facilities in the DC area.
Employee:
William Tanis
Date:
7/26-7/31/2015
Purpose:
Hastus Training
Place:
Montreal, Canada
Cost: $3,126.73 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($933.68); Lodging ($1,303.05); Ground Transportation ($90.00); Per Diem ($539.00); Miscellaneous ($261.00) Justification: The Giro's advanced user training in Montreal was an intensive week-long program that provided step-wise instructions for the Hastus application. The information and tools offered in the program will allow for the advancement in management skills for the District's Operations data systems. The Hast us sessions were based on the District's Bid specifications that included advanced formulas and statements. Support for the Hastus program is extremely important as it will be integrated with Ellipse enterprise asset management system and PeopleSoft Financial/Human Resource system to conduct future operational business. Employee:
Mary Archer
Date:
9/30-10/2/2015
Purpose:
Northwest Transit Exchange
Place:
Seattle, washington
Cost: $885.68 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($250.20); Lodging ($451.58); Ground Transportation ($6.40); Per Diem ($177.50) Justification: Gain knowledge on "best practices" from transit agencies in the northwest part of the USA. Sessions were small, open forum discussions on pre-determined topics such as "Tools to Communicate Service Change Impacts," "Addressing Rider Expectations of Schedules," and tips for developing service guidelines. Also attended technical tours and received a presentation from Remix, the latest tool for service planning analysis.
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Employee:
Wilmer Buller
Date:
9/29-10/1/2015
Purpose:
ITS Arizona 22"' Annual Conference
Place:
Phoenix, Arizona
Cost: $882.36 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($299.00); Lodging ($259.D2); Conference fee ($75.00); Ground Transportation ($71.84); Per Diem ($177.50) Justification: Attended ITS Annual Transportation Engineering Conference to give presentation on recent Transit IT Innovations. This conference also afforded the opportunity to further my professional development.
Employee:
Kwang-Hwei Chen
Date:
7/26-7/31/2015
Purpose:
Hastus Training
Place:
Montreal, Canada
Cost: $2,825.19 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($1,052.90); Lodging ($1,025.50); Ground Transportation ($149.79); Per Diem ($572.00); Miscellaneous ($25.00) Justification: learned how HASTUS application can help us to use OIG control files to produce interface files and generate reports. Also learned how to create vehicle schedules and crew schedules using HASTUS, and how to use advanced tools to analyze and correct errors if there are problems on vehicle/crew schedules.
Employee:
Ajay Martin
Date:
7/26-7/31/2015
Purpose:
Hastus Administration Training
Place:
Montreal, Canada
Cost: $2,717.85 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($1,071.40); Lodging ($1,016.38); Ground Transportation ($58.07); Per Diem ($572.00) Justification: Received training on HASTUS modules including Vehicle, Crew, and Roster in addition to basic oig/d scripting training. This information can be used to support export data from the HASTUS database for use in customized reports and processing data for the Enterprise Database.
Employee:
Ajay Martin
Date:
9/30/2015-10/2/2015
Purpose:
Northwest Transit Exchange
Place:
Seattle, Washington
Cost: $1,012.11 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($250.20); Lodging ($492.78); Ground Transportation ($91.63); Per Diem ($177.50) Justification: Gained knowledge in "best practices" from transit agencies in the northwest part of the USA. Sessions were small, open forum discussions on pre-determined topics such as "Tools to Communicate Service Change Impacts," "Addressing Rider Expectations of Schedules," and tips for developing service guidelines. Also attended technical tours and received a presentation from Remix, the latest tool for service planning analysis.
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Employee:
Craig Michels
Date:
9/8-9/11/2015
Purpose:
2015 Association for Facilities Engineering Conference
Place:
Baltimore, Maryland
Cost: $1,724.85 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($626.20); Lodging ($654.90); Ground Transportation ($111.28); Per Diem ($230.50); Conference Fee ($101.97) Justification: Attended 5 training classes per day with topics ranging from cooling tower efficiency to the latest in LED lighting technology. The conference was sponsored by various vendors in the Facilities Engineering and Maintenance fields and staff were able to visit booths to learn about current products and services. A keynote speaker from the Smithsonian shared her experiences and challenges managing multiple facilities in the DC area.
Employee:
Stanley Wyrick
Date:
7/26-7/31/2015
Purpose:
Hast us Training
Place:
Montreal, Canada
Cost: $2,897.87 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($1,143.18); Lodging ($994.00); Per Diem ($572.00); Ground Transportation ($138.69); Miscellaneous ($50.00) Justification: Received training on HASTUS modules including Vehicle, Crew, and Roster in addition to basic oig/d scripting training. This information can be used to support export data from the HASTUS database for use in customized reports and processing data for the Enterprise Database.
Employee:
Jonathan Medwin
Date:
9/30-10/3/2015
Purpose:
Effective Employee Discipline Training
Place:
New York, New York
Cost: $3, 299.77 Nature of Expenses: Airfare ($502.20); Conference fee ($1,495.00); Lodging ($1,085.71); Per Diem ($147.50); Ground Transportation ($69.36) Justification: This was a mandated requirement by the Interim CFO with the intent of obtaining practical information in Effective Discipline in a Union Environment. The desired outcome is to have a well disciplined and productive staff.
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