MPO Policy Board Thursday, November 21, 2019 South Waco Community Center Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization Large Conference Room, 2:00 p.m. 2815 Speight Avenue, Waco, Texas Summary Notes DRAFT Policy Board Members Present: Mr. Jacob Bell, P.E. Citizen Representative, City of Waco Mr. Keith Bond City Manager, City of Lacy Lakeview Hon. Kyle Deaver Mayor, City of Waco Hon. Bert Echterling Mayor, City of Robinson Mr. Kevin Evans City Manager, City of McGregor Hon. Jim Holmes Council Member, City of Waco Hon. Jim Jaska Mayor, City of Ross Hon. Dillon Meek, Proxy for Council Member, City of Waco Hon. John Kinnaird Ms. Barbara Maley, Ex-Officio Transportation Planning Coordinator/Air Quality Specialist Member Federal Highway Administration – Texas Division Hon. Dillon Meek Council Member, City of Waco Dr. Shawn Oubre City Manager, City of Woodway Mr. Hector Sabido Council Member, City of Waco Mr. Stan Swiatek, P.E., District Engineer, Texas Dept. of Transportation, Waco District Mr. Everett “Bo” Thomas City Manager, City of Hewitt Policy Board Members Absent: Hon. Scott Felton County Judge, McLennan County Mr. Bradley Ford Assistant City Manager, City of Waco Hon. Travis Gibson Council Member, City of Bellmead Hon. Will Jones County Commissioner, Pct. 3, McLennan County Mr. Joseph R. Pace City Manager, City of Lorena (Vacant) Plan Commission, City of Waco Technical Committee Members Present: Ms. Christi Bonham Planner, Texas Dept. of Transportation, Waco District Ms. Amy Burlarley-Hyland Interim Director, Public Works, City of Waco Mr. Thomas Dahl City Engineer, City of Waco Mr. Mitch Davison City Engineer, City of Woodway Chief Tom Dickson Chief of Police, City of Lorena Mr. Zane Dunnam County Engineer, McLennan County Director, Service Development, City of Waco, Waco Transit Mr. Joseph Dvorsky Systems, Inc. 1 Planner, Regional Planning & Programming, Transportation Ms. Brigida Gonzales Planning and Programming Division, Texas Dept. of Transportation Assistant Area Engineer, Texas Dept. of Transportation, Waco Mr. Jeff Jackson Area Office Mr. Francisco Leos Citizen Representative, City of McGregor Mr. Clayton Zacha Area Engineer, Texas Dept. of Transportation, Waco Area Office Technical Committee Members Absent: Consultant / President, BSP Engineers, Inc., City of Bellmead Mr. Anthony Beach Representative Ms. Leola Davis Transportation Director, Meals on Wheels Director, Transportation Planning and Programming Division, Mr. Victor Goebel Texas Dept. of Transportation, Waco District Hon. David Gonzalez Mayor, City of Beverly Hills Mr. Joel Martinez Airport Manager, City of Waco Associate Vice President, Real Estate Operations & Campus Mr. Karl McNair Services, Baylor University Mr. Matt Meadors President / CEO, Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce Mr. Clint Peters Director, Planning Services, City of Waco Assistant General Manager, City of Waco, Waco Transit Systems, Ms. Serena Stevenson Inc. Public Transportation Coordinator, Texas Dept. of Ms. Debbie Tahiri Transportation, Waco District Staff Present: Mr. Christopher Evilia, AICP Director, Waco MPO Ms. Chelsea Phlegar, AICP Planner, Waco MPO Ms. Annette Shepherd Planner, Waco MPO Others Present: Vice President, Public Policy, Greater Waco Chamber of Ms. Jessica Attas Commerce Mr. Lenny Caballero Assistant City Manager, City of Woodway Mr. Jack Compton Waco Area Resident Mr. Mike Copeland Business Editor, Waco Tribune-Herald Mr. John Deaver Waco Business League Mr. Steven Duong Urban Planner, AECOM Mr. Bill Frawley Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University Ms. Brittney Gick Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University Ms. Leigh Hornsby Principal Partner, Public Information Associates Planning & Programming Engineer, Texas Dept. of Mr. Brenton Lane Transportation, Waco District Public Information Officer, Texas Dept. of Transportation, Waco Mr. Ken Roberts District 2 I. Call to Order, Proof of Posting Chairman Jacob Bell called the November 21, 2019 meeting of the MPO Policy Board and Technical Committee to order at 2:00 p.m. Meeting agendas were posted at the McLennan County Courthouse on November 12, 2019 and at the City of Waco on November 12, 2019 for a possible quorum of the Waco City Council. Chairman Bell provided directions to visitors wishing to address the Policy Board regarding any action or discussion item identified on this agenda in accordance with requirements identified in Section 551.007 of the Texas Government Code. II. Approval of the September 19, 2019 meeting minutes Chairman Bell asked for any changes to the minutes. No changes were voiced. Minutes were approved as submitted. III. Presentation to the Waco MPO Policy Board Officers the 2019 National Award for Outstanding Overall