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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4.3.19 UAPB MinutesMINUTES APPROVED MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board Wednesday, April 3, 2019 - 4:30 PM Johnson County Health and Human Services Building - 2nd Floor Conference Room 855 S. Dubuque St, Iowa City MEMBERS PRESENT: Coralville: Meghann Foster, Tom Gill Iowa City: Susan Mims, Pauline Taylor, John Thomas, Bruce Teague, Mazahir Salih, Rockne Cole Johnson County: Pat Heiden, Lisa Green-Douglass North Liberty: Terry Donahue Tiffin: Steve Berner University Heights: Louise From University of Iowa: Erin Shane ICCSD: Lori Roetlin OTHERS PRESENT: Bill Gerhard (President, Iowa State Building and Construction Trades Council) STAFF PRESENT: Kent Ralston, Emily Bothell, Brad Neumann, Frank Waisath, Ian Klopfenstein 1. CALL TO ORDER Meeting called to order at 4:30 PM by Berner. a. Recognize alternates No alternates recognized. b. Consider approval of meeting minutes Foster moved to approve; Donahue seconded. The motion passed unanimously. c. Set next Board meeting date, time and location (May 29, tentatively in North Liberty) The next meeting was scheduled for May 29th, hosted by North Liberty. 2. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA There was no public discussion of any item not on the agenda. 3. ADMINISTRATION a. Consider action regarding participation in the ‘Federal-Aid-Swap’ whereby State funding could replace Federal funding for local road/bridge projects Ralston indicated that House File 203 was signed into law the previous year, allowing the Iowa Transportation Commission to participate in what is commonly referred to as the ‘Federal-Aid-Swap’, a process by which road and bridge projects which would have typically been funded through the MPO by federal funding are instead swapped for state funding. The idea behind this legislation was to streamline projects and minimize costs. Ralston indicated that at this time last year, the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC) unanimously recommended participation in the swap, but after lengthy discussion the UAPB decided to opt out of the swap with a vote of 11 affirmative and 4 against. The Board cited Davis-Bacon wages, worker safety, and lack of available data supporting the benefits of the swap as primary reasons for opting out. MPOJC is the only MPO in the state that has opted out of the swap and unless the Board decides to opt out again the Iowa DOT will assume that MPOJC is electing to participate. Ralston explained that as the swap did not begin until October 2018, there still is very little data to p rovide and had suggested at the January 2019 meeting that members consult their engineering staff. Ralston indicated that Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funding is the only funding eligible for swap under the jurisdiction of the ‘Federal-Aid-Swap’ program, and specific language and qualifiers were attached for reference. Ralston indicated that at their March 26th meeting, the TTAC voted unanimously to participate in the swap. Green-Douglass expressed concerns over lack of data and the wide-ranging implications of bypassing Davis-Bacon wages, citing worker safety and local labor sourcing as specific issues. Green-Douglass expressed interest in seeing data for this coming construction season, but indicated that findings would have to be compelling for a reversal of her preference for opting out of participation. Ralston explained that the question as to whether to opt in or out will be revisited annually, as it aligns with the timelines for allocating as well as programming funds through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Timeline. Berner opened the floor for public discussion for individuals who came to speak on the item. Bill Gerhard, President of the Iowa State Building and Construction Trades Council, addressed the Board. Gerhard thanked the Board for opting out of the program for the previous fiscal year. Gerhard indicated that other MPOs across the state were now looking at opting out as well, following the Board’s lead. Gerhard expressed his concerns over the bypassing of worker wage protections as well as domestic product sourcing as incentivized in the ‘Buy American Act’. Without Davis-Bacon wages, the only wage protection is the minimum wage. Furthermore, there is often negligible per-diem allotted to workers on major highway projects even as they are either relocated or required to commute. Gerhard reiterated his thanks to the Board for opting out for the previous year and asked them to do the same for the current year. Donahue indicated that he had spoken with his city engineer regarding the issue, and the city engineer shared that federal aid funding increases