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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.21.21 TTAC MinutesMINUTES APPROVED MPOJC TRANSPORTATION TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2021 - 10:30 AM CITY OF IOWA CITY – ZOOM MEETING PLATFORM MEMBERS PRESENT: Coralville: Kelly Hayworth, Dan Holderness, Vicky Robrock, Scott Larson Iowa City: Jason Havel, Ron Knoche, Darian Nagle- Gamm, Mark Rummel, Scott Sovers Johnson County: Tom Brase, Greg Parker University Heights: Louise From University of Iowa: Brian McClatchey RTBC: Robert Oppliger Iowa DOT: Catherine Cutler Other: Aaron Granquist, Ayman Sharif, Brian Willham STAFF PRESENT: Kent Ralston, Emily Bothell, Brad Neumann, Sarah Walz, Frank Waisath, Greta Larget, Hannah Debruin, Alex Koberoski 1. CALL TO ORDER Neumann called the meeting to order at 10:32 AM. 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 There were no alternates. b. Consider approval of meeting minutes Oppliger moved for approval, Knoche seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 2. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA None. 3. CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION TO THE MPOJC URBANIZED AREA POLICY BOARD REGARDING FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION SECTION 5307 TRANSIT OPERATING FORMULA FUNDING APPORTIONMENT FOR FY2021 Neumann presented the current amount of funding the Iowa DOT has designated for the MPO, which is a total of $2,951,813 available in FY2021 FTA Section 5307 operating assistance. The amount includes Small Transit Intensive Communities (STIC) funding. The current formula for the funds is as follows: 25% operating/maintenance costs, 25% locally determined income (LDI), 25% revenue miles, and 25% fare revenue. These are then apportioned by the MPO to Coralville Transit, Iowa City Transit, and University of Iowa Cambus. Due to Covid-19, there have been changes in transit service that have affected the data used in the FY2020 data. Similarly, the Iowa DOT is also delayed in approving the FY2020 transit year-end report data used in the apportionment formula. For these reasons staff recommended the use of FY2020 apportionments to determine the FY2021 allocation. Neumann noted that since the funding for FY2021 has increased by slightly more than 3% from last year, each transit agency will see an increase in funding. Nagle-Gamm and McClatchey commented in favor of using the apportionment formula from FY2020. Nagle-Gamm moved for approval, Oppliger seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 4. CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION TO THE URBANIZED AREA POLICY BOARD REGARDING ‘CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE AND RELIEF SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT’ (CRRSAA) FUNDING ALLOCATIONS FOR LOCAL TRANSIT AGENCIES Neumann described the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA), which is a supplement to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES). CRRSAA will be provided at 100% federal share, no local match required. CRRSAA prioritizes payroll and operational needs, while supporting expenses traditionally eligible under Section 5307 statutory requirements. The total amount for the Iowa City Urbanized Area to be apportioned to Iowa City Transit, Coralville Transit, and University of Iowa Cambus is $1,532,506. The MPOJC must sub-allocate these funds based on a locally determined process. Neumann’s discussions with the three transit managers resulted in recommending that the CRRSAA funding be apportioned using the same multiplier that was used to apportion CARES Act funds. The apportionment amounts for the proposed 2021 CRRSAA Apportionment are as follows: Coralville ($242,596), Iowa City ($939,886), and Cambus ($350,024). McClatchey commented that despite established apportionment multipliers, there is reason to consider using an apportionment that addresses the difference in operations for Cambus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. McClatchey further explained that by using the local formula, Cambus will end up at only 62% of their FY18 operating expenses, while Iowa City and Coralville will have reached 83% and 89%, respectively. McClatchey suggested the discrepancy should be acknowledged, considering the intent of the funds themselves. He proposed using an apportionment that resulted in Cambus reaching 70% of their FY18 operating expenses, which would equate to 80% for Iowa City and 86% for Coralville. The difference in funds would be a $238,000 reduction for Iowa City, a $61,000 reduction for Coralville, and an increase of $300,000 for Cambus. Hayworth commented that the allocations that have been used for the past several years are sufficient, and that they shouldn’t be changed at this time. Nagle-Gamm commented that it would prove challenging for Iowa City transit to use anything other than the established allocations. Furthermore, Nagle-Gamm clarified that the established allocations are not equal due to the different sources of revenue for each transit agency. Iowa City transit services would be difficult to operate under a different apportionment due to the dependence on fares, which have decreased substantially due to Covid-19. The Iowa City transit levy is also capped at the state level for those funds. McClatchey commented that the student fee, which is the main source of revenue for Cambus, has been affected due to the decreases in enrollment at the University of Iowa. Hayworth moved for approval to use the previously established formula and apportionment amounts in order to allocate the CRRSAA funds. Nagle-Gamm seconded. The motion carried by a majority vote. McClatchey abstained from voting. Ralston added that Erin Shane is the university representative for the Urbanized Area Policy Board and could discuss with the Board if desired. 5. CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION TO THE MPOJC URBANIZED AREA POLICY BOARD REGARDING FEDERAL FUNCTIONAL CLASS DESIGNATIONS FOR URBANIZED AREA ROADWAYS Bothell explained in October the MPO received 21.56 miles of requested amendments to the Iowa City Urbanized Federal Functional Classification (FFC) system from Coralville and North Liberty. The functional classification system is a hierarchy of five roadway classes that identify the roads that are Federal-Aid Routes. Federal funding can only be spent on roadways that are classified as collector or higher in the classification system. Only 35% of the total road mileage in the Iowa City Urbanized Area can be listed in the FFC system. The 21.56 miles were sent to the Iowa Department of Transportation, which they pre-approved 7.12 miles of roadway and denied 14.44 miles. Staff is looking for a recommendation regarding the 7.12 miles of ‘pre-approved’ roadways. If approved by the Urbanized Area Policy Board, the total road mileage listed on the FFC system in the Iowa City urbanized area would equal 167.04 miles or 33%. Holderness moved for approval, Knoche seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 6. UPDATE ON SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BLOCK GRANT & TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES PROGRAM GRANT FUNDING GPROCESS Ralston stated MPOJC conducts a competitive grant process for both Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) and Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) funds in the spring every other year. This process allows two years of funding to be allocated at once, allowing projects to receive larger funding awards. 2021 is the beginning of the grant cycle year for the MPO and staff anticipates $7.5 million in STBG funds and $525,000 in TAP funds will be available for programming for FY2025-2026. February 1, 2021, is the date on which STBG & TAP applications will be distributed. The applications will be due February 22, and approval of funds will be March 31, 2021. Oppliger asked how the funds have changed compared to the last funding cycle two years ago. Ralston replied that STBG funds are higher than last funding cycle due to North Liberty returning approximately $1.8 million from their FY14 Hwy 965 Phase II project. TAP funds are similar to what they were two years ago. Ralston also clarified that STBG funds can be used for roads, bridges, or trails. TAP funding cannot be used for road projects and has historically been used for trail projects. 7. UPDATE ON THE MPOJC FY22 TRANSPORTATION PLANNING WORK PROGRAM & FY22-25 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM SCHEDULES Neumann indicated that the Transportation Planning Work Program is a document that identifies projects that will be addressed the following fiscal year. The Work Program is developed in a coordinated effort with the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), and Urbanized Area Policy Board. Work Program items include state and federally required planning processes and documentation, ongoing and routine projects, as well as special projects requested by member entities. Work Program projects for FY22 will be requested in February 2021. Any questions or concerns can be directed to any MPO staff member. The draft Work Program needs to be submitted to the Iowa DOT, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) by April 1, 2021. The Urbanized Area Policy Board will then approve the final Work Program in May 2021. Neumann also discussed the FY22-25 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which is the programming document for federally funded transportation improvements within the Iowa City Urbanized Area. This document includes federally funded transportation projects for all modes of transportation, including streets, highways, bicycles, transit, and pedestrian projects. The TIP organizes the specific projects to receive federal funds and determines the year in which the projects receive funding. The MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board considers approval of the TIP after receiving recommendation from the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee. MPOJC will also be allocating Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) and Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funding in 2021. In July, the Urbanized Area Policy Board will consider adopting the FY22-25 TIP. In preparation for public review of the draft TIP, staff will work with member entities to verify projects are programmed in the appropriate fiscal year. 8. UPDATE ON THE LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN REVISION PROCESS Bothell explained that the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) update began last fall, and is being referred to as Future Forward 2050: Connecting Communities. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires that the Long -Range Plan be updated once every five years as a requirement for the receipt of federal funds. The Future Forward plan will be the culmination of a multi-year planning process in which municipal staff, residents, and elected officials within the metro area are engaged in helping create a vision of the future transportation network. Updates on the recent planning activities include the Travel Demand Model, which is used to predict how vehicular traffic patterns change in response to land-use changes, as well as providing forecasted traffic volumes. In the next few months staff will be contacting MPOJC entities for assistance in developing a picture of growth for the Plan horizon year of 2050. The MPO received capital transportation infrastructure projects from all communities which will be screened and scored by staff using the Policy Board approved criteria. The scores, along with public input, will be provided to the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee and Urbanized Area Policy Board. The final project list will then be fiscally constrained using the MPO’s forecasted federal transportation infrastructure budget for years 2022-2050. This fiscally constrained project list will then be included in the Plan to be adopted in May of 2022. Bothell explained that the next steps will be engaging the public throughout the planning process. This includes reaching out to area residents to respond to a short survey that gauges opinions concerning the metro transportation network. In spring, staff will host a series of virtual public workshops to acquire feedback on capital infrastructure projects proposed as part of the needs assessment. When writing of the plan begins, the public will have the opportunity to review and respond to draft chapters. 9. OTHER BUSINESS Oppliger mentioned the League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit is being held virtually this year and encouraged everyone to participate. 10. ADJOURNMENT Knoche moved to adjourn, Parker seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Neumann adjourned the meeting at 11:03 am.