Boston Region MPO Administration & Finance Committee

Operations Plan Development

Worksheet for Officers of the Board – Thursday, September 22, 2022

Draft Final Write-up for Discussion

#. BRMPO Board Officers

The MOU states: “The Chair of the Boston Region MPO shall be the Secretary of MassDOT or the Secretary’s designee. The Vice Chair shall be a municipal representative or an official of one of the two regional agencies and shall be elected to a one-year term by the MPO members by majority vote. This election shall take place at the first meeting after the election of Boston Region MPO elected municipal representatives.”

#. a. Chair

The Chair of the BRMPO Board is the Secretary of Transportation of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, ex officio. Their term on the BRMPO Board, and as its Chair, begins upon their official first day of employment as Secretary of Transportation of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Secretary shall preside at all BRMPO Board meetings at which they are present. If the Secretary cannot preside at a Board meeting, their designee shall preside in their stead.

The Chair or their designee is responsible for signing, as Chair of the Boston Region MPO, any official acts, orders, or proceedings of the board, such as:

• Letters
• Resolutions

The Chair or their designee shall respond to requests for information relevant to Board business at least 48 hours in advance of a meeting during which the Board votes on a topic. In addition, the Chair shall ensure that all member questions are satisfied before calling votes.

The Chair or their designee shall have such powers, and perform such other duties as may from time to time be voted by the MPO Board of Directors.

#.b. Vice-chair

The Vice-chair presides at meetings in the absence of the Chair or Chair’s designee(s) (or alternate?)

The Vice-chair may sign official acts, orders, or proceedings of the board as the Chair’s proxy if the Chair is not able.

The Vice-chair shall collaborate on agenda setting with the Chair and MPO staff.^[a]

The Vice-chair shall have such powers, and perform such other duties as may from time to time be voted by the MPO Board of Directors.

#.b.i. Vice-chair Nomination Process

Following the annual election of municipal representatives, members shall nominate a municipal representative or an official of one of the two regional agencies for a one-year term as the Vice Chair. This nomination shall take place one meeting prior to the Boston Region MPO Annual meeting (refer to section #.c).^[b]

#.c Officer Election - Annual Meeting

Each year the MPO shall hold an Annual Meeting, after the completion of the MPO elections (typically end of October) and within 30 days of the new members’ term (typically beginning November 1), either in concurrence with or in addition to an existing board meeting. At that meeting:

• The Secretary of Transportation shall be invited to preside and address the board as the Chair
• The Vice-chair seat shall be elected by a majority vote

• Designees and alternates for new members, and any new designees or alternates for continuing members, shall be introduced

#. d. BRMPO Presiding Officer(s)

When the designee of the Chair or their alternate is not present or able to preside at the meeting, the Vice-chair assumes the presiding role at an MPO meeting. If the designees and alternates of both the Chair or Vice-chair are not present to preside at an MPO meeting, the Board membership may elect a presiding officer for the meeting by a majority vote.

The presiding officer shall be responsible for calling the meeting to order, closing the meeting, and ensuring that the meeting follows Robert’s Rules of Order, which can be overridden by processes in this Operations Plan. The primary functions of presiding during a meeting include recognizing board members to speak and facilitating voting procedures. The presiding officer shall also recognize requests for agenda and discussion items from members of the Board and of the public, facilitate meetings in a manner that encourages participatory dialogue that gives all parties a chance to be heard, and ensure that the board engages in timely and effective cooperative decision-making.

At the direction of the presiding officer, discussions of agenda items can be facilitated by other Board members or staff.

#.f. Agenda Setting and Notification Process

• At any meeting of the Boston Region MPO, a member of the Board may request an item to be considered on a future agenda to the Chair and Vice-chair. Those requests shall be recorded in meeting minutes and discussed at agenda setting meetings with the Chair and Vice-chair.

• MPO staff shall include requests in the draft list of agenda topics for one of the next three meetings
• Vice-chair role?

• At least four to six weeks before a scheduled Board meeting, MPO staff solicit potential agenda items from staff and include them on a running list of potential future agenda items.

• Materials relevant to any agenda items are submitted to MassDOT OTP staff to allow time for them to review materials on behalf of the Chair. This includes work scopes, reports, meeting minutes, etc.

• MPO staff solicit potential agenda items from the Chair and Vice-chair at least three to four weeks before the meeting
• MPO staff develop a draft list of agenda topics, including standard items, such as MPO meeting minutes, which must be approved within the next three meetings or 30 days from the date of the meeting, whichever is later, introductions, Chair’s report, Executive Director’s report, etc. MPO staff include items solicited from staff, the Chair, and Vice-chair, as well as requests heard from board members over that time period. Staff presentations of MPO or other work are included after they have been reviewed by OTP staff. The time allowed for each of these is set in coordination with the presenters.
• MPO staff schedule agenda-setting meetings with MassDOT OTP staff (Chair - Executive Director of Planning, Deputy Executive Director of Planning, and MPO liaison) and the Vice-chair (Director of Transportation at MAPC), where agenda items are reviewed and approved 10 days before the MPO meeting.
• MPO staff shall follow MA Open Meeting Law, publishing the agenda and other meeting materials online and through email at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting. MPO staff shall strive to publish meeting notices one week in advance of the meeting.

#.g. Other Officers

• Other officers can be designated by majority vote of the Boston Region MPO

#.h. Board Member Designees and Alternates

1. Within 30 days of the completion of the election, new board members must submit in writing to the chair of the MPO their official designee and alternate, if desired, for that designee. A designee can be the chief elected official themself or a representative of the municipality or agency that they represent. The chief elected official should address the board and provide the name, title, and contact information of the designee and alternate.
2. If, at any time, the chief elected official or designee leaves their position, a new letter must be submitted to the chair identifying the new designee and alternate within 30 days of the position being filled.
3. If a representative other than the official designee or alternate attends a board meeting in representation of the seat, it is at the chair’s discretion whether that representative is acknowledged with other board members.