Programs

YVCOG - Yakima Valley Conference of Governments > Programs

Programs

Transportation

Alan Adolf, Transportation Program Manager
Direct Phone: (509) 759-7981
email: Alan.Adolf@yvcog.org

CTR – Commute Trip Reduction

Jeff Watson, Senior Planner
Phone: (509) 759-7989
email: Jeff.Watson@yvcog.org

Planning Services

Lynn Deitrick, Planning Manager
Phone: (509) 759-7995
email: Lynn.Deitrick@yvcog.org

Jeff Watson, Senior Planner
Phone: (509) 759-7989
email: Jeff.Watson@yvcog.org

GIS – Geographic Information Services

John Rohrbaugh, GIS Analyst/IT Program Manager
Phone: (509) 759-7999
email: John.Rohrbaugh@yvcog.org

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Contact Us

311 North 4th St., #204
Yakima, WA 98901
email: info@yvcog.org
Tel. 509-574-1550
Fax 509-574-1551

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© 2017 Yakima Valley Conference of Governments – Serving Yakima County Municipalities and Partners. All rights reserved.

What is an ETC?

What does an ETC do?

An Employee Transportation Coordinator, or ETC:

Communicates with YVCOG on a regular basis.

Submits required information and reports on time

Responds to requests from YVCOG and assists fellow employees

Follows through on past commitments

Encourages worksite visits or on-site program assistance

Accepts assistance/suggestions for program improvement

Contact YVCOG to explore what CTR can do for you and your business!

Commuter Benefits

Tired of driving alone to work every day, but not sure if you have better options?

Consider what can happen when you use alternate ways of getting to work (or even teleworking):

Reduce your level of stress and get to work feeling more energized

Read, listen to your favorite music, maybe take a quick nap while someone else drives!

Extend the life of your automobile and possibly get a break on your insurance by driving less

Help improve air quality in the Yakima Valley by reducing pollution levels

Meet new, interesting people by sharing a ride or riding the bus

Cut down on the cost of your commute

Get more exercise by walking or bicycling to work

Contact YVCOG to explore what CTR can do for you and your business!

Good Faith Effort

What is a Good Faith Effort?

State Law define “good faith effort” by these two conditions:

The employer meets the minimum requirements in RCW 70.94.531 AND

The employer is working collaboratively with its jurisdiction to continue its existing program or is developing and
implementing program revisions likely to improve the CTR program over the agreed length of time.

YVCOG considers good faith effort when evaluating an employer’s level of commitment to achieving CTR goals.
One of two outcomes will result:

If an employer IS making a good faith effort, but isn’t likely to meet its CTR goals,
YVCOG will collaborate with the employer to continue the existing program or modify the worksite’s CTR program

If an employer IS NOT making a good faith effort and isn’t likely to meet applicable goals,
YVCOG will collaborate with the employer to propose revisions and shall direct the employer to
incorporate the revisions in its CTR plan within 30 days

There are no civil penalties for failure to reach CTR goals. The YVCOG is here to work collaboratively with employers
to find solutions that make sense for them!

Contact YVCOG to explore what CTR can do for you and your business!

Employee Taxes

The IRS allows employees to use their own pre-tax dollars to take advantage of commuter benefits.

Employees have three options for reducing the cost of commuting:

A tax-free employer-paid benefit

A pre-tax employee-paid payroll deduction

A combination of the two

Since 2016, the tax-free and pre-tax limits for commuter benefits provided by an employer are:

$255 per employee per month for vanpool or bus (all public transportation)

$255 per employee per month for qualified parking

$510 per employee per month for a combination of public transportation and parking

Contact YVCOG to explore what CTR can do for you and your business!

Employer Requirements

The CTR Law has six main requirements.

Participating Employers must:

Appoint an employee as the liaison between the employer and YVCOG’s CTR Coordinator.
The employee liaison is also known as the Employee Transportation Coordinator, or ‘ETC’

Develop a CTR program that is likely to reduce the number of drive-alone commutes and
the number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) to the worksite. Participating employers must
make a ‘good faith effort’ to achieve their CTR benchmark goals (RCW 70.94.527(4)).

Submit a program report to YVCOG for approval after developing the CTR program

Implement the approved CTR program as described in the program report.

Provide employees with a summary of the CTR program within 60 days of approval.
This can be done by a brochure or via a link on the employer’s webpage where the CTR program is described.
The employer must also include CTR information in new employee orientation sessions.

Measure their CTR progress. Every two years the employer must conduct employee surveys to measure
employee commute behavior. Drive-alone trips to the worksite are counted using the Drive Alone Rate.
The length of drive-alone commute trips is counted through the VMT rate
(the number of vehicle miles traveled to the worksite).

Contact YVCOG to explore what CTR can do for you and your business!

CTR and Business Health

Looking for ways to hone your competitive edge?

Give your business a boost with CTR!

CTR helps businesses cut costs and raise productivity.
An effective CTR program can:

Increase your staff retention rate by making it easier for employees to get to work on time

Save money by reducing employee turnover and retaining experienced staff

Encourage qualified applicants to apply for open positions

Raise productivity by strengthening employee morale and sense of wellbeing

Lower your business’s absenteeism rate

Contact YVCOG to explore what CTR can do for you and your business!

Employer Taxes

Employers (and property managers) who provide CTR incentives are eligible for a
Washington State tax credit up to $100,000 per fiscal year (50% of the employee’s
benefit cost per fiscal year). No more than $60 per employee may be claimed in the
fiscal year.

Applications for the tax credit are filed electronically via the Department of Revenue (DOR) website.

Please Note:

The DOR must receive the application between January 1 and January 31, following the calendar year in which the applicant made CTR incentive payments

The DOR will disapprove any applications received after January 31, regardless of the reason why the application was not received by the due date.

The DOR will approve timely applications within 60 days of the deadline (by April 1). Public disclosure law applies to CTR tax credits.

The YVCOG encourages employers to contact a tax professional for expert advice

Contact YVCOG to explore what CTR can do for you and your business!

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YVCOG – Yakima Valley Conference of Governments

Yakima Valley Conference of Governments

CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

The May 2021 draft Amendment to the Transportation Improvement Program (2021-24 M/RTIP) is available here.
Comments must be submitted by noon Wednesday, May 12, 2021.

Transportation

CTR – Commute Trip Reduction

Planning Services

GIS – Geographic Information Services

Site Links

What is an ETC?

What does an ETC do?

Commuter Benefits

Tired of driving alone to work every day, but not sure if you have better options?

Consider what can happen when you use alternate ways of getting to work (or even teleworking):

Good Faith Effort

What is a Good Faith Effort?

State Law define “good faith effort” by these two conditions:

YVCOG considers good faith effort when evaluating an employer’s level of commitment to achieving CTR goals.
One of two outcomes will result:

There are no civil penalties for failure to reach CTR goals. The YVCOG is here to work collaboratively with employers
to find solutions that make sense for them!

Employee Taxes

The IRS allows employees to use their own pre-tax dollars to take advantage of commuter benefits.

Employees have three options for reducing the cost of commuting:

Since 2016, the tax-free and pre-tax limits for commuter benefits provided by an employer are:

Employer Requirements

The CTR Law has six main requirements.

Participating Employers must:

CTR and Business Health

Looking for ways to hone your competitive edge?

Give your business a boost with CTR!

Employer Taxes

Employers (and property managers) who provide CTR incentives are eligible for a
Washington State tax credit up to $100,000 per fiscal year (50% of the employee’s
benefit cost per fiscal year). No more than $60 per employee may be claimed in the
fiscal year.