Administration and Management of Local Roads and Streets A Handbook for Indiana County, City and Town Offi cials Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (IN-LTAP) 1435 Win Hentschel Blvd. West Lafayette, Indiana 47906-4150 Telephone: 765-494-2164 Toll Free; Indiana: 1-800-428-7639 Fax: 765-496-1176 www.Purdue.edu/INLTAP Abstract of Contents Introduction. This handbook, Administration and Management picture. Federal and state agencies also impact local road and of Local Roads and Streets, is a revision of an earlier version street work. Important are the Indiana Departments of Natural carrying the same title, and distributed in 1988. The contents of Resources (DNR), Department of Environmental Management this new version are very similar to the original. It is designed (IDEM), and some U.S. Governmental agencies such as the to be useful to the Indiana local road and street offi cial. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States Development and maintenance of transportation facilities and Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Army Corps of capabilities have been within a longstanding policy of the Engineers. In addition, the Indiana Department of Commerce United States government and the governments of the states. plays a role at the local level. Finally, government based This dedication to the development of lines of commerce has professional associations of local and state offi cials work to been and is critical to the economic well-being of the nation, ensure good government and management. all the way from Washington to Indianapolis to Monon. Following this introductory chapter, the discussion moves Funding the Local Transportation System. This from administrative and fi nancial issues to those technical. The chapter includes the planning and management of funds, and handbook concludes with two chapters; one focused on the the measuring of sources and uses of funds. Included are national transportation law authorization process and the other federal, local, and special funding; and purchasing and public on environmental and preservation issues and challenges. construction procedures and administration. Budgeting and fund accounting areas are reviewed. The budget process for Local Authority. Indiana’s Home Rule legislation of the Indiana Counties, Cities and Towns is a feature of this chapter 1970’s and ‘80’s changed the way we look at local government and is based upon Indiana LTAP Budget Workshops held authority. The legislation fundamentally altered Dillon’s Rule, annually. The purchasing decision, its management, and the which held that authority not expressly granted to a local statutory requirements and limits are highlighted. Innovative government entity, was therefore withheld. The new legislation funding strategies are discussed. made it possible for questions concerning authority to be resolved in favor of the local governmental entity unless expressly Transportation Planning. The responsibility for withheld by the Indiana Constitution or statute. The defi nition transportation planning is discussed from the vantage of the and job descriptions of the fi scal, legislative and executive national, state and local levels. Emphasis is on the local level. entities of local governments are explained in a quick reference The responsibilities of the planning organizations and their guide. Also, a number of key road and street authority issues staffs are reviewed. The fundamental elements of planning including budgeting, right-of-way management, purchasing, are discussed, as well as the comprehensive plan and the condemnation, planning, intergovernmental relations and thoroughfare plan. Where established, Metropolitan Planning coordination, and jurisdictional issues are summarized. Organizations (MPO’s) are the key to planning. It is a reality though, that a preponderance of Indiana’s local governments Intergovernmental Relations. Intergovernmental have populations of less than 10,000. Because many smaller relations (IGR) or “interlocal” relations, as it is sometimes known, communities don’t have the advantage of an MPO, rural take on new importance and meaning in today’s complicated planning options exist and are discussed in this chapter. political and economic environment. Intergovernmental transfers of funds are a driving force in IGR. The resource Obtaining, Maintaining, and Vacating Right-of- allocation decision is a key element. IC 36-1-7 establishes the Way. Public road right-of-ways exist today for three reasons: authority for interlocal agreements. This authority provides the someone either granted or dedicated them to the government; opportunity to maximize scarce resources. Intergovernmental the general public or the government has used them over an relations may be vertical or lateral and they can be diverse, extended period of time; or the government took the property depending on geography. For example, twenty Indiana counties used for right-of-way pursuant to its exercise of the right of have borders with counties of Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan, and eminent domain. The focus here is on the acquisition of new eighteen counties border the Ohio or Wabash Rivers. A few public road right-of-way and some of the issues relating to towns border towns or cities on the other side of a state line. existing public road right-of-way. Verifying a road or street Special taxing districts, utilities, conservancy districts, and legal and administrative status is a challenge. As urbanization waste and emergency management agencies are part of this increases, right-of-way questions and issues multiply and become more complex. In recent years, the establishment and involving placement of signs, warrants for traffi c signals, speed management of utility easements in the road or street right of limits, pedestrians, parking issues, work zone traffi c control and way has become more pressing. Add to that the requirement others are all discussed. for environmental assessments, historic preservation reviews, and other required permits required to comply with federal Asset Management. Inventory management and and state statutes and rules. Vacation of roads, streets and maintenance of that inventory are important to any successful alleys is required when the right of way is no longer needed enterprise, be it private business or a public entity. The road or restructured. Finally, a related issue is the abandonment of and street inventory is a key element in the management of railroad corridors and right-of-way. Railroad abandonment is the total transportation infrastructure and supporting assets of managed nationally by the Surface Transportation Board, and in the local agency. Because public safety is a critical issue, the Indiana by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) age, condition and estimated life of these assets are important which plays a key role in monitoring notice requirements, and elements of information needed to effectively manage the corridor disposition issues. system. This chapter reviews these topics and provides some guidelines and examples which can be used to implement asset Management of Local Streets and Roads. management plans and strategies. This chapter begins with a general treatment of the topic of management and its application to local road and street Engineering and Technology. Challenges include organizations. Traditional principles and functions of bridges, design and specifi cations, inspection, drainage, signage, management follow, supported by a discussion of the task of construction, snow and ice removal. This chapter focuses organizing the local road and street effort. The organizing task on general engineering related topics, as well as sources of includes a number of human resource areas such as job and information about the ever-changing technology that relates performance evaluation, and internal policy development. The to them. Some topics discussed include environmental issues importance of training and leader development is emphasized. such as pollution control and snow and ice removal, how to go Both traditional and modern management, leadership and about permit applications, construction inspection, the process of organizational development ideas are discussed. References for selecting a consultant, bridges, roadway maintenance and more. this chapter include modern general management texts used in Sources of up-to-date information are included in the discussion. the teaching of organizational leadership, and management at the supervisory level. These references appear in the handbook’s National Transportation Act Authorization. master bibliography. The process of reauthorizing the national transportation law is the focus of this discussion. Beginning with some Transportation Security and Risk Management. historical background and working through the Congressional Administration and management of road and street work process, this chapter moves on to a discussion of some carries with it some signifi cant risks which, if not recognized of the advocacy groups that have an interest. The 2003 and managed, can have signifi cant negative impact on the local transportation authorization is a backdrop, and as it turned out, government entity. The timely, pertinent and urgent subject reauthorization was not completed that year. As of this writing, of transportation security is the fi rst topic. Issues include the it is not completed. As a result, the narrative of this chapter is overall mission of transportation security, interaction with general in its treatment of the topic.