engineering costs for both the design and construction phases of a road project. Costs range from 7-8% greater for federally-funded roadway projects. From added that University Heights’ city engineer indicated that there is a substantial amount of work involved in the weekly reviews of payroll reports, having to be submitted by a supervisor for every employee involved in working on a project – one of the factors contributing to the increased cost of federal-aid projects. From further indicated that University Heights’ city engineer expressed that the Iowa DOT post-project audit process for federal-aid projects is very thorough and would require a substantial amount of time and effort to prepare for and complete. As federally-funded projects tend to have an increased timeline of 3-6 months, From indicated that the small city of University Heights may be unable to complete a project due to the increase in time. Considering this information, From expressed her desire to opt in to the ‘Federal-Aid-Swap’ program. Cole expressed his continued support for opting out of the swap. He explained that the role of the increased amount of paperwork was to ensure worker protections and fair compensation, especially as most efficiency measures for roadway projects come at the expense of worker salaries. Cole further expressed his opinion that this policy is a part of an ongoing union-busting effort as it sacrifices worker protections for efficiency. Considering this, Cole expressed his opposition to opting in to the swap program. He reiterated Green-Douglass’ position regarding the lack of data present to support any kind of change in current funding processes. Gill revisited his vote from the previous year to opt in, and cited a lack of compelling evidence to support taking the same position as his justification for opting out for the coming fiscal year. Taylor expressed her opinion to support opting out, citing lack of supporting data and lack of discernable benefits. With the rushing of jobs, outsourcing of cheaper materials, and that saving time does not provide adequate long-run benefits for vital, long-lasting infrastructure projects. Salih agreed to opt out, expressing that concerns from the previous year had not been adequately resolved to make a different decision. Foster also agreed with Green-Douglass and Cole, specifically regarding reduction of oversight of worker safety and compensation – particularly due to the strenuous and heightened risk associated with these construction sites. Particularly following a severe winter, worker protections are particularly pertinent and for this reason Foster supported opting out of the aid swap. Donahue drew attention to the fact that all projects are subjected to the same OSHA (Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration) rules. Green-Douglass responded by reiterating concerns over union-busting. Green-Douglass explained that union projects have safer standards, fewer accidents, fewer change orders, and more timely completion standards. Local cases have illustrated the dangers of worker misclassification due to oversight on non-union projects, issues that apply to contracted workers and compensation. Donahue expressed concern over the lack of documentation from either side. Cole responded by citing peer-reviewed literature exploring the safety differences between union and non-union projects, as union projects provide similar worker protections as those provided by Davis-Bacon wages. Donahue cited issues surrounding the front- loading of projects facilitated using federal funds and stated his opinion that this part of the project should be the Board’s focus. Donahue advocated for local enforcement and implementation of Davis-Bacon wages instead of it being federally-mandated. Gill rebutted by citing the significance of direct experience when dealing with differing requirements, specifically using Gerhard as a reference. Gill reiterated his opinion that the Board should wait another year before deciding to opt in, to allow for more data to become available. Foster inquired about a plan for acquisition of pertinent safety and wage data to be considered at the next discussion of the issue. Ralston responded by explaining that the Iowa DOT is responsible for providing the data, as the MPO is not the contracting entity for the projects under consideration. Ralston further indicated interest in working with engineers from each community to gain further information. Thomas asked about the local hiring aspects of the contracts. Ralston responded by indicating that, from his understanding, there was not a successful mechanism currently in place to ensure local hiring. Berner supplied the viewpoint of Tiffin’s city engineer, which was that opting in to the swap would save significant amounts