HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.25.17 UAPB Minutes1
MINUTES
MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board APPROVED
Wednesday, January 25th – 4:30 PM
Johnson County Health and Human Services Building, Second Floor Conference Room
855 S. Dubuque St, Iowa City, IA
MEMBERS PRESENT: Coralville: Jill Dodds
Iowa City: Susan Mims, Pauline Taylor, Terry Dickens,
Rockne Cole, John Thomas, Kingsley Botchway
Johnson County: Janelle Rettig, Mike Carberry
North Liberty: Terry Donahue, Ryan Heiar
Tiffin: Steve Berner
University Heights: Dotti Maher
ICCSD: Chris Lynch
University of Iowa: Dave Ricketts
STAFF PRESENT: Kent Ralston, Darian Nagle-Gamm, Brad Neumann, Emily Bothell,
Sarah Walz, Karl Mueller
OTHERS PRESENT: ECICOG: Jennifer Fencl
1. CALL TO ORDER
Susan Mims called the meeting to order at 4:30 PM
a. Recognize alternates
Ryan Heiar served as an alternate for Amy Nielsen (North Liberty).
Dotti Maher served as an alternate for Wally Heitman (University Heights)
b. Consider approval of meeting minutes
Motion to approve was made by Dickens; Donahue seconded. The motion was
unanimously approved.
c. Set date of next meeting
The next meeting was set for Wednesday, March 29, hosted by North Liberty. It was
noted that the Rural Policy Board meeting would follow the Urbanized Area Policy Board
meeting.
2. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA*
Ralston recognized Amy Nielsen and Wally Heitman for their service to the MPOJC
Urbanized Area Policy Board.
Rettig commented that the Iowa DOT met with the Johnson County Board of
Supervisors about the current plans for the widening of I-80 between Iowa City and West
Branch. Of the three bridges between Iowa City and West Branch, two are expected to
remain while the Lower West Branch Road Bridge would be closed. I-80 will be widened
to six lanes; construction is slated to start in 2021 and last four years. MPO staff will be
asked to assist in determining whether the Lower West Branch Road Bridge should
remain open if data becomes available to the Board of Supervisors.
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Carberry added that if the bridge were to remain open, there would be some cost-share
involved. The DOT would fund the rebuild of the Wapsi Bridge.
The five-year road plan for Johnson County calls for the reconstruction of Herbert
Hoover Highway from Sharpless to the county line; the road will be widened, shoulders
added, and a bike lane in the right-of-way may be added.
3. ADMINISTRATION
a. Report from nominating committee for 2017 MPOJC Board officers
The Committee recommended reappointing Mims as Board Chair, and Berner as Vice-
Chair. Donahue moved to approve the motion; Dodds seconded. The motion was
approved unanimously.
b. Consider approval of the FY18 MPOJC Budget and financial forecast
Ralston stated that the MPOJC focus remains fulfilling federal and state requirements
necessary to receive federal funding. MPOJC is a division of Iowa City Neighborhood
and Development Services (NDS). The overall budget for FY18 is approximately
$599,000, a 4% increase from FY17, primarily due to wage increases for staff and
healthcare costs. The assessments are population based. Due to carryover funds and
Iowa DOT funding, the proposed assessments are slightly increased for FY18; for larger
communities, a half of one-percent increase, except for North Liberty, who has a $5000
increase from FY17.
Ralston asked the Board for approval of the budget and financial forecast.
Mims commented that the $200,000 from Iowa DOT represents 46.6% of the overall
budget. Ralston added that the Iowa City finance director recommends keeping 30% of
the total budget in reserve; the MPO currently has approximately a $300,000 reserve
should a funding shortfall occur.
Motion to approve was made by Dickens; Carberry seconded. The motion was
approved unanimously.
c. Consider approval of the FY18 Johnson County Assessments to the East Central Iowa
Council of Governments
Ralston informed the Board that the MPO collects the ECICOG dues for Johnson County
and forwards them to ECICOG. Ralston stated that ECICOG assessments for Johnson
County are calculated on a per-capita basis; the MPO then assess each municipality.
ECICOG proposed a 2% rate increase for all counties it serves for FY18.
Ralston asked the Board for approval of the FY18 ECICOG assessment schedule.
Motion to approve was made by Cole; Rettig seconded. The motion was approved
unanimously.
d. Consider appointments to the ECICOG Board of Directors
Ralston stated that the entities responsible for appointments to the ECICOG Board of
Directors for 2017 include Johnson County, Coralville, and Hills. The appointees from
each community include: Mike Carberry from the Board of Supervisors, Laurie Goodrich
from Coralville (Mayor John Lundell as alternate), Cathy Knebel from Hills (Cathy
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Fitzmaurice-Hill as alternate), and Aaron Moniza as citizen representative, who would
like to serve a second term.
