HomeMy WebLinkAbout01.25.23 RPB Agenda PacketMEETING NOTICE
MPOJC Rural Policy Board
Wednesday January 25, 2023 – 6:00 PM
City of Iowa City – Council Chambers
410 E Washington St, Iowa City, IA
AGENDA
1.Call to Order the Rural Policy Board Meeting
a.Introduce Board members and recognize alternates
b.Consider approval of meeting minutes
2.Public discussion of any item not on the agenda*
3.Administration
a.Consider approval of the Rural Policy Board section of the FY24 MPOJC Budget and
Two-Year Financial Forecast
b.Consider approval of the FY24 Johnson County assessment schedule for the East
Central Iowa Council of Governments
4.Update on availability of East Central Iowa Council of Governments assistance
5.Discuss MPOJC Orientation opportunity for Board Members
6.Discuss potential MPOJC Work Program projects for FY2024
7.Presentation on the MPOJC ‘Future Forward’ 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan
8.Verbal update on the CRANDIC Bus Rapid Transit study from the MPO Director
9.Consider election of calendar year 2023 Rural Policy Board Officers
10.Other Business
11.Adjournment
*Public input is permitted on any agenda item. Please indicate to the Chair if you wish to comment on an agenda
item. To request any disability-related accommodations or language interpretation, please contact MPOJC staff at
356-5230 or Kent-Ralston@Iowa-City.org 48 hours prior to the meeting.
MINUTES DRAFT
MPOJC RURAL POLICY BOARD
JANUARY 26, 2022 – 6:00 P.M.
JOHNSON COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES BUILDING
855 S. DUBUQUE STREET, IOWA CITY, IA
MEMBERS PRESENT: Hills: Tim Kemp
Johnson County: Rod Sullivan, Jon Green
Lone Tree: Matt Zadow
Swisher: Christopher Taylor
OTHERS PRESENT: Karen Kurt (ECICOG)
STAFF PRESENT: Kent Ralston, Emily Bothell, Frank Waisath
1.CALL TO ORDER
Kemp called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM.
a.Introduce Board members and recognize alternates
Ralston introduced board members.
b.Consider approval of meeting minutes
Sullivan moved to approve; Taylor seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
2.PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA
None
3.ADMINISTRATION
a.Consider approval of the Rural Policy Board section of the FY23 MPOJC Budget and
Two-Year Financial Forecast
Ralston explained that the primary role of the MPO is to fulfill federal and state
requirements in order distribute funds, perform studies, mapping services and planning.
MPOJC remains committed to providing federal funding to the urban communities and
transportation studies for all of Johnson County. The majority of services provided
include traffic counts, speed studies, map-making and grant writing. There is a 4%
increase in the budget, the majority being due to the increase in staff wages and
benefits.
Sullivan moved to approve; Taylor seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
b.Consider approval of the FY23 Johnson County assessment schedule for the East
Central Iowa Council of Governments
Ralston explained that every year, dues are collected from Johnson County entities and
then are forwarded to East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG). The
assessments are made based on a per capita basis for the counties served by ECICOG.
The ECICOG budget for FY23 represents a 2% increase.
Green moved to approve; Kemp seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
MPOJC Rural Policy Board Minutes
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4.Update on Availability of East Central Iowa Council of Governments assistance
Kurt explained that the services ECICOG provides fill the gaps of the MPOJC, as they
provide planning and land use assistance to rural communities, help find state and federal
grants for various types of projects (housing, sewer, etc.), and have a large revolving loan
fund to aid businesses with gap financing to sustain themselves or grow.
5.Discuss MPOJC Orientation opportunity for Board Members
Ralston invited members to attend an hour-long orientation explaining the MPOJC functions
and Board responsibilities. Typically, mostly newer Board members participate, but the offer
is open to anyone.
6.Discuss potential MPOJC Work Program projects for FY2023
Ralston offered up space for any potential work items that communities might have and
would want MPOJC help, such as traffic studies or grant writing. An email would be sent
following the meeting to formally solicit for projects. Projects would be put into the Work
Program to follow Iowa DOT requirements and help coordinate work flow.