of time as well as decrease engineering costs by 6 -7%. Berner further indicated that Tiffin rarely receives federal funding and the town has received satisfactory products using local projects and labor regulations. Berner expressed his intention to vote to opt in to the aid swap. Motion to opt out of the ‘Federal-Aid-Swap’ policy was made Cole. The motion was seconded by Green-Douglass. Shane indicated the University of Iowa would abstain as they perform their own infrastructure projects and do not receive the outside funding in question. Berner moved to a roll-call vote. The votes were as follows: Heiden (aye) Taylor (aye), From (no), Donahue (present), Shane (abstain), Mims (Aye), Berner (no), Cole (aye), Gill (aye), Teague (aye), Foster (aye), Green-Douglass (aye), Thomas (aye), Salih (aye). Motion passed by majority vote of 10-1-1, with (1) abstention and (1) present vote. 4. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING a. Consider approval of the Locally Determined Projects list for the MPOJC FY2020 Transportation Planning Work Program Ralston indicated that each spring the MPOJC develops a work-program schedule as required by both state and federal entities. Staff received 36 projects from members of the urbanized area, and staff will likely be able to accommodate additional project requests. The projects included in the packet are approximately one-fourth to one-third of all projects as it can be difficult for engineers to foresee all necessary projects for FY20. All federally- mandated projects will be included following the approval of the Locally-Determined Projects list for approval at the Board’s May meeting. Thomas inquired about project number 4, regarding Iowa City achieving a ‘Gold’ Standard for bike friendliness through the 2017 Bicycle Master Plan. Ralston indicated that this project is to facilitate and allow for the necessary improvements that would further bike friendliness in the area. Furthermore, bike-friendly communities’ status can be reapplied for every four years so this would allow for continual improvements until the time of reapplication. Donahue moved to approve the Locally-Determined Projects list, with Gill seconding. Shane requested that cross-coordination between the public sector and the University be present in the execution of number 14, implementation of a bike share program, as the University shares this same goal. The motion passed unanimously. b. Consider approval of the MPOJC FY2020 Transit Program of Projects Neumann introduced the transit Program of Projects for the three transit entities within the area (Iowa City, Coralville, and CAMBUS). Each entity produces a federally-mandated project list annually to identify all federally-funded projects. The Program of Projects will also be included in the consolidated funding request through Iowa DOT. This Transit Program of Projects will be a part of FY20-23 TIP which will be approved in July and has been approved unanimously by the TTAC. Taylor moved for approval of the Transit Program of Projects, Cole seconded. Motion passed unanimously. c. Consider approval of MPOJC Surface Transportation Block Grants (STBG) and Transportation Alternative Program funding allocations Neumann explained that the Iowa DOT has allotted the MPO about $6.5 million in STBG funding to be allocated for FY23-24. An additional $1.45 million in TAP funding was provided for FY21-24. This is the culmination of 4 years of funding since TAP funding was not allocated in 2017 due to changes in state policies. Four entities submitted a total of three applications for STBG funding, amounting to $18 million in projects. Three entities submitted four applications for TAP funding, amounting to $1.5 million in projects. Two of the TAP projects are not included in the Long-Range Transportation Plan which according to Iowa DOT’s new interpretation is allowed. A summary of each project was provided, including a project description, staff scores, project totals, funding request, local match, and recommended funding levels. The scoring criteria were also attached. Iowa City, North Liberty, and Tiffin submitted one application each and Coralville submitted two STBG projects. Iowa City’s project is the Dodge Street Improvement Project, which staff scored 48 points. The project would include a complete reconstruction of Dodge Street and surrounding infrastructure. The total cost of the project is $13,250,000. Iowa City is requesting $4,867,000 in STBG funding. Coralville’s 5th Street reconstruction project received 40 points. The total project cost is $2,856,600 and requested STBG funding is $2,285,280. North Liberty’s Hwy 965 project received 34 points and is the final phase of the Hwy 965 reconstruction through North Liberty. The total project cost is $9,595,000 