MPO TPC/TAC Board Minutes - 07/29/2026 WICHITA FALLS METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION
Transportation Policy Committee
Minutes
Wednesday,July 29, 2026
Voting Members Present:
Tim Short,Chairperson,Wichita Falls Mayor
Austin Cobb,Wichita Falls City Councilor
David Rohmer,TxDOT,District Engineer
Judy Crawford,Proxy for Dennis Wilde,NORTEX Regional Planning Commission
Russell Schreiber,Wichita Falls Public Works Director
Van Dotson, Proxy for Judge Jim Johnson,Wichita County
Whitney Flack,Wichita Falls City Councilor
MPO Staff
Jaimie Williams,WFMPO,Transportation Planner III
Lin Barnett,WFMPO,Transportation Planning Director
Absent:
Jeff Watts,City of Pleasant Valley,Representative/Wichita County Commissioner
Judge Jim Johnson,County Judge,Wichita County
Visitors:
Daryn Sims,TxDOT Area Engineer
Mark Dora,Wichita County Judge Elect
Shaun Barnes,TxDOT TP&D Director
I. Welcome&Introduction
Councilor Flack, the TPC Chair pro tempore, called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.and
welcomed everyone in attendance.
II. Public Comment on Agenda and Non-Agenda Items
Councilor Flack asked for any public comments on agenda and non-agenda items.
Receiving none,the committee moved on to the next agenda item.
III. Review and Approval of the April 29, 2026 Transportation Policy Committee's
(TPC) Meeting Minutes
Councilor Flack asked for any comments or corrections to the April 29,2026 TPC meeting
minutes. Receiving none, she asked for a motion to approve the minutes. Mr. Rohmer
made the motion to approve. Mr. Schreiber seconded the motion, which passed
unanimously.
IV. Review and Comment Regarding the July 9, 2026 Technical Advisory Committee
(TAC) Meeting Minutes-No Action Required
Councilor Flack asked for any comments concerning the July 9, 2026 TAC meeting
minutes.Receiving none,the committee moved on to the next agenda item.
Wichita Falls MPO TPC Meeting July 29,2026 Page 11
V. Review and Approval of the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Budget
Amendments: 2.5%Safe&Accessible Set-Aside Increases
Mr.Barnett directed the policy boards 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 of staff hours charged to the 2.5%SA Set-Aside.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 policy board
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.
(Mayor Short arrived during discussion of this agenda item.Ms.Flack,Chair pro tempore,
transferred control of the meeting to Mayor Short.)
Mr. Barnett asked for any comments or questions regarding the amendment to the 2.5%
SA funding. Receiving none,Mayor Short asked for a motion to approve the amendment.
Mr. Schreiber made the motion to approve the amendment. Mr. Rohmer seconded the
motion,which passed unanimously.
VI. Recap on the TxDOT Transportation Planning Conference (PLANCON) Held in San
Antonio July 15th&16th and the TEMPO Executive Directors Meeting on July 16th.
Mr. Barnett directed the policy board's attention to page 54 of the meeting packet. He
provided a recap of the 2026 TxDOT Transportation Planning Conference (PLANCON)
and the TEMPO executive Directors meeting held in San Antonio. Mr. Barnett stated
conference sessions focused on transportation resiliency, artificial intelligence, data-
driven planning tools, active transportation, multimodal planning, and new statewide
planning resources for MPOs.Mr.Barnett stated the TEMPO meeting included discussion
of a proposed MPO/TxDOT Leadership Academy to support staff development,
consideration of incorporating TEMPO as a nonprofit organization, updates on TxDOT
planning initiatives, and information regarding the proposed federal surface
transportation reauthorization legislation,the Build America 250 Act. Mr. Barnett asked
for any questions regarding the PLANCON conference or the TEMPO directors meeting.
Receiving none,the committee moved on to the next agenda item.
VII. Progress Report on the Socioeconomic & Demographic Data Forecast Update for
2026
Mr.Barnett informed the policy board of progress on 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.The first draft of population and household data has been submitted and once
this is approved it will trigger the stakeholder engagement process.The 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.
Wichita Falls MPO TPC Meeting July 29,2026 Page 12
Barnett asked for any comments or questions regarding the SE&D forecast update.
Receiving none,the committee moved on to the next agenda item.
VIII. Update on the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Planning Grant Award
Agreement with USDOT
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 and signed by the City Manager,MPO staff can issue an RFQ to hire
a qualified consultant to create the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan.
Mr. Barnett asked for any comments or questions regarding the SS4A grant update.
Receiving none,the committee moved on to the next agenda item.
IX. Other Business:
a. Discussion&Overview of Progress on Local Transportation Projects-City and
TxDOT staff(Quarterly Review)
City: Mr. Schreiber reported the section of the Circle Trail at Lucy Park should be
complete in August or September. The 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. Annual Prioritized Project List(PPL) for 2027 Progress Report
Mr.Barnett informed the policy board that project ranking for the Prioritized Project
List will begin by September.
d. Other Items
No other items to report
X. Meeting Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 9:42 a.m.
Honorable Tim Short
Mayor Wichita Falls
Wichita Falls MPO TPC Meeting July 29,2026 Page 13