7.Update on the MPOJC Long Range Transportation Plan revision process
Bothell presented the final draft chapters which included the Background, Guiding Principles
and Transportation Funding chapter. She further explained that this iteration of the Plan
includes trends for the region’s performance measures. Trends related to housing density,
vehicle miles travelled, and air quality data (for example) are now available for the region.
In addition, Bothell shared that the MPO’s Travel Demand Model was recalibrated to the year
2050. The model supports the development of the Plan and provides an objective tool for
evaluating major infrastructure projects, traffic volumes, and delay. More information on the
model methodology and level of service of roadways can be found in the Road and Bridge
Chapter.
Lastly, Bothell shared that the document would be provided to the Board, the public, the Iowa
Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Federal Transit
Administration in April for final review and comment. Following public input, staff will address
comments, integrate feedback, and provide the Plan to the Urbanized Area Policy Board for
final approval in May.
8.Update on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and timeline for implementation
Ralston explained the new infrastructure transportation legislation which reauthorized surface
transportation programs for FY22 – FY26 and includes $550 billion in new funding. Iowa will
receive $764 million annually for roads, bridges, and trails and $62 million for transit programs.
FY22 funding for road, bridge, and trail programs must be approved by the Iowa DOT and will
be made available in fall of 2022 following the public process which will dictate how and where
funds (in the form of grants) will be made available. In addition, approximately $60,000 in
planning funds will be made available to MPOJC annually.
9.Update on CRANDIC Passenger Rail and potential next steps
Ralston explained that a brief background was provided to the Urbanized Area Policy Board at
their November meeting regarding the feasibility of implementing passenger rail service on the
MPOJC Rural Policy Board Minutes
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Crandic Railroad between Iowa City and North Liberty. After that discussion, the Board
directed staff to identify potential next steps to advance the project. Ralston stated he had
since learned that CRANDIC is no longer interested in Private-Public partnership. However,
private party involvement was not assumed in the assessment of probable cost.
Ralston continued with five broad potential next steps in this discussion. First, solidifying buy-
in from any participating MPOJC entities. Second, forming a small working group or steering
committee. Third, hiring a consultant for designing and estimating potential construction costs.
Fourth, applying for federal funding. Lastly, participating entities budget money in capital
improvement programs for consideration.
10.Consider election of calendar year 2022 Rural Policy Board Officers
Ralston stated that there was no memo for this item, but Kemp and Taylor had been chair
and vice-chair for several years and staff was looking for discussion on who should take on
those roles for CY2022.
Sullivan nominated Kemp as chair and Taylor as vice-chair, Green seconded. The motion
passed unanimously.
11.Other Business
None.
12.Adjournment
Motion to adjourn made by Taylor, seconded by Green. Meeting adjourned by Kemp at
6:30 PM.
Date: January 18, 2023
To: Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston, Executive Director
Re: Agenda Item #3(a): Consider approval of the Rural Policy Board section of the FY24
MPOJC Budget and Two-Year Financial Forecast
The FY24 MPOJC Budget and Financial Forecast is attached. The focus of MPOJC continues
to be fulfilling state and federal requirements necessary for MPOJC urban communities to be
able to receive formula and discretionary state and federal funds, and producing traffic and
transportation studies, large and small, for Johnson County communities.
For rural entities (areas outside of the metropolitan area), MPOJC’s focus is to provide traffic
count, traffic speed and study information, traffic signal studies, traffic sign evaluations, sidewalk
and trail planning, general mapping services, and other transportation evaluations. We are also
able to assist with grant application preparation for your communities, and review of
development proposals at your request.
An ongoing item we conduct on your behalf is annexation notifications to all fire departments in
the County, through the fire department mutual aid structure. MPOJC is notified of all proposed
and completed annexations, and we in turn provide the notification and maps to the Joint
Emergency Communications Center. This results in more accurate information when
emergency responders are responding to calls in recently annexed areas.
The proposed budget reflects an overall decrease of approximately 4.0% from FY23. A majority
of the budget decrease is due to the hiring of new personnel. Please be prepared to consider
approval of the Rural Policy Board section of the FY24 MPOJC Budget and Financial Forecast.
