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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.29.20 UAPB MinutesMINUTES APPROVED MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board Wednesday, January 29, 2020 - 4:30 PM City of Iowa City – Council Chambers 410 E Washington Street, Iowa City, IA MEMBERS PRESENT: Coralville: Meghann Foster Iowa City: Mazahir Salih, Pauline Taylor, John Thomas, Laura Bergus, Janice Weiner Johnson County: Pat Heiden, Lisa Green-Douglass North Liberty: Terry Donahue, Chris Hoffman Tiffin: Steve Berner University Heights: Louise From University of Iowa: Erin Shane ICCSD: Ruthina Malone STAFF PRESENT: Kent Ralston, Brad Neumann, Emily Bothell, Sarah Walz, Frank Waisath OTHERS PRESENT: Karen Kurt and Mary Rump (ECICOG) 1. CALL TO ORDER Berner called the meeting to order at 4:30 PM. a. Recognize alternates None b. Consider approval of meeting minutes Motion to approve was made by Salih, Hoffman seconded. The motion carried unanimously. c. Set next Board meeting date, time and location (April 1, tentatively hosted by North Liberty) The next meeting was tentatively set for Wednesday, April 1st, hosted by North Liberty. 2. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA None 3. ADMINISTRATION a. Report from nominating committee for 2020 MPOJC Board officers i. Consider action Ralston informed the group that in November the Board appointed a three-person nominating committee for the Chair and Vice Chair. Salih reported that the committee has nominated Terry Donahue from North Liberty for Chair and John Thomas from Iowa City for Vice Chair. Motion to approve was made by From, Green-Douglass seconded. The motion carried unanimously. b. Consider approval of FY21 MPOJC Budget and financial forecast Ralston informed the group of MPOJC functions and stated the overall budget reflects about a 6.5% increase over last year’s budget. The increase is largely due to increases in staff salaries and benefits. Motion to approve was made by Hoffman, Berner seconded. The motion carried unanimously. c. Consider approval of the FY21 Johnson County Assessments to the East Central Iowa Council of Governments Ralston stated that the MPO also collects dues for ECICOG. Dues are calculated on a per capita basis for each county. The FY2021 ECICOG budget proposes a 2% increase for all counties that it serves. Motion to approve was made by Salih, Hoffman seconded. The motion carried unanimously. d. Consider appointments to the ECICOG Board of Directors Ralston informed the group that MPO member communities are responsible for appointments to the ECICOG Board of Directors. For calendar year 2020, Iowa City, Coralville, and Tiffin are responsible for appointments. Appointees include Janice Weiner from Iowa City, Meghann Foster from Coralville, and Al Havens from Tiffin. Randy Laubscher will also serve as the citizen appointee to the board. Motion to approve was made by Green-Douglass, From seconded. The motion carried unanimously. e. Discuss MPOJC Orientation opportunity for Board members Ralston informed the group that there will be an orientation for Board members who wish to become familiar with MPO activities. Scheduling will be determined by interested member availability. f. Discuss and consider appointing representatives to an MPOJC Bylaws review committee Ralston stated that per the MPO Bylaws, the bylaws are to be reviewed at least every five years by a committee of five representatives. At least one of the five representatives must be from the Rural Policy Board. Staff is looking for volunteers to sit on the committee. Volunteers included Terry Donahue from North Liberty, Louise From from University Heights, Meghann Foster from Coralville, and Pat Heiden from Johnson County. g. Consider appointment of a representative to the Statewide Urban Design and Specifications (SUDAS) Board of Directors Ralston stated that every other year, the MPO is asked to appoint an MPO representative to the Statewide Urban Design and Specifications (SUDAS) Board of Directors. SUDAS is a nonprofit organization that maintains Iowa manuals for both the design standards and specifications of public improvements. Scott Larson from Coralville has served on the committee since 2005 and has recently been elected as president of the board. He is willing to continue as representative. Motion to continue the appointment as is was made by Bergus, Foster seconded. The motion carried unanimously. 4. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING a. Consider approval of Federal Transit Administration Section 5307 Transit Operating Formula funding appointment for FY2020 and transit statistics for FY2019 Neumann stated that $2.8 million in transit funding is available for FY2020. The funding formula is based on four factors including operating cost, locally determined income, revenue miles, and fare revenue. Neumann informed the group that transit ridership has declined for the fifth year in a row. Thomas questioned what could be contributing to the decreased ridership. Neumann answered that low fuel prices and increased transportation options may be contributing to lower ridership. Ralston commented that transit ridership per capita remains high compared to other cities and that decreased ridership is a national trend. Motion to approve was made by Thomas, Heiden seconded. The motion carried unanimously. b. Discuss changes to the Iowa DOT pavement data collection program Bothell informed the group that since 2013, the Iowa DOT has funded the collection of pavement data on all paved roads in the state on a two-year collection cycle. Due to increasing costs and competing priorities, the DOT has moved to a four-year collection cycle. Local agencies can opt in to receive the data collection every two years at their expense. Since data in Johnson County will be collected in 2021 at the DOT’s expense, the Board does not need to make a decision until 2023. c. Update on the MPOJC FY21 Transportation Planning Work Program and FY2021-2024 Transportation Improvement Program Neumann informed the group that the Transportation Planning Work Program is a document that identifies major projects to be addressed in the following fiscal year. It includes all state and federally required planning processes and documentation. The Transportation Improvement Program is a programming document for federally funded transportation improvements within the Iowa City Urbanized Area. Iowa City’s Dodge Street Improvement Project (STBG) and North Liberty’s North Liberty Trail Project (TAP) were awarded funding last year and will be programmed in FY2024. d. Update on CRANDIC Passenger Rail Study Neumann informed the group that Phase III of the rail study focusses on ridership, revenue forecasting, financial strategies, benefits to the communities, and some station design. The delay to this phase of the study was due to data collection for the model. The study is expected to be completed soon and as stakeholders, members communities will be invited to the presentation of the study’s findings. e. Update on MPOJC Census boundaries review Bothell stated that as part of the 2020 decennial census, the MPO has been invited to take part in the Participant Statistical Areas Program to review and verify census tracts and block groups in our area. Cities will not be notified of census tract and block group boundary changes. Staff is available if member entities have questions or concerns regarding potential boundary changes. 5. OTHER BUSINESS a. Report on the Severson Cup Charity Challenge; Award Severson Cup Walz informed the Board that member communities raised money and made donations to various organizations as part of the challenge. With improvements to last year’s contributions, Iowa City won the Severson Cup Charity Challenge. 6. ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn made by Heiden; Salih seconded. The motion was approved unanimously. Meeting adjourned by Berner at 5:15 PM.