MPO TPC/TAC Board Minutes - 04/27/20161
WICHITA FALLS METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION
Transportation Policy Committee
Minutes
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Voting Members Present:
Glenn Barham, Mayor, City of Wichita Falls
Jim Henson, Mayor, Lakeside City
Michael Smith, City Council Representative
Russell Schreiber, City Public Works Director
Tim Ingle, City Council Representative
MPO Staff.
Jaimie Lee, Wichita Falls MPO, Transportation Planner 11
Lin Barnett, WFMPO, Transportation Planning Director
Visitors:
Barbara Maley, FHWA, Texas Division
David Rohmer, TxDOT, Area Engineer
John Burrus, Director, Aviation, Traffic, & Transportation
Megan Campbell, TxDOT, TPP
Mike Beaver, TxDOT, Director of TP&D
Sam Bownds, Lakeside City
Absent:
Dennis Wilde, North Texas Regional Planning Commission
Jeff Watts, City of Pleasant Valley, Representative
Larry Tegtmeyer, TxDOT, District Engineer
Woodrow "Woody" Gossom, Wichita County Judge
I. Welcome & Introduction
Mayor Barham, the TPC chairperson, called the meeting to order at 8:32 a.m. and
welcomed everyone in attendance.
II. Public Comment on Agenda and Non -Agenda Items
Mayor Barham asked for any public comments on agenda and non -agenda items. None
was received.
III. Review and Approve the Transportation Policy Committee's January 27, 2016 TPC
Meeting Minutes
Mayor Barham asked for any comments or corrections to the January 27, 2016 TPC
meeting minutes. Receiving none, he asked for a motion to approve the minutes. Mr.
Smith made the motion to approve. Mr. Ingle seconded the motion, which passed
unanimously.
Wichita Falls MPO TPC Meeting April 27, 2016
IV. Review and Comment Regarding the Technical Advisory Committee's April 14,
2016 Meeting Minutes - No Action Required
Mayor Barham asked for any comments or questions regarding the April 14, 2016
Technical Advisory Committee meeting minutes. Receiving none, the committee moved
on to the next agenda item.
V. Review and Approve the 2017-2020 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
Mayor Barham directed the committee's attention to page 16 of the meeting packet. Mr.
Barnett stated MPO staff had been working on the 2017-2020 Transportation
Improvement Program (TIP) update since late February. He stated MPO staff conducted
two public hearings in March 2016. The first public hearing was on March 22, 2016 in the
Wichita Falls Public Library at 6:00 p.m. The second public hearing was on March 29,
2016 in the Downtown Travel Center at 2:00 p.m. Mr. Barnett stated that MPO staff
updated the TIP to reflect new requirements found in the Fixing America's Surface
Transportation Act of 2015, also known as the FAST Act. The FAST Act replaces MAP-21
as the transportation reauthorization bill for all U.S. DOT agencies. The FAST Act funds all
surface transportation projects for the next five years. President Obama signed the bill
into law on December 4, 2015.
Mr. Barnett stated the basic structure of the document remained unchanged from the
2015-2018 TIP, but incorporated progress on projects from years 2014 and 2015 in Table
1, "Progress from Previous Years." He commented that the new TIP incorporated the new
MPO Boundary Map approved by the Texas Transportation Commission in 2014. Mr.
Barnett stated that all of the performance measures from section "L. Performance
Measures" carried over from the 2015-2018 TIP into the new TIP. He also commented
that the two Transportation Alternative Program projects, or TAP projects, carried over
from the old TIP into the new TIP. The two TAP projects are the Wichita Bluff Park to
Loop 11 Hike and Bike trail and the Kemp Street sidewalk pedestrian improvement
project. Mr. Barnett stated that the TAC committee recommended adding the two TAP
projects to Table 1- Progress from Previous Years. MPO staff made the additions to Table
1 during the development of the TPC meeting materials.
Mr. Barnett gave a brief overview on the Section III Federally Funded Mobility Project
Summary Table and the Section VI Federally Funded Transit Project Summary Table.
Finally, Mr. Barnett discussed the MPO Self -Certification for Attainment Areas in Section
VII of the document. WFMPO continues to function as an air attainment region. Meaning,
the Wichita Falls MPO meets the standards for clean air in our region. Mr. Barnett asked
for comments regarding the 2017-2020 Transportation Improvement Plan. Receiving
none, Mayor Barham asked for a motion to approve the 2017-2020 Transportation
Improvement Program. Mr. Ingle made the motion to approve. Mr. Schreiber seconded
the motion, which passed unanimously.
VI. Review and Discuss the Updated WFMPO Public Participation Plan
Mayor Barham directed the committee's attention to page 51 of the meeting packet. Mr.
