The Ferndale City Council is scheduled to hold its annual public hearing on unmet public transportation needs Oct. 21, with staff recommending a finding that “there are no unmet transit needs which are reasonable to meet.” The hearing is part of the Humboldt County Association of Governments’ annual assessment process, according to the Ferndale City Council packet.
Under the staff recommendation, the council would consider public testimony, adopt Finding No. 2 if supported by the information presented, and send its finding and a summary of comments to HCAOG for inclusion in the agency’s FY 2027–28 Unmet Transit Needs assessment. HCAOG’s regional process evaluates whether transportation requests are operationally feasible, financially sustainable and otherwise reasonable to meet.
The finding also has implications for local street funding. The packet says Ferndale claims its full Local Transportation Fund allocation for street and road maintenance. Under the Transportation Development Act process, LTF money may be used for eligible non-transit purposes after applicable transit-funding requirements are satisfied; a finding that unmet transit needs are reasonable to meet could affect the availability of LTF money for those purposes.
The packet does not include public testimony or the council’s final action. The dollar amount of Ferndale’s LTF allocation also is not stated.
