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Report ID: 19-285   
Type: Regular - Planning
Meeting Body: Board of Directors - Regular Meeting
Meeting Date: 8/7/2019 Final action: 8/7/2019
Recommended Action: Consider approving amendments to Board Policy 525 - Environmental Evaluations of Transit District Projects.
Attachments: 1. STAFF REPORT, 2. Att.1. Board Policy 525, 3. Att.2. Appendix A to BP 525, 4. Att.3. Appendix B - Forms for BP 525, 5. Master Minute Order
TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: Updates to Board Policy 525

ACTION ITEM

RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):

Title
Consider approving amendments to Board Policy 525 - Environmental Evaluations of Transit District Projects.
Body

BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:

There are no direct costs to updating Board Policy 525.

BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:

As with any law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) can change over time. The primary changes to Board Policy 525 were made in regard to those changes to the law which have occurred since the policy was adopted in 1989 and since it was last amended in 2015. Specifically, both the list of categorical exemptions and the forms used in the CEQA process have been updated to be in line with the current status of the law. The categorical exemptions state which classes of activities are exempt from the environmental impact assessment procedure according to code. The forms are those forms which will be used with sufficient frequency that having a boilerplate available will enhance the efficiency of the District when dealing with the environmental impacts of projects.
Every portion of the policy that deals with deadlines was reviewed for accuracy and edited to remove any ambiguity. Every portion of the policy which described what level of notice is to be given was reviewed for accuracy and edited to be specific about to whom the District needs to provide notice. Legal citations were corrected so that the proper format is being used at all times. Finally, the policy was reviewed for consistency and changed so that there is uniform language used throughout.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:

The proposed action further guarantees that the District will maintain compliance with CEQA by updating Board Policy 525 to be consistent with the current state of the law.
There are no disadvantages.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:

The alternative is to not update the policy, which runs the risk of the District ...

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