I will be at your January 25th meeting to answer any questions you may have.
FY24 Budget and Financial Forecast
Adopted January 25, 2023 by the:
MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board
MPOJC Rural Policy Board
Date: January 18, 2023
To: MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board
MPOJC Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston, Executive Director
Re: FY24 MPOJC Budget and Financial Forecast
The Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County (MPOJC) is the designated planning organization for Johnson County, Iowa.
Assistance is provided to member agencies in the program areas of transportation planning, administration, and small communities
planning assistance by virtue of a 28E agreement. The MPOJC Urbanized Area and Rural Policy Boards have authority over the policies
and work programs of the organization. The MPOJC website (www.mpojc.org) provides general information about the organization,
published technical reports, agendas, and meeting minutes of all public meetings.
MPOJC is organized administratively under the City of Iowa City and staff members are subject to all rights and benefits afforded to City
of Iowa City employees. Non-administrative staff are organized under the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
(AFSCME). MPOJC staff also serve as staff in the City of Iowa City Neighborhood and Development Services Department. Because
MPOJC is organized as a division of the City of Iowa City, MPOJC follows City of Iowa City administrative and personnel policies. This
overall structure allows for cost-effective sharing of expenditures and services.
The focus of MPOJC remains to fulfill federal and state requirements necessary for receiving both formula and discretionary state and
federal funds and to produce a wide variety of transportation studies for member agencies. These studies are intended to result in better
information on which to base local policy and project programming decisions.
The proposed FY24 MPOJC Budget and Financial Forecast reflects the program of services, policies, and staffing approved by the Board.
The overall FY24 budget reflects an approximate 4% decrease from the FY23 budget and is primarily due to adjustments in salaries and
benefits as a result of personnel changes. The remaining budget is largely the same as previous years with respect to technical and
professional services, travel and education, and software. As in previous years, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is
scheduled to contribute a large portion of the overall MPO budget in FY24 – the anticipated Iowa DOT contribution is $230,000. MPOJC
also carries reserve funds to buffer against unexpected budget increases, or potential loss of funding. This continues to be important due
to ongoing uncertainty of federal funding.
MPOJC continues to employ 1-3 planning interns funded by the University of Iowa. The University of Iowa’s $23,817 assessment will be
used to fund intern expenses throughout the year. If this amount is not fully expended during the year, the balance becomes available for
other expenses.
As in the last budget, the FY24 budget is explicit in showing additional assessments specific to Iowa City due to staff time devoted solely
to Iowa City specific duties. These duties include traffic engineering services, administration of the traffic calming program, participation
in planning committees, review of rezoning and subdivision applications, and other special projects.
The budget also reflects capital expenses for the replacement of traffic counters, traffic counting software, and GIS software to maintain
our mapping and visualization abilities. The traffic counters are used for the traffic analysis data collection program and are subjected to
extreme conditions. It is important that there be a regular program of replacement for this equipment. For our traffic forecasting capabilities,
we are proposing to continue to upgrade our travel demand model software to be consistent with the Iowa DOT state-wide travel demand
model.
Following is a summary of the proposed Budget and Financial Forecast and FY24 assessments. Assessment figures now use the available
2020 decennial Census population data as required by the MPO Bylaws.
MPOJC Budget FY24 – FY26
Expenditures FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26
Budgeted Proposed Forecast1 Forecast1
Salaries and Benefits $690,212 $665,251 $685,209 $705,765
Technical and Professional
Services & Maintenance, Travel
and Education
$70,387 $70,416 $72,528 $74,704
Operating Costs; including office
supplies, traffic counting and
mapping equipment/software
$17,195 $10,195 $10,501 $10,816
Subtotal $777,794 $745,862 $768,238 $791,285
University of Iowa Student
Interns2 $23,817 $23,817 $23,817 $23,817
TOTAL $801,611 $769,679 $792,055 $815,102
MPOJC is designated by the Governor of the State of Iowa as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Iowa City Urbanized Area.