and requested STBG funding is $7,196,250. Donahue indicated that North Liberty would defer to Tiffin’s needs if necessary, with the intention of reapplying for the same funding. Tiffin’s North Park Road improvement project received 32 points in staff scoring. Total project cost is $5,279,472 with requested STBG funding totaling to $2,500,000. Berner indicated that a roundabout will go in at the south terminus at Hwy 6 and will go to a developer-built four-lane boulevard. This would fill in a part-gravel, part-pavement road to match the rest of the surrounding developed area. Coralville’s First Ave and Oakdale roundabout received 26 points. Total project cost is $1,847,475 with $1,275,275 in STBG funding requested. Iowa City and North Liberty each submitted one application each, while Coralville submitted two TAP applications. Coralville’s Iowa River Trail replacement project received 54 points. This project received $462,717 in TAP funding in 2015 and is currently programmed for FY2020. Total project cost is $889,970 with Coralville requesting an additional $151,363 in TAP funding. Iowa City’s Hwy 6 trail project received 43 points. Total project cost is $548,000 with $438,000 in TAP funding requested. The North Liberty Road Trail Project received 29 points. Total project cost is $1,082,000 with $648,118 in TAP funding requested. The project is not currently included in the MPO’s long-range transportation plan. Donahue indicated that the trail would improve accessibility to a new dog park. Roetlin indicated that the school district has purchased land in the area. The Coralville Clear Creek Trail Connector received 27 points. Total project cost is $482,195 with $332,715 of TAP funding requested. This project is not included in current Long-Range Transportation Plan. Gill indicated that it was originally an inaccessible industrial area and that providing a trail for this connector point would make a safe route. Roetlin explained that school district redistricting has led to this being an access point to Borlaug Elementary. Foster indicated that the ground is currently worn down from pedestrian traffic. Cole asked about when the trail would be connected to Tiffin. Recommendations from the Regional Trails and Bicycling Committee (RTBC) and TTAC included allocating TAP funds to fully-fund Coralville’s Iowa River Trail ($151,363), Iowa City’s Highway 6 Trail ($438,000), and North Liberty’s North Liberty Road Trail ($648,118). The remainder of the funding would go towards Coralville’s Clear Creek Trail Connector ($212,519). The STBG funding recommendation from the TTAC would allocate $3,750,000 to Iowa City’s Dodge Street Improvement project, $1,650,000 to Coralville’s 5th Street improvements, and $1,200,000 for Tiffin’s North Park Road improvements. The remaining two projects would receive no funding for this round of applications. Mims moved to approve funding allocations, Teague seconded. Ralston mentioned that the MPOJC worked closely with city engineers as well as the RTBC and TTAC to provide funding recommendations. These recommendations, once approved, will be included in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for approval by the Iowa DOT as well as for a public hearing period. Berner thanked North Liberty for providing the opportunity for Tiffin’s project to be funded, despite having a lower score. The motion passed unanimously. d. Update on CRANDIC Passenger Rail and Rails-to-Trails studies Neumann indicated that Phase III Study is still on hold, as HDR, CRANDIC, and the Iowa DOT are trying to resolve issues with the ridership models and methodology with the FTA office in Kansas City. This project was intended to be finished at the same time as the Rails-to-Trails study, and the updated timeline for the passenger rail study is unknown. The Rails-to-Trails study focused on railroad abandonment projects, characteristics of these types of projects, connectivity to existing trails, liability issues, and cost estimates. Cost will be primarily dependent upon the trail surface type, with estimates ranging from $3.5-$5.5 million. This estimate did not include additional property acquisitions for trailheads nor park-and-ride infrastructure. Cole expressed interest in operating costs of a passenger rail, including the costs for updating rail and procuring trains. This figure is likely to range between $30-$40 million. The project is waiting for ridership numbers upon which it can base revenue projections. HDR is currently using MPOJC’s DOT-approved ridership model. Iowa City Transit’s route study may provide opportunities for the CRANDIC projects to be completed. 5. OTHER BUSINESS There was no additional business. 6. ADJOURNMENT From moved to adjourn, Foster seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 5:33 PM.