MPO TPC/TAC Board Minutes - 07/09/2026 WICHITA FALLS METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION
Technical Advisory Committee
Minutes
Thursday,July 9, 2026
Voting Members Present:
Lin Barnett,Wichita Falls MPO, MPO Director,TAC Chairperson
Callan Coltharp,TxDOT,Director of Transportation Operations
Colby Shelton,TxDOT,Director of Maintenance
Daryn Sims,TxDOT,Area Engineer
Doug Wooster,City of Wichita Falls,Traffic Superintendent
Karen Montgomery-Gagne, City of Wichita Falls,Planning Administrator
Tyson Traw,City of Wichita Falls,Deputy Director of Public Works
Zach Husen,TxDOT Director of Construction
MPO Staff
Jaimie Williams,Wichita Falls MPO,Transportation Planner III
Absent:
Shaun Barnes,TxDOT,TP&D Director
Visitors:
AJ Miller,TxDOT
Cody Walko,TxDOT
Richard Milhollon,SAFB
I. Welcome&Introduction
Mr. Barnett, TAC chairperson, called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. and welcomed
everyone in attendance.
II. Public Comment on Agenda and Non-Agenda Items
Mr.Barnett asked for any public comments on agenda and non-agenda items.There were
none.
III. Review and Approval of the April 15, 2026 Technical Advisory Committee's (TAC)
Meeting Minutes
Mr. Barnett asked for any comments or corrections to the April 15, 2026 TAC meeting
minutes. Receiving none,he asked for a motion to approve the minutes.Mrs.Gagne made
the motion to approve. Mr. Coltharp seconded the motion. The motion passed
unanimously.
IV. Review and Comment Regarding the April 29, 2026 Transportation Policy
Committee's(TPC's) Meeting Minutes-No Action Required
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Mr. Barnett asked for comments on the April 29, 2026 TPC meeting minutes. No
comments or corrections were received. The committee moved on to the next agenda
item.
V. Review and Recommend Approval to the Policy Board of the Unified Planning Work
Program(UPWP) Budget Amendments: 2.5%Safe&Accessible Set-Aside Increase.
Mr.Barnett directed the committee's attention to an amendment to the FY 2026 UPWP to
increase the 2.5% Safe&Secure Set-Aside by$7,000 across all 5 Tasks of the UPWP. Mr.
Barnett stated this is our first year working with the new 2.5% Safe &Accessible Set-
Aside requirement and that the MPO did not budget enough of our authorized funding to
cover all the expenses. He stated WFMPO has around $10,000 in carry over funds from
FY 2025 to cover the overage.Mr.Barnett then went through each FY 2026 Task Funding
Summary Table(Tables 1-5)and explained the movement of funds within each Task.Mr.
Barnett informed the committee that while no additional funds were added to the overall
PL-112 budget,$7,000 were redistributed within each of the five Task Funding Summary
Tables in order to bring the 2.5% SA Set-Aside into balance and to cover the overage in
expenses.
Mr. Barnett asked for any comments or questions regarding the amendment to the 2.5%
SA funding.Receiving none,he asked for a motion to forward the amendment to the Policy
Board for their review and approval. Mrs. Gagne made the motion to forward the
amendment. Mr.Wooster seconded the motion,which passed unanimously.
VI. Progress Report on the Socioeconomic & Demographic Data Forecast Update for
2026
Mr. Barnett informed the committee of progress for the SE&D forecast update. He stated
Cambridge Systematics, the consultant hired to complete the SE&D update, informed
WFMPO of the following progress:the final review of the MPO Boundary&Study Area is
complete;First draft of population and household data has been submitted and once this
is approved it will trigger the stakeholder engagement process; Base-year Data Axle
employment data is nearly fully processed. Next steps include completing demographic
data revisions and securing approval;begin stakeholder engagement to inform forecast-
year allocations; and continue integrating MTP projects into the model network.
Cambridge also requested help from MPO staff to find SAFB employment data about
service members. Mr. Barnett stated that he would work with Community Development
and his contacts at SAFB to try and acquire the employment data. Mr. Barnett asked for
any comments or questions regarding the SE&D forecast update. Receiving none, the
committee moved on to the next agenda item.
VII. Review and Discussion About the Upcoming Annual Prioritized Project List for
2027
Mr. Barnett informed the committee that MPO staff has begun preparing for the next
update of the Prioritized Project List. He stated MPO staff is currently working with
TxDOT and City staff to remove any projects that have been let, completed, or under
construction.Mr.Barnett discussed with the TAC members a few changes the MPO would
like to implement for future Prioritized Project Lists. Mr. Barnett proposed eliminating
the "Estimated Amount" column entirely from the 2027 PPL. The purpose for removing
the estimated cost column from the description of a project was because each project on
the PPL is in the conceptual, or idea, stage.Trying to compute an exact cost of each and
every PPL project at this stage of development can wildly skew the TAC scoring process
and give erroneous results. The TAC members agreed this would eliminate a lot of the
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burden on TxDOT and the City personnel when it comes to describing the characteristics
of a project. Mr. Barnett noted that if the Policy Board, City Council, or other elected
official wanted a more detailed report of a specific project,including costs,then the MPO
could dig deeper and provide that information. Mr. Barnett asked for any comments or
questions regarding the changes to the Annual Prioritized Project List. Receiving none,
the committee moved on to the next agenda item.
VIII. Other Business:
a. Discussion&Overview of Progress on Local Transportation Projects-City and
TxDOT staff(Quarterly Review)
City:Mr.Traw reported on the Circle Trail at Lucy Park should be complete in August
or September; Circle Trail at Lake Wichita is in its design phase; annual concrete
rehabilitation of sidewalks at various locations; and asphalt repair from Maurine
Street to IH-44/Sheppard Access Road;and the Falls demolition should begin soon.
TxDOT:Mr.Sims reported a seal coat on SL 11 to BU 287J;seal coat on FM 1634 from
BU 277A to FM 367; Concrete repair on US 82 at Taft to US 287; Bridge maintenance
on US 281 from Midwestern Parkway to Rathgeber Road.
b. MPO Quarterly Financial Report (2nd Quarter FY 2026 - January, February,
march)
Mrs.Williams reported on the 2nd quarter expenses for the MPO. She stated that the
MPO had spent 34.26%of its total allocation for FY 2026.Mrs.Williams asked for any
comments or questions on the first quarter financial report.She received none.
c. SS4A Planning Grant Award Agreement Progress Update
Mr.Barnett stated he is still waiting to receive the signed SS4A Planning Grant award
agreement from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and USDOT. Once the
agreement is received, MPO staff can issue an RFQ to hire a qualified consultant to
create the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan.
d. Other Items
No other items to report.
IX. Meeting Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 10:52 a.m.
Feeztaattl
Irvan F."Lin"Barnett Jr.
MPO Transportation Planning Director
Wichita Falls MPO
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