Mission Statement

Our Purpose & Responsibilities Del Norte Local Transportation Commission (LTC) is one of 43 Regional Transportation Planning Agencies (RTPA) in California, created as a result of Section 29532 of the Government Code.

The principal purpose of RTPAs in rural areas is to:

  • Prepare and adopt planning and programming documents required by law, and

  • Allocate funds and administer various funding programs that involve cities, counties, and transit operators

There are two types of RTPAs in the State:

  • Councils of Governments (COGS): Some are single county agencies and some represent several counties. Those covering urbanized areas (urban areas with populations over 50,000) are called Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs). COGs may involve themselves in land use planning as well as transportation planning.

  • Local Transportation Commissions (LTCs): Serve rural counties and are limited to dealing only with transportation planning issues.

There is some latitude on the membership for RTPAs, but they must include representation from each City and County.

Principal Transportation-Related Activities of Rural RTPAs

  1. Prepare and Adopt the Regional Transportation PlanDel Norte Local Transportation Commission (LTC) prepares the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) every two years. The RTP provides direction to local, State, and Federal transportation planning decision makers regarding regional transportation matters

  2. Prepare and Adopt the Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP) The Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP) is a prioritized program of proposed State or Federally funded transportation project which Del Norte Local Transportation Commission (LTC) would like to see funded through state or federal programs. All projects with Federal funding need to be included in the RTIP.

  3. Prepare the Overall Work Program(OWP) and OWP Progress Reports Del Norte Local Transportation Commission (LTC) prepares the Overall Work Program (OWP) annually in the spring. The OWP outlines regional planning efforts which will be conducted over the upcoming fiscal year.

  4. Allocate Transportation Development Act funds Del Norte Local Transportation Commission (LTC) allocates Transit Development Act (TDA) funds on an annual basis to support local transit providers, pedestrian and bicycle purposes, and the activities of the LTC. The TDA is composed of two funding sources: the Local Transportation Fund and the State Transit Assistance Funds.

  5. Coordinate Other Funding Programs There are other funding programs that require action by Del Norte Local Transportation Commission (LTC), but allocations and administration are handled by others, such as the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and Federal Transit Act (FTA) funds.

  6. Meet Audit Requirements Del Norte Local Transportation Commission is required to conduct audits including a fiscal audit of Local Transportation Fund and State Transit Assistance Fund claimants and performance audits.

  7. Comment on Other California Department of Transportation Highway Planning Projects Del Norte Local Transportation Commission also participates in and provides comments on projects developed by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The Caltrans district office for Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino and Lake counties is located in Eureka.