Boston Region MPO Administration
& Finance Committee
Agency Information Sharing – April
13, 2023
Operation Plan Memo - Relevant Sections from Operations Plan Memo
MassDOT
information updates
●
Further clarify the process for agency information sharing as
described in the MOU
●
Further clarify process and expectations for sharing federal
funding assumptions (PL, 5303 & Regional Target) each year
2011 MOU - Relevant
Sections pertaining to Information Sharing
●
TIP Project Information and Dissemination
o The implementing agencies
shall keep the Boston Region MPO informed of project status on a regular basis
to support MPO planning and programming and to enable the Boston Region MPO to
notify project sponsors of the outstanding issues that could cause the project
to be deferred to a subsequent fiscal year.
At least quarterly and on request, the implementing agencies shall
submit this information to the Boston Region MPO Chair and staff for
coordination and for distribution to the MPO members. This information shall include project status
and other issues of interest to the MPO members and shall be compiled from all
available resources, including municipalities, regional entities, state
transportation agencies, and other sources.
Boston Region MPO members shall provide needed and relevant information
to Boston Region MPO staff for dissemination to the full Boston Region MPO.
Staff shall utilize appropriate and up-to-date information systems for
maintaining, processing, analyzing, and reporting information.
o Boston Region MPO staff shall
have primary responsibility for informing local governments regarding
transportation funding and for collecting local input to the Boston Region
MPO. All members of the Boston Region
MPO, however, shall have a role in informing local governments about
transportation aid and the programming process and in considering local input
to the Boston Region MPO.
●
TIP Overview
o The Boston Region MPO shall
maintain two lists of unfunded projects: a First Tier
Projects list and a Universe of Projects list. These lists shall be
compiled by the Boston Region MPO for information purposes and shall be
included annually in an appendix to the TIP.
Considerations from the 2019 Certification Review
● “The BRMPO should develop an
operations plan, as called for in its MOU.
An operations plan should clarify roles and responsibilities among BRMPO
members and staff, particularly among
CTPS, MAPC, and MassDOT, pertaining to collaboration, communication, work
assignments, and products.”
● “The Review Team recommends
that the BRMPO, MassDOT, and providers of public transportation evaluate
existing planning agreements for any necessary updates regarding the roles and
responsibilities for performance data, information sharing, target selection,
and performance reporting.”
Questions for Discussion
● Who are the implementing
agencies, and are there different requirements or processes?
○ MassDOT, the MBTA, MWRTA, and
CATA
● Are the current forums for
sharing information adequate?
○ E.g., MassDOT holds Priority
of Project (PoP) meetings for MassDOT and
municipality-sponsored projects on the second Tuesday of each month.
○ Note: The MOU calls for
quarterly information updates and the text below mimics the quarterly schedule
for updates at MARPA meetings even though that is not current practice.
● What should quarterly project
updates look like? A presentation at the board meeting? Staff attending PoP meetings and sharing any relevant information with
board members?
Draft Text
General Information Sharing
● The implementing agencies shall keep the Boston Region MPO
staff informed of project status on a regular basis to support MPO planning and
programming and to enable the Boston Region MPO to notify project sponsors of
issues that could cause a project to be deferred or extended into a subsequent
fiscal year. At least quarterly and on request, the implementing agencies shall
submit this information to the Boston Region MPO Chair and staff for
coordination and for distribution to the MPO members.
● MPO staff shall work with the
implementing and other agencies to gather and proactively provide MPO board
members with relevant financial information pertaining to the primary
3C-planning documents – the Unified Planning Work Program, TIP, and Long-Range
Transportation Plan – to assist MPO board members in the 3C planning process.
● Board members shall not vote
on items if relevant information about the topic of the vote is not shared by
relevant agencies, either directly or through MPO staff, at least 48 hours in
advance of the meeting where the vote takes place. MPO staff shall ensure that
such relevant information is shared with Board members. If information is not
adequate for Board members to make a well-informed vote, as determined by a
majority vote of the Board members, the vote may be postponed until such
information is provided.
TIP Project Information Sharing
● MPO staff shall attend or
review notes from MassDOT Highway Division’s weekly Priority of Projects (PoP)
meeting to receive project readiness updates related to TIP projects
advertising in the current fiscal year. MPO staff shall coordinate with project
stakeholders and share relevant project information with related municipalities
and stakeholders with the goal of preventing projects from being deferred to a
subsequent fiscal year if not necessary.
●
MassDOT Office of
Transportation Planning (OTP) and Boston Region MPO TIP Program Manager and
Capital Programming Planner (or other relevant staff) shall meet at least
monthly to exchange financial and project readiness updates.
○
As necessary, MassDOT
OTP and Boston MPO staff shall coordinate to produce TIP Adjustments and
Amendments for MPO member review and approval.
●
The TIP Manager, in
coordination with the MPO Activities Group and the Executive Team of staff to
the Boston Region MPO, shall share relevant project and financial information
with the MPO board on an as-needed basis.
●
As referenced in the “Board Member Responsibilities” section
of this document, the following will also apply to MPO members regarding
information sharing and using this information to:
● The TIP Screening and
Readiness Committee will also play a role in reviewing and discussing
additional information needed for the TIP as described earlier in this
document.
Federal Funding Assumptions
● MPO staff shall attend
quarterly financial update meetings held by the Massachusetts Association of
Regional Planning Agencies (MARPA) and MassDOT to obtain updates on federal
funding assumptions.
● MPO staff shall share federal
funding assumptions, including but not limited to narrative guidance and
financial program targets, to MPO members on an annual and as-requested basis.
● MPO staff shall annually
share federal funding assumptions to MPO members regarding financial outlooks
for the primary 3C-planning documents. This information should include, but is
not limited to:
○ expected future federal
highway funding for Massachusetts
○ planned debt repayments
○ state matches for remaining
federal highway funds
○ funding for statewide
highway, planning, and pass-through items
○ formula for distributing
remaining funds to regional planning agencies
○ federal discretionary grant
opportunities