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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.27.20 UAPB MinutesMPOJC URBANIZED AREA POLICY BOARD APPROVED WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020 - 4:30 PM ZOOM MEETING PLATFORM MEMBERS PRESENT: Coralville: Meghann Foster Iowa City: Susan Mims, 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 Iowa DOT: Cathy Cutler STAFF PRESENT: Kent Ralston, Emily Bothell, Brad Neumann, Sarah Walz, Frank Waisath, Ian Klopfenstein OTHERS PRESENT: Gerald Ruth 1. CALL TO ORDER Donahue called the meeting to order at 4:30 PM. The meeting was held online through the Zoom meeting platform in accordance with Iowa Code Section 21.8 due to complications preventing in-person meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic a. Recognize alternates None b. Consider approval of meeting minutes Motion to approve was made by Heiden, Thomas seconded. The motion carried unanimously. c. Set next Board meeting date, time and location (July 8, tentatively held in Coralville) Meeting is planned for July 8, tentatively hosted by the City of Coralville or using the Zoom platform. 2. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA None 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 explained that Iowa House File 203 was passed into law in 2018, permitting the Iowa Transportation Commission to allow participation in the ‘Federal-Aid-Swap.’ The ‘Federal-Aid-Swap’ is the general process by which road and bridge projects normally funded through federal transportation funding can be instead swapped for state funding. In years past, this has streamlined the completion timeline of local infrastructure projects. Ralston indicated that the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC) has unanimously recommended opting-in to the ‘Federal-Aid-Swap’ for the past two years, while the Board (UAPB) has voted to opt-out of the ‘Federal-Aid-Swap’ for the same two years. Central to the Board’s decision to opt-out were concerns surrounding Davis-Bacon Wages and worker safety, along with a lack of data pertaining to benefits of the swap. Currently, only two MPOs in the state – MPOJC and the Bi-State Regional Commission in the Quad Cities have selected to opt-out. Ralston indicated that unless a planning agency expressed a desire to opt-out of the program, the Iowa DOT would assume participation in the ‘Federal-Aid-Swap’ by default. As many of the projects funded by the initial aid-swap years of 2018 and 2019 have not been completed statewide, comprehensive data surrounding possible cost savings for opting-in are not yet available. The ‘Federal-Aid- Swap’ would only affect Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funding and would not affect Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funding. Green-Douglass expressed that she remained confident in opting-out of the ‘Federal-Aid- Swap’ due to the bypassing of wage protections and safety regulations, while indicating that once more information is available a different outcome could be met. These sentiments were mirrored by Taylor and Thomas, citing specifically a desire for more data before pursuing an opt-in outcome. Berner shared that Tiffin’s city engineer shared with him that prevailing wages were competitive in either scenario. Further, the decrease in paperwork is associated with a decrease in overhead costs and staff resulting in his desire to opt-in. From further indicated her desire to opt-in, citing the importance of time savings for small communities like University Heights. Salih moved to opt-out of the Swap, Hoffman seconded. The motion to “opt-out” carried by majority rule. Votes to Opt-in: From, Berner Votes to Opt-Out: Bergus, Foster, Donahue, Green-Douglass, Mims, Heiden, Weiner, Taylor, Thomas, Salih, Hoffman Abstentions: Shane b. Consider approval of ‘Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security’ (CARES) Act funding allocations for local transit agencies Neumann indicated that the CARES Act, signed into law in March, allocated $25 billion to Urbanized Areas currently receiving Section 5307 funding, including the Iowa City Urbanized Area. The funding requires no local matching component and is used to support capital, operating, and other eligible expenses incurred after January 20th, 2020. Funds may be used to maintain transit services and personnel costs that may be otherwise affected due to decreased service. The Iowa DOT received just under $36 million of CARES Act funding, with just over $8.3 million allocated to the Iowa City Urbanized Area. Allocated funding will be apportioned between Iowa City Transit, Coralville Transit, and Cambus and will be subject to the same guidelines as Section 5307 funds. Following discussions with the transit managers, it was agreed that the same apportionment formula used for the FY2020 Section 5307 funding be used for distribution of the CARES Act funds. Neumann shared that he was hopeful that the funds would be available by the end of the current fiscal year, pending Federal Transit Agency (FTA) approval. The Transportation Technical Advisory Committee unanimously recommended approval of the proposed funding allocations of $5,109,870 to Iowa City Transit, $1,902,975 to Cambus, and $1,318,918 to Coralville Transit. Shane inquired whether there was a specific timeline for spending funds. Neumann indicated that while there was no set deadline, the funding is meant to be spent within a relatively short time span. Ralston shared that transit agencies have expressed interest in spreading funds out over several years, while immediate expenditures can meet losses due to decreased ridership. Motion to approve CARES Act funding allocations made by Weiner, with From seconding. The motion carried unanimously. 4. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING a. Consider a resolution approving the Draft MPOJC FY2021 Transportation Planning Work Program Ralston indicated that the Draft MPOJC FY2021 Transportation Planning Work Program includes all locally requested projects from member entities, as well as general projects and procedures required by the Iowa DOT, Federal Highway Administration, and Federal Transit Administration. Ralston further indicated that requests for additional projects would be considered throughout FY2021 as time allows. Continuing projects are included in the Work Program but are excluded from the list of new projects at the end of the Work Program document. The Transportation Technical Advisory Committee unanimously recommended approval of the Draft MPOJC FY2021 Work Program. Motion to approve the Draft MPOJC FY2021 Work Program made by Berner, with Hoffman seconding. The motion passed unanimously. b. Public hearing and consideration of amendments to the adopted FY2020-2023 MPOJC Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) – expanding project scope to include utilities Neumann indicated that the annual Transportation Improvement Program is the MPO’s local programming document for federal and state surface transportation and transit projects. Project pages from the draft FY2021-2024 TIP for both surface transportation and transit projects are attached. Neumann asked that the Board review the project list and let staff know if any updates are necessary. Some projects anticipated to be let in FY2020 are listed in FY2021 in the draft TIP. The DOT’s software used to develop the TIP does this automatically; projects will be dropped from the FY2021 list if they are let in FY2020. Neumann pointed out that the Board awarded $6.6 million in Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG) funds to three new projects to be programmed in FY2023-2024. Two of the STBG projects were programmed in last year’s FY2020-2023 TIP. Iowa City’s ‘Dodge Street improvement project’ ($3,750,000 in STBG funding) will be programmed in FY2024 and will be included in the FY2021-2024 TIP. The Urbanized Area Policy Board also awarded $1,450,000 in Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funding to four new projects to be programmed in FY2021-2024. Three of the TAP projects were included in last year’s FY2020-2023 TIP. North Liberty’s ‘North Liberty trail project’ ($648,118 in TAP funding) was programmed in FY2024 and will be included in the FY2021-2024 TIP. Neumann also stated that Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Program 5307 operating funds, which are apportioned by the Policy Board in January each year, were also included in the draft FY2021-2024 TIP as well as projects from the transit ‘Program of Projects’. I. Iowa City IWV Road construction project There was no public discussion. Salih moved for approval, with From seconding. The motion passed unanimously. II. Coralville Iowa River Trail construction project There was no public discussion. Thomas moved for approval, with Heiden seconding. The motion passed unanimously. c. Consider approval of the Draft FY2021-2024 MPOJC Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) projects Neumann shared that the TIP project list includes all federal and state projects for road, trail, and transit projects. All projects programmed for FY2020 automatically carry over into FY2021, and any project currently under contract with the Iowa DOT will be removed. Two new projects are included in the draft FY2021-2024 TIP project list, including Iowa City’s Dodge Street Improvement Project ($3.7 million in STBG funds programmed for FY2024) and North Liberty’s North Liberty Trail Project ($648,000 in TAP funds programmed for FY2024). Numerous Iowa DOT projects associated with the I-80/I-380 Interchange Project are also included. An increase in cost of 4% will be adjusted to all projects carried over from FY2020, while funding programming is to remain the same. The transit portion of the TIP includes all operating funds apportioned for FY2021, including bus and equipment replacement. The City of Iowa City has requested electric buses to replace existing buses and the Iowa DOT will be providing updated cost forecasts in the future. The Transportation Technical Advisory Committee unanimously recommended approval of the Draft FY2021-2024 MPOJC TIP projects. Heiden moved for approval of the Draft FY2021-2024 MPOJC TIP projects, with Mims seconding. The motion passed unanimously. d. Update on the MPOJC FY2021 Transit Program of Projects Neumann indicated that the funding proposals are approved by each respective city council as well as the University of Iowa. Ralston indicated that there was no need for approval. e. Update on the MPOJC Long Range Transportation Plan revision process Bothell shared that the MPOJC Long Range Transportation Plan is designed to guide planning and funding for all modes of transportation spanning 28 years, between 2022 to 2050. Components of the plan include the MPO’s arterial streets plan as well as future forecasted street deficiencies. The plan is required every five years by the United States DOT as a component of the FAST Act to maintain eligibility for dispersal of federal infrastructure funds. Each iteration of the Long-Range Transportation Plan takes about two years for completion and staff will be accepting input from member entities for transportation improvement projects to include in the plan. Ralston added that Phase One of the project concerns the identification of proposed transportation projects for travel demand modeling. The next iteration will likely be revisionary in nature as the previous MPOJC Long Range Transportation Plan was a significant update. Staff will be soliciting input from local entities for major infrastructure projects to be included in the draft chapters. 5. OTHER BUSINESS Walz discussed the uptick in bicycle ridership and trail usage due to the coronavirus. Updated metro trail maps will be distributed throughout each community during the coming weeks, while counts of trail usage are currently being collected to identify areas of intensified usage. MPOJC has published a one-page “Rules of the Road” brochure which has been translated into Arabic, Standard Chinese, French, Spanish, and Swahili to support use by non-native English speakers in accordance with equity goals included in the Bicycle Master Plan. Brochures are available as PDFs which can be printed of shared by all metro communities, schools, and groups engaged in bicycle education. 6. ADJOURNMENT Taylor moved to adjourn, with Hoffman seconding. Meeting adjourned by Donahue at 5:17 PM.