Technical Memorandum

DATE:   October 21, 2021

TO:         Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Committee

FROM:   Tegin Teich, Executive Director

RE: Recommended Revisions to Certain 3C Budgets (FFY 2022)

This memo contains Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) staff recommendations for modifications to the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2022 UPWP budget, forming Amendment One to the FFY 2022 UPWP. This amendment, which extends some unused FFY 2021 3C PL funds into the new fiscal year, serves the purpose of advancing the MPO’s development of a new suite of travel demand modeling tools and enhancing staff skills to implement those tools during an unusual time of staff availability. Specifically, the amendment has two purposes.

• Extending the availability of $20,000 of professional development funds from the FFY 2021 Combined 3C PL contract to be used for new skill development early in FFY 2022, with a focus on preparing staff to implement a new suite of modeling tools. A light load of non-MPO funded project work at the beginning of FFY 2022 creates staff availability and presents an opportunity to immediately and efficiently use remaining FFY 2021 funds without affecting use of FFY 2022 funds.

• Extending $25,000 of FFY 2021 Model Development funds and transferring them from labor and overhead to Direct Costs. These funds will be used to procure support from Caliper, the developer of the travel demand software TransCAD used by the Boston Region MPO. Caliper’s support provides a one-time opportunity to accelerate the development of the next phase of travel demand modeling tools.

This modification comes at a unique time when MPO staff are advancing significant strategic goals to enhance our ability to carry out MPO work. The adjustments, shown in Table 1, will increase the FFY 2022 UPWP budget by $45,000.

This amendment also makes a number of minor corrections to the UPWP document and inserts project ID numbers for tasks where they had not been identified before endorsement.

Thank you for your time in reviewing these recommended modifications. MPO staff will be happy to discuss and answer any questions from UPWP committee members. After a discussion, we hope you will agree with these recommended modifications. We request you then vote to approve Amendment One to the FFY 2022 UPWP and recommend that the MPO vote to release it for a 21-day public comment period. If approved for public comment, the amendment would then be endorsed by the MPO on November 18, 2021.

Table 1

FFY 2022 UPWP Amendment One Proposed Budget Adjustments

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) operates its programs, services, and activities in compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related statutes and regulations. Title VI prohibits discrimination in federally assisted programs and requires that no person in the United States of America shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency), be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives federal assistance. Related federal nondiscrimination laws administered by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, or both, prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, and disability. The Boston Region MPO considers these protected populations in its Title VI Programs, consistent with federal interpretation and administration. In addition, the Boston Region MPO provides meaningful access to its programs, services, and activities to individuals with limited English proficiency, in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation policy and guidance on federal Executive Order 13166.

The Boston Region MPO also complies with the Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law, M.G.L. c 272 sections 92a, 98, 98a, which prohibits making any distinction, discrimination, or restriction in admission to, or treatment in a place of public accommodation based on race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or ancestry. Likewise, the Boston Region MPO complies with the Governor's Executive Order 526, section 4, which requires that all programs, activities, and services provided, performed, licensed, chartered, funded, regulated, or contracted for by the state shall be conducted without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, disability, veteran's status (including Vietnam-era veterans), or background.

A complaint form and additional information can be obtained by contacting the MPO or at http://www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination

To request this information in a different language or in an accessible format, please contact

Title VI Specialist
Boston Region MPO
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116
civilrights@ctps.org

By Telephone:
857.702.3702 (voice)

For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the state MassRelay service:

• Relay Using TTY or Hearing Carry-over: 800.439.2370
• Relay Using Voice Carry-over: 866.887.6619
• Relay Using Text to Speech:866.645.9870

For more information, including numbers for Spanish speakers, visit https://www.mass.gov/massrelay