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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.16.16 UAPB Minutes1 MINUTES MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board APPROVED Wednesday, November 16, 2016 – 4:30 PM City of Iowa City – Council Chambers 410 E. Washington St. Iowa City, IA MEMBERS PRESENT: Coralville: Jill Dodds Iowa City: Susan Mims, Pauline Taylor, Terry Dickens, Rockne Cole, John Thomas Johnson County: Janelle Rettig, Rod Sullivan North Liberty: Amy Nielsen, Terry Donahue Tiffin: Steve Berner University Heights: Wally Heitman ICCSD: Chris Lynch University of Iowa: None STAFF PRESENT: Kent Ralston, Darian Nagle-Gamm, Brad Neumann, Emily Bothell, Sarah Walz OTHERS PRESENT: None 1. CALL TO ORDER Susan Mims called the meeting to order at 4:30 PM a. Recognize alternates Rod Sullivan served as an alternate for Mike Carberry (Johnson County). b. Consider approval of meeting minutes Motion to approve was made by Donahue; Rettig seconded. The motion was unanimously approved. c. Set date of next meeting The next meeting was set for Wednesday, January 25th, hosted by Johnson County. The Rural Policy Board meeting will follow the Urbanized Policy Board meeting. 2. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA* None 3. ADMINISTRATION a. Appoint nominating committee for Calendar Year 2017 Urbanized Area Policy Board officers Dodds, Rettig, and Cole volunteered for the 2017 nominating committee. b. Confirm which entities will nominate Johnson County representatives to East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) Board of Directors The current officer positions are held by Tammy Rasmussen, Sarah Morlen, and Pauline 2 Taylor. New representatives will be appointed by Johnson County, Coralville, and Hills. Ralston asked if the Board would like to keep Aaron Moniza as the current citizen representative. The Board agreed to keep Moniza as the representative contingent upon his approval. c. Preliminary discussion of FY18 MPOJC Budget Ralston informed the board of the purpose of the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County including fulfilling federal requirements like the Long Range Transportation Plan, the Transportation Improvement Program, and other requirements. MPOJC is also responsible for producing local traffic studies and transit planning and reporting. The FY18 budget will be similar to FY17. Ralston reported a slight increase in the use of DOT planning funds received annually to address MPO needs. The addition of a half- time position was something that Ralston was hoping for, but will not be added at this time. d. Consider resolution regarding an Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program grant application for the City of Tiffin Bothell informed the Board of the ICAAP grant application Tiffin is pursuing for the Hwy 6/Park Road intersection. A roundabout would reduce stand-still traffic and in turn reduce vehicle emissions. Approval of the application was moved by Rettig and seconded by Cole. The motion was approved unanimously. e. Consider approval of scoring criteria for Surface Transportation Block Grant program and Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside program funds allocated by MPOJC Ralston informed the Board that the scoring criterion for the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program is very similar to that of the recently approved Long Range Plan scoring criteria. The Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC) recommended approval of the draft scoring criteria. Ralston explained that Coralville’s disagreement at the TTAC meeting was with the scoring criteria because the “system preservation” scores award more points to projects that replaced or maintained exiting infrastructure rather than creating new. Coralville did not feel that this would help their growing community, as new facilities are continually being built. Rettig suggested using the old criteria to maintain a balance between old and new projects, rather than awarding more points for reconstructing existing facilities. Mims commented that the criteria for “system preservation” was not significant enough to largely affect the outcome of a given project and suggested moving forward with the current criteria. Nielsen stated that the new criterion disadvantages small communities that do not have the same infrastructure as larger communities. Mims suggested using the proposed criteria to test how it would work, suggesting it could always be revisited. The motion was made by Thomas and seconded by Dodds. The motion was approved 9 to 3 with Rettig, Nielsen, and Donahue opposed. 3 f. Discuss the ‘Severson Charity Challenge’ for this holiday season Walz discussed the background of the Severson Charity Challenge that communities take part in annually. The Board agreed to continue with the same tradition as last year. 4. TRANPORTATION PLANNING a. Update on MPOJC 2017-2045 Long Range Transportation Plan revision process Nagle-Gamm updated the Board on the current undertakings for the Long Range Transportation Plan. MPO staff has been working on updating the travel demand model with the DOT and updating the document for approximately 18 months. Nagle-Gamm discussed several new “guiding principles” included in the draft materials for review. Nagle-Gamm explained that the plan also focuses on reducing congestion and travel time, and improving the current transportation system. Nagle-Gamm also stated that there have been several transportation successes in the area including the Clear Creek Trail continuation in Tiffin, pedestrian bridges, and wide- sidewalk projects. Nagle-Gamm mentioned another success is the bike-share program that will be making its debut in the area in 2017. b. Update on potential designation of Critical Urban Freight Corridors in the urbanized area Neumann updated the group on a request by the Iowa DOT in identifying urban freight corridors that have a significant impact on the surrounding community. All Iowa MPOs have been asked to identify these corridors in their respective areas. Each freight corridor could be awarded funds as part of a FAST Act program. MPOJC has been working with the surrounding communities to identify freight corridors that could be eligible for funding. 5. OTHER BUSINESS Ralston congratulated Amy Nielsen on her recent election to the Iowa House of Representatives. Ralston also informed the group that Coralville and North Liberty both received bronze designations as “Bike Friendly Communities.” 6. ADJOURNMENT Dickens motioned to adjourn; seconded by Rettig. The motion was unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 5:40.