Ralston asked the Board for approval of the elected officials, as well as a second term
for citizen representative, Aaron Moniza.
Rettig asked about the list of alternates and if it had to be sent to ECICOG. Ralston
responded that the list had already been sent to ECICOG.
Rettig asked how the alternate list is determined. Ralston responded that the alternates
come from the three groups that have representatives on the ECICOG Board for FY17.
Ralston also stated that the bylaws allow for any elected official to serve as an alternate
for any entity.
Motion to approve was made by Dodds; seconded by Berner. The motion was
approved unanimously.
e. Discuss MPOJC Orientation opportunity for Board members
Ralston stated an orientation is available for current and new Board members to discuss
the role of MPOJC if desired.
4. TRANPORTATION PLANNING
a. Consider approval of Federal Transit Administration Section 5307 Transit Operating
Formula funding apportionment for FY2017 and transit statistics for FY2016
Neumann presented the proposed apportionment of the annual FY17 FTA Section 5307
funding. The MPO has over $2.6 million from FTA to apportion between Coralville
Transit, Iowa City Transit, and University of Iowa CAMBUS. MPO apportions this money
based on a formula with four factors: operating cost, locally determined income, revenue
miles, and fare revenue. The formula was reviewed by the Board at the September
meeting and no changes were recommended.
Neumann also presented the transit performance statistics used in the formula.
Neumann stated that these statistics have been kept since 1986. Ridership and cost
trends will be presented to the Board at a future meeting. Neumann stated that TTAC
unanimously recommended approval of the apportionment.
Neumann asked the Board for approval of the apportionment for the FY17 FTA Section
5307 funding. Motion to approve was made by Thomas; Carberry seconded. The
motion was approved unanimously.
b. Public Hearing and consideration of an amendment to the FY2017-2020 MPOJC
Transportation Improvement Program
This agenda item was withdrawn at the request of the Iowa DOT.
c. Update on FY2021-FY2022 Surface Transportation Block Grant & Transportation
Alternatives Set-Aside grant funding allocation process
Ralston stated that the MPO conducts the competitive grant process for Surface
Transportation Block Grant (STBG) and Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TA Set-
Aside) funds every other year. It has been the desire of the Board and TTAC to allocate
two years of funding at once to provide a larger portion of funding for projects.
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Ralston stated that with changes in the federal transportation legislation, Iowa DOT
notified the MPO that there will be changes to how the TA Set-Aside process will be
conducted. STBG funding will still be allocated in spring 2017, but TA Set-Aside funding
will be considered in the summer and due to the Iowa DOT in October 2017. Ralston
stated that in the long run, it would be better for both processes to run concurrently for
better project planning and to streamline the application process.
Staff plans to distribute STBG applications to TTAC members by the end of January.
The applications will be due three weeks after distribution. Staff will make
recommendations for funding allocation in March. The Iowa DOT funding target has not
yet been received; although Ralston anticipates roughly $5.6 million in funding will be
available.
d. Update on the MPOJC FY2017 Transportation Planning Work Program and FY2017-
2020 Transportation Improvement Program
Neumann informed the Board that the MPOJC Work Program is a document produced
annually identifying all the major work projects in FY18. It includes all state and federally
required planning processes and documentation, ongoing and routine projects, and
special projects requested by member entities. In February, the MPO will be taking
requests for projects. The draft Work Program will be submitted to the Iowa DOT by April
1st, and the final program will be approved in May.
Neumann noted that STBG funding will be about $5.6 million covering FY21-22. TA Set-
Aside funding will be included in the FY19 TIP instead of the FY18 TIP.
e. Update on MPOJC Long Range Transportation Plan revision schedule and draft
materials
Nagle-Gamm provided the status of the Long Range Transportation Plan update. Nagle-
Gamm provided population growth numbers for the metro area, indicating that all
municipalities in the metro area grew between 2010 and 2014, with North Liberty and
Tiffin growing fastest. Nagle-Gamm stated that the population projection for the metro
area for the year 2045 shows an increase of nearly 65,000 people.
Rettig inquired about the years that the population projections were based on. Nagle-
Gamm responded that they were developed from population projections were developed
from 2000, 2010, and 2014 census data, and stated that the additional use of 1990
census data could be evaluated.
Nagle-Gamm described commuting methods in the different municipalities in the metro
area. In Johnson County, single occupancy vehicle commute trips are well below the
state average.
Nagle-Gamm stated that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) was at an all-time high in the
metro area in 2015. Nagle-Gamm stated that VMT is an important indicator used to
evaluate vehicle driving trends and impacts on emissions. Ralston added that mode-split
is another important factor to be considered in tandem with VMT.
