TO: LINDA REICH, CITY MANAGER
FROM: WARREN MORELION, AICP, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
SUBJECT
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City of Chino ADA Title II Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan.
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RECOMMENDATION
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Adopt Resolution No. 2024-005 for the approval and adoption of the City of Chino ADA Title II Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan.
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FISCAL IMPACT
The final ADA Title II Transition Plan (see Exhibit A) includes obligations that relate to facility and programmatic access to ensure the programs, services and activities offered by the City are accessible to all citizens. Currently, the City budgets approximately 8% of its annual Capital Improvement Plan budget towards accessibility improvements including buildings, parks, and pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way. For future budget cycles, the City will continue the commitment to allocate funds for ADA improvements and barrier removal as specified in the ADA Transition Plan.
CITY OF CHINO MISSION / VISION / VALUES / STRATEGIC ISSUES
The recommendation detailed above will further the City’s values and strategic issues that serve as key pillars on which identified priorities, goals, and action plans are built, by fostering:
• Positive City Image
• Financial Stability
• Responsible Long-Range Planning
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BACKGROUND
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) requires State and local governments to ensure access to civic life for all individuals, not only regarding physical accessibility, but also in the delivery of government programs, services, activities, and employment. The federal law requires public entities to conduct a self-evaluation of all programs, services and facilities, and jurisdictions with more than 50 employees are required to establish a transition plan addressing accessibility barriers.
The City developed an initial transition plan in 1994, as well as completed a more comprehensive survey of City-owned public buildings and parks in 2017. In an effort to update the outdated plan and to be in full compliance with the statutory requirements, the City released an RFP in September 2022 and awarded a contract beginning January 3, 2023, to Bureau Veritas Technical Assessments, LLC to provide a comprehensive Citywide evaluation of accessibility compliance. The evaluation included a survey of three distinct areas: 1) City programs, policies, and procedures; 2) City buildings and parks; and 3) public right-of-way facilities. The final deliverable is an updated ADA transition plan with a schedule and estimated cost to address all barriers to access within City programs, services, and facilities.
ISSUES/ANALYSIS
The project consisted of many phases of the evaluation, as well as public outreach events. The summary of activities is listed below, along with a high-level overview of the results of the evaluation of the three identified areas of accessibility.
Activities:
• January 2023: Project kickoff meetings
• January through April 2023: Evaluations of City-owned parks and buildings
• April through August 2023: Collection of data for pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way with finalization of data processing completed in November
• May through June 2023: Evaluation of City’s policies, procedures, and website
• Public outreach opportunities to gather input from the community on access compliance throughout the City
o Online community survey from June 8 through August 20, 2023
o Community outreach event on June 23, 2023
o City Council public workshop on September 12, 2023
Notification of public outreach was publicized through social media, website spotlights, the Chino Connection, and press releases. Valued direction from Council and community outreach events were implemented into the draft plan and final report.
• December 2023 through January 2024: Final Draft ADA Transition Plan is completed, and a public review period occurred from December 21 through January 27. Notice was provided via press release, social media, and the City’s website. Two commenters provided feedback on the draft plan. The first was a phone inquiry requesting clarification of prerequisite requirements for a program, in which the statement meaning was clarified to the commenter, and the second was received by email (see Exhibit B). The comments were reviewed and considered by the consultant and the appropriate modifications were made to Sections 6, 7, and 8 in the final transition plan.
Overview of Results:
1) Programs, Policies and Procedures: The final review had recommendations to continue staff training and establish Citywide policies within various departments to ensure equal access to programs and services. There are already internal procedures in place to ensure program access but establishing policies will have transparency between the City and the public in meeting these requirements. A few key areas were emergency management and planning, effective communication, and special events and programs.
2) Buildings and Parks: There were 66 City-owned buildings and parks that were included in the self-evaluation. Assessments were comprised of interior and exterior elements and were identified by barrier priority which indicated the level of severity in accessing the facility and its respective programs. Based on facility usage levels and feedback from the public, phasing plans for remediation were divided into five phases over 13 fiscal years.
3) Public Right-of-Way Facilities: The City’s pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way were assessed for physical barriers to accessibility. 4,260 curb ramps, 85 transit stops, 844 pedestrian signals and 369.59 miles of sidewalk were assessed for compliance with various metrics, including but not limited to: slopes, width, surface roughness, level changes, obstructions, and other attributes. The geodatabase has been incorporated into the City’s GIS system and barrier remediation has been prioritized into three phases over a 20-year period.
The City’s Accessibility Coordinator has oversight responsibility for implementation of the ADA transition plan, as well as updating the plan and tracking facility and program improvements in conjunction with other City departments. The transition plan will serve as a roadmap for capital improvement and maintenance projects, with the schedule providing a framework for future budget planning and allocation of funds for barrier removal. The ADA transition plan will be a living document that will be continually reviewed and updated by staff consistent with the City’s budget cycle to maintain compliance moving forward. The result is a final transition plan that meets the regulatory requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and paves the way for the City to succeed at making programs, services, and activities fully accessible for all residents and visitors in Chino.
Therefore, staff is recommending approval of Resolution No. 2024-005, for the adoption of the City of Chino ADA Title II Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan.
Attachments: Exhibit A - City of Chino’s ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan
Exhibit B - Written Comments Received on Draft Transition Plan
Resolution No. 2024-005