The MPOJC Transportation Planning Division must fulfill the state and federal requirements of the 3-C transportation planning process. This
process is required of all urbanized areas to maintain eligibility for grant programs and transportation operations funds of the United States
Department of Transportation and the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The Administration Division consists of a half-time Executive Director, and a .2 FTE Administrative Secretary. The Administration Division provides
oversight and support to the staff of MPOJC. The Executive Director supervises all MPOJC personnel, coordinates the budget process and the
preparation of division work programs.
As MPOJC staff also serve the City of Iowa City Neighborhood and Development Services Department, this budget reflects Iowa City specific
funding for 0.5 FTE Administration and 1.0 FTE Transportation Planning for Iowa City duties.
1Forecasts assume a 3% increase
2Student interns are funded entirely by the University of Iowa
Summary of FY24 Assessments
Note: Figures do not include specific funding for Iowa City Neighborhood & Development Services, equivalent to 0.5 Administration Budget ($89,303) and 1.0 FTE Transportation Planning ($149,797).
Urban Communities
Iowa City $121,144
Johnson County $35,430
Coralville $36,132
North Liberty $33,155
Tiffin $7,305
University Heights $1,988
SubTotal $235,154
Rural Communities
Solon $943
Lone Tree $424
Swisher $285
Oxford $226
Hills $270
Shueyville $228
SubTotal $2,375
Other Sources
Iowa DOT $230,000
Carryover $50,000
University of Iowa $23,817
SubTotal $303,817
Total $541,346
MPOJC Assessment Explanation
1. Assessment for Rural entities is 1% of the overall MPO assessment. Rural Board communities utilize MPO planning services but are not eligible for MPO grant funds.
2. 0.5 FTE of Administration Division and 1.0 FTE of Transportation Planning Division are for Iowa City related functions and are not reflected in assessments to other communities.
3. This budget does not include East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) assessments.
4. Assessment figures may not reflect exact population percentages shown due to rounding.
Date: January 18, 2023
To: Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston; Executive Director
Re: Agenda Item #3(b): Consider approval of the FY24 Johnson County assessment
schedule for the East Central Iowa Council of Governments
East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) is the Regional Planning Association for
east-central Iowa including Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Tama and Washington
Counties. ECICOG provides planning and grant administrative services in the areas of
community and economic development, transportation, housing, and solid waste management.
MPOJC collects ECICOG dues for Johnson County entities and forwards the funds to ECICOG.
ECICOG assessments are calculated on a per-capita basis for the counties ECICOG serves,
and we in turn calculate a per-capita assessment for each governmental entity within Johnson
County. For FY24, ECICOG has proposed a 2% increase for the counties they serve.
ECICOG also made a modification to its funding structure for FY23 to include an additional
planning assistance assessment for all entities – except for Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) entitlement cities. This change was made for all counites served by ECICOG and
remains in place for FY24. The effect of the change was that Johnson County now pays an
additional assessment for the rural county population and University Heights is assessed for its
population. These entities had historically not paid this additional assessment as they did not
often utilize ECICOG’s planning services. All other non-entitlement communities had paid this
assessment in the past.
A member of the ECICOG staff plans to attend our January 25th meeting to discuss their
services and answer any questions you may have. Please be prepared to consider approval of
the FY24 ECICOG assessment schedule. With approval, I will forward the assessment schedule
to your staff for their records.
East Central Iowa Council of Governments
FY24 Assessment Schedule
Adopted January 25, 2023 by the:
MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board
MPOJC Rural Policy Board
Date: January 18, 2023
To: MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board
MPOJC Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston, Executive Director
Re: FY24 ECICOG Assessment Schedule
The East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) is the Regional Planning Association for east-central Iowa, including Benton,
Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Tama and Washington Counties. ECICOG conducts planning and grant administration services in the
areas of community and economic development, housing, transportation, and solid waste management. ECICOG is governed by a policy
board including elected officials and citizen representatives.
In 2010, the Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County (MPOJC) Urbanized Area Policy Board directed that the schedule of
ECICOG assessments be considered separately from the annual MPOJC budget. ECICOG assesses counties on a per capita basis. In
Johnson County, governmental entities are in-turn assessed on a per-capita basis. ECICOG has proposed a 2% rate increase for all the
counties it serves for FY24. This assessment schedule reflects 2020 Census figures for each entity.