Rettig asked for clarification on the percentage of commuting by automobile for Coralville
and North Liberty, and the impact on VMT. Nagle-Gamm stated that VMT is based on all
vehicles traveling through the municipalities, not just residents.
Cole asked if there were any specific goals for bicycle commuters, and how the need will
be met via infrastructure. Nagle-Gamm stated that it would be a performance measure
that will be continually evaluated by the MPO. There is not a set standard at this time,
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but communities can set their own standards and goals.
Cole asked if any studies on the economic impact of increased bicycle and pedestrian
usage compared to vehicles had been done. Nagle-Gamm stated that there had not
been to date.
Nagle-Gamm discussed transportation differences between baby boomers and
millennials. Locally and nationally, baby boomers are more auto-dependent; millennials
are becoming less auto-dependent and more reliant on other modes of transportation.
Nagle-Gamm stated that about 16,000 residents commute into Johnson County daily
while about 8,900 Johnson County residents commute to other counties. Within the
metro area, about 4,600 Coralville residents commute to Iowa City for work, 3,000
commute from Iowa City to Coralville, and 1,300 commute from North Liberty to Iowa
City.
Nagle-Gamm briefly discussed the results of the MPOJC survey of junior high and high
school students on how they get to school versus how they want to get to school. Many
students take the bus or are driven, but many would rather walk and bike to school.
Nagle-Gamm presented maps on the current land use and future land use, and the
percent of income spent on housing and transportation for each municipality.
Nagle-Gamm presented Long Range Transportation Plan guiding principle #6, safety.
Overall collisions are down in the metro area, however, bicycle and pedestrian collisions
are increasing, as well as the percentage of collisions due to distracted driving.
Strategies to increase safety as well as performance measures were presented to the
Board.
Nagle-Gamm informed the Board that the entire Plan will be provided at the next
meeting. It will also be provided to the FHWA, FTA and DOT, and opened for public
comment. After receiving feedback, updates to the plan will be made, and a final draft
will be provided at the May Board meeting. The due date to the FHW A and DOT is June
1.
Thomas asked if the collisions could be mapped. Nagle-Gamm stated that staff was
working on the metro area collision report. Ralston added that maps from the metro area
collision report would be included in the Plan.
Ralston stated that feedback from project partners on the plan has been very positive.
Mims asked if bicycle and pedestrian collisions were with vehicles. Ralston stated that
single bicycle collisions would also be included if they were reported to police, but he
suspects the majority of the collisions were with vehicles.
Mims commented on the colors used in the map; it was difficult to differentiate variations
of the same color. Mims suggested using different colors or other methods to make
gradations more distinct in future maps. Nagle-Gamm stated that the maps are set up so
that symbology can be easily changed and staff would take that into consideration.
Thomas suggested avoiding using red and green as colors to make it readable for
colorblind people.
Rettig suggested changing the color pattern on the youth and transportation map.
f. Update on CRANDIC Passenger Rail Study
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Neumann stated that the Phase II study was completed in September. The cost of
implementation was down to $30-$40 million between Iowa City and North Liberty.
Neumann stated that another study is being suggested. Ridership and revenue
forecasts, cost/benefit analysis, financial plans, and implementation schedules to extend
service to Cedar Rapids will be included. Iowa DOT and CRANDIC have both agreed to
another study, with the cost of the study being split between DOT, CRANDIC, and local
stakeholders. The cost of the study is expected to be the same as previous studies.
Neumann stated that once the specifications for the study are determined, each
community will be approached to gauge their interest in the study and the project.
Ralston added that a third study is not necessary if there is not a commitment from the
municipalities.
Rettig stated the Johnson County Board of Supervisors is working on their new Strategic
Plan, and the CRANDIC project is included as a top priority.
Ricketts stated that if a new study is done, it needs to analyze how much people would
be willing to pay for the service. Ralston stated that it would be a focus of the study.
Mims added that the third study should also include factors that would keep people from
using the service.
5. OTHER BUSINESS
a. Report on the Severson Cup Charity Challenge; Award Severson Cup
Walz stated that participants donated 5,131 items that went to food pantries in Coralville,
North Liberty, and Cassie’s Mittens. $3,366 was donated to charities. Coralville donated
578 bus passes to the Valley View Lodge.
Iowa City won the “Severson Cup” as the “Most Improved”, raising $2,555 for the Joan
Buxton Children’s Fund.
6. ADJOURNMENT
Berner motioned to adjourn; seconded by Ricketts. The motion was unanimously
approved.
The meeting adjourned at 5:40.