To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Public Infrastructure - Transit Division
Staff Name and Phone Number: Johannes J. Hoevertsz, 707-565-2550
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
FY 2026-27 ADA Paratransit Services Agreement
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Approve and authorize the Director of Public Infrastructure to execute the proposed agreement with the Center for Volunteer & Non-Profit Leadership for countywide Americans with Disabilities Act Paratransit Services, for the period of July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, in an amount not to exceed $3,867,182.
end
Executive Summary:
As a fixed-route public transit operator, and in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, Sonoma County Transit provides complementary paratransit service within ¾ mile of all its routes during the same days and hours as its fixed-route service. To meet federal ADA requirements, all paratransit trip requests, made by eligible clients, must be provided regardless of trip purpose, cost or number of trips taken within any period of time.
The proposed Agreement would renew services with the Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership (CVNL) to provide countywide ADA-compliant paratransit services. Under this agreement, CVNL will continue to serve as Sonoma County Transit’s ADA paratransit services provider through FY 2026-27, under the name of “Sonoma County Paratransit.”
Discussion:
CVNL (and its predecessor) has provided Americans with Disabilities Act paratransit service, on an annual basis, for Sonoma County since 2002.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and its implementing regulations, fixed-route transit operators are required to provide complementary paratransit service within ¾ of a mile of their fixed-route service during the same hours and days that fixed-route services are provided. All trip requests, made by eligible passengers, must be met regardless of their trip purpose. Operators are required to provide, at a minimum, all next-day requested trips.
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires transit operators to provide a sufficient level of paratransit service such that no eligible passenger is denied paratransit service due to capacity limitations. Transit operators that do not meet the required “no-denial” level of service jeopardize their federal funding eligibility and expose themselves to potential legal liability.
There are approximately 1,056 individuals that have qualified and signed up for paratransit services with Sonoma County Paratransit. Of those, approximately 795 are active users. For many of these individuals, the services provided under this agreement are their sole access to on-going medical care, as-well-as, social activities, shopping and educational opportunities.
Sonoma County Paratransit operates a fleet of 34 vehicles including: 24 cutaways, 7 accessible minivans, and 3 sedans.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a large impact on paratransit services in March 2020, when daily ridership fell to 23% of pre-pandemic levels. Today, paratransit ridership has returned to 92% of pre-pandemic levels. Approximately 54,000 paratransit passenger trips will be provided during FY 2025-26, a 13% increase over last year.
Four new paratransit cutaways (minibuses) were added to the fleet in October 2025. The new cutaways replaced vehicles that had exceeded their federal in-service life requirements. Four more cutaways are planned for replacement in FY27.
The proposed FY 2026-27 agreement permits up to a total of 52,000 paid driver hours and a maximum payment of $3,867,182, reflecting a 18.7% increase over the FY 2025-26 agreement maximum. The structure of the agreement for FY27 has been changed to return fares to the County, rather than retained by the contractor, to better align with standard transit service contracting practices. After the removal of fares is taken into account, the actual increase year over year is 11%. This increase is partially tied to the increased cost of labor for both driving and call center staff and an increase in employee benefit rates; the increased wage rates will keep CNVL staff competitive with other local paratransit providers that operate in the North Bay Area. The increase is also due to rising paratransit demand, particularly on the local services offered free of charge to complement local free fixed route shuttles.
CVNL is the preferred vendor based on their non-profit status and experience, and their use of volunteer drivers reduces the County’s overall operating costs and provides the back-up necessary to provide the federally required “no-denial” level of service. It is estimated that the continued use of CVNL for the provision of ADA paratransit service saves the County approximately $2.8 million annually versus a for-profit transit contracting firm.
County Purchasing has approved a Single Source Waiver for the proposed agreement, in accordance with Sonoma County Code 2-58.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
5/13/25 - Board approved agreement with Center for Nonprofit Leadership for FY2025-226 Americans with Disabilities Paratransit services in the amount of $3,027,966
5/14/24 - Board approved agreement with Center for Non-Profit Leadership for FY 2024-25 Americans with Disabilities Act Paratransit services in the amount of $2,904,680.
5/09/23- Board approved agreement with Center for Non-Profit Leadership for FY 2022-23 Americans with Disabilities Act Paratransit services in the amount of $2,636,590.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
$3,867,182 |
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
|
$3,867,182 |
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
$3,867,182 |
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
|
$3,867,182 |
|
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Funding for the FY 20226-27 agreement was included in the FY 2026-27 Transit Division Recommended Budget and will be funded with Transportation Development Act (TDA) and State Transit Assistance (STA) funds consistent with Sonoma County Transit’s annual TDA/STA funding claim with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None.
Attachments:
Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.