East Central Iowa Council of Governments FY24 – FY26
ECICOG is a multi-county regional planning agency which includes Johnson C ounty. It is Region 10 in the state’s system of regional planning agencies.
Planning assistance is available through ECICOG to the small communities in Johnson County. All municipalities in Johnson County pay a population-based
general assessment for the overall support of ECICOG. An additional planning assistance assessment is made to all communities – except Iowa City which
is a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement city.
1Assumes a 2% increase
2 Assessment figures may not equal exact percentages shown due to rounding
Date: January 18, 2023
To: Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston, Executive Director
Re: Agenda Item #4: Availability of East Central Iowa Council of Governments Assistance
The East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) is an intergovernmental council
established by the Iowa Code. Governed by a Board of Directors compromised of elected officials
and private citizens, ECICOG was created to promote regional cooperation and to provide planning
services to local governments in Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Tama and Washington
Counties. A portion of ECICOG services are supported by a per capita assessment.
This memo describes some of the services provided by ECICOG. A member of the ECICOG staff will
be at our January 25th meeting to answer any questions you may have.
Transportation: ECICOG transit coordinates transit services in Benton, Iowa, Jones and Washington
Counties and the rural areas of Linn and Johnson Counties. ECICOG also administers federal
transportation funds. These funds are available to assist in funding qualifying road, bridge, trail and
transit projects or for transportation planning activities.
Housing and Community Development: ECICOG offers technical assistance to local governments
on land use planning, zoning and subdivision regulation, and local government financing. ECICOG
also assists cities in updating their code of ordinances as required by state regulations. ECICOG has
had success in securing and administering state and federal funds for local infrastructure
improvement and community facility projects. ECICOG is also available to assist with the application
for, and administration of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.
Solid Waste Management & Environmental Services: ECICOG is responsible for preparation of
the Regional Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan which includes Benton, Jones, Iowa and
Tama Counties, and facilitates cooperation among the landfill facilities in the region including the
Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency and the City of Iowa City. More recently, ECICOG
has taken an active role in other environmental issues including assisting with the formation of, and
coordinating planning for, water management authorities. ECICOG recently assisted with the
formation of the Clear Creek Watershed Coalition and secured a $100,000 grant to fund the coalition’s
planning process.
Revolving Loan Fund: A Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) is a loan pool established by the East Central
Iowa Council of Governments to assist new and existing businesses within the ECICOG region to
develop and expand. Funds are used in conjunction with local lenders to serve as gap financing for
proposals, in which the lender serves as the primary source of funding. As loans are repaid into the
pool, the fund revolves back out to other candidates for the program.
Visit http://www.ecicog.org/ for more information on these and other services provided by ECICOG.
The ECICOG 2022 Annual Report is attached for reference.
Date: January 18, 2023
To: Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston; Executive Director
Re: Agenda Item #5: Discuss MPOJC Orientation opportunity for Board members
For new Board members, or current Board members who desire a refresher, I would like to
provide a short orientation explaining the designation and role of the MPO, services provided by
the MPO, and the structure of the MPO.
Please be prepared to indicate if you are interested and I will identify possible dates that will
work for a group orientation. I will be available at your January 25th meeting to answer any
questions you have.
Date: January 18, 2022
To: Rural Policy Board
From: Kent Ralston, Executive Director
Re: Agenda Item #6: Discuss potential MPOJC Work Program projects for FY24
Each year, we put together a work program to schedule our traffic counts, data collection, and
other work products. Typical types of work for rural communities include traffic speed and
volume counts, traffic control evaluations (Stop sign, Yield sign, and warning sign), review of
proposed development projects, mapping assistance, and grant application assistance.
Please be prepared to discuss any projects you have in mind for FY24 for which we can assist.
If you have a general project in mind, but don’t have the details available, staff is available to
discuss potential projects at a later date.
I will be at your January 25th meeting to discuss this item and answer any questions you may
have.