Barnett stated that the MPO created the Public Participation Plan in 2007 as a
replacement to the Public Involvement Policy, as directed by TxDOT and the Federal
Highway Administration at that time. Since then, the document has received only minor
administrative updates to changes in personnel and in advances with Social Media such
as Facebook, Twitter, and the new website. Mr. Barnett stated that he revised the Public
Participation Plan to reflect new requirements found in the Fixing America's Surface
Wichita Falls MPO TPC Meeting April 27, 2016 I' ,i 2
Transportation Act of 2015, also known as the FAST Act. He commented that he did not
change any of the procedures specified within the document for public involvement
because they continue to serve the MPO well. He stated that MPO staff uses the Public
Participation Plan as the guide for all public involvement processes within the MPO area.
Mr. Barnett informed the committee that MPO staff would post the document for a 45-
day public comment period starting on April 28, 2016 and ending on June 11, 2016. After
the comment period expires, Mr. Barnett will present the document again to the TPC
committee at the July 2016 meeting for review and approval. He stated that the document
would serve the MPO until it needs revision again because of changes in federal funding
authorization. This pertains to the next Congressional transportation authorization bill
that replaces the FAST act.
Mr. Barnett asked for any questions or comments regarding the revisions to the Public
Participation Plan document. There were none. The committee moved on to the next
agenda item.
VII. Discussion of Proposition 1, Proposition 7, and Traditional Funding
Mr. Beaver reported on the 10-year Unified Transportation Plan (UTP) Funding
Projections stating Proposition 1 Funding reached a significant peak in 2015. In that year,
the District received $5,260,000 in Category 1 funds. The amount received was an
unusually high amount. In 2016 the numbers dropped considerably, TxDOT expects them
to drop again in 2017 and to level out starting in 2018. The amount in 2016 will decrease
in 2017 but remain steady at approximately $2,780,000 per year through 2026. He
commented that the District should start to see Category 2 funds again sometime in 2018
at approximately $1.68 million. Category 2 funds are MPO funds. Mr. Beaver reported that
TxDOT would also allocate Proposition 7 funds in 2018.
Mr. Beaver reminded everyone that these are draft projections for Categories 1, 2, 4, and
11. They are subject to change at any time. Category 1 funds are for rehabilitation and
preventative maintenance projects; pavement repair, roadway widening, overlays, seal
coats, etc. Category 2 funds are for work within the MPO on roadways that are on the state
highway system. Category 4 funds are for statewide connectivity corridor projects;
widening pavement, super-2 and 2-lane to 4-lane corridor improvements. Category 11
funds are for district discretionary work. However, the District often uses them to fund
rehabilitation and preventative maintenance work.
Mayor Barham asked for any further questions regarding any of the funding mechanisms.
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)
TxDOT: Mr. Rohmer reported the US 287 at Huntington Road bridge replacement
project was complete. SH 240 at Sinclair Road drainage ditch is waiting on AT&T to
clear a utility line and a city water line relocated and construction will begin in a few
weeks. FM 171 Old Friberg Road to Clay County Line is nearing completion and should
be complete in a week or two. FM 369 at Fairway near Hughes to McNiel, a section
west of the FM 369 drainage ditch, is on schedule. FM 2650 from FM 369 to FM 1954
had not begun construction. Mr. Rohmer stated BU287 J, US 281 and FM 171 are
Wichita Falls MPO TPC Meeting April 27, 2016 1` .1 13
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various overlay projects. US 82 near McKinney Road and SH 79 from US 82 are both
illumination upgrades.
City. Mr. Schreiber reported that the McNiel Drainage and Southwest Parkway
Intersection Improvements were complete. The 2016 Asphalt Street Rehab project
was underway. He reported the Wichita Bluff Hike and Bike Trail Phase 1 is 50%
complete. Future projects include 2016 Concrete Street Rehab Project, Hike and Bike
Trail Phase 2, and Kemp Street Pedestrian Improvements.
b. MPO Quarterly Financial Report (1st Quarter FY 2016 - October, November,
December)
Mr. Barnett reported on the 1st quarter expenses for the MPO. He stated that the MPO
had spent 19.17% of its total allocation for FY 2016. He asked for any comments or
questions on the fourth quarter financial report. He received none.
Grouped TxDOT CSJ Projects Report
Mr. Barnett directed the committee's attention to the Grouped TxDOT CSJ projects
report of the TPC meeting packet. He stated that MPO staff had 14 new projects to
report for this quarter. One project will let in 2016 while the remaining 13 projects
will let in 2017. Mr. Barnett asked for any comments or revisions to the report.
Receiving none, the committee moved on to the next agenda item.
d. Other Items
Mr. Barnett informed the committee that TxDOT would hold its bi-annual
Transportation Planning Conference in Houston on June 15-17. MPO staff will attend
this event.
Mayor Henson announced that his term as mayor was ending and that he would work
with the new mayor for Lakeside City to make the transition as seamless as possible.
He stated that he thoroughly enjoyed working with WFMPO and looked forward for
more good things to come from the Policy Board.
IX. Meeting Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 9:21 a.m.
Honorable Glenn Barham
Mayor Wichita Falls
Wichita Falls MPO TPC Meeting April 27, 2016 14