Achievement for a Non Transportation Management Area by the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations. Chairman Bell opened the meeting for visitors to address the Board regarding Item III. No visitors spoke for or against this item. Mr. Jacob Bell, MPO Policy Board Chair and Mr. Chris Evilia, MPO Director, formally presented this award to the MPO Policy Board recognizing demonstrated significant achievement and performance excellence for the entire MPO organization. Chairman Bell and Director Evilia received the award on behalf of the MPO at the annual conference of the Association of MPOs on October 23, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. IV. Review and Discussion regarding the draft of Connections 2045: The Waco Metropolitan Transportation Plan. Chairman Bell opened the meeting for visitors to address the Board regarding Item IV. No visitors spoke for or against this item. Mayor Deaver called the November 21, 2019 meeting of the City Council of the City of Waco to order at 2:05 p.m. Background: • The Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) identifies the regional transportation needs of the Waco Metropolitan Area through the planning horizon year of 2045. • In addition to all projects intending to utilize federal highway or public transportation funds, all regionally significant transportation projects regardless of mode or funding source must be included in the MTP. 3 Review of Recommended Projects: • Director Evilia presented staff recommendations from the draft of Connections 2045: The Waco Metropolitan Transportation Plan. The recommendations are categorized into 6 strategies which address a corresponding MTP guiding principle previously identified by the Policy Board. Individual projects are prioritized within each strategy based upon how well they address the primary goal of that strategy and anticipated availability of funding: 1.) Improve State of Good Repair 2.) Improve Safety and Security 3.) Improve System Efficiency 4.) Improve Regional Livability 5.) Address Demand for Future Mobility 6.) Provide Equal Access and Benefits • Most staff recommendations would address more than one strategy. • Projects that perform well at accomplishing multiple strategies are generally listed as higher priorities. Review of Total Cost of Plan Recommendations: • The total cost of recommended projects the Waco MPO can realistically afford over next 25 years is approximately $2.2 billion. • Over half of the total cost of the plan is in the maintenance category, meaning the main focus over the next 25 years is in keeping the existing regional transportation system operating. • The majority of available funding mechanisms are generally geared for highways (federal and state) • High speed passenger transportation is an important priority for our region but because the Fort Worth to Laredo High Speed Transportation Study is still in progress, the MPO isn’t yet able to include costs for project recommendations.* • Total Cost of Plan Recommendations by Strategy: Investment by Short-Term Cost Long-Term Cost Total Cost Percent of Plan Strategy 1 – State of $467.1 $771.9 $1,239.0 $55.5% Good Repair 2 - Safety $38.4 $20.7 $59.1 2.6% 3 – Efficiency $33.5 $64.1 $97.6 4.4% 4 – Livability $35.55 $12.3 $47.85 2.1% 5 – Mobility $202.9 $348.3 $551.2 24.7% 6 – Equity $88.3 $148.8 $237.1 10.6% Total Plan $865.75 $1,366.1 $2,231.85 100.0% 4 • Total Cost of Plan Recommendations by Mode: Investment by Short-Term Cost Long-Term Cost Total Cost Percent of Plan Mode Highway $761.5 $1,149.6 $1,911.1 85.6% Public $78.2 $181.9 $260.1 11.6% Transportation Bicycle / $26.05 $29.7 $55.75 2.5% Pedestrian Passenger Rail* $0.0 $4.9 $4.9 0.2% Total Plan $865.75 $1,366.1 $2,231.85 100.0% Discussion was concentrated on the following topics: • Incorporating shifting priorities – The MTP is federally required to be updated every 5 years to account for shifts in priorities, strategies, and available funding mechanisms, as well as to account for other changes desired by Congress to be implemented during that time frame. It may be assumed the MTP will be amended 2 or 3 times during each 5 year period between MTP updates to accomplish this. (For example, the MTP will be amended next year to show how the Waco MPO incorporates a 5th performance measure, Transit Safety targets, into the required transportation planning process). • Incorporating changes in available funding - The draft MTP does not assume set-aside funds for which the MPO may be eligible if designated as a Transportation Management Area (TMA) as a result of the 2020 decennial census. Nor does the plan assume possible funding availability from impact fees currently being considered by the City of Waco. If funds from these or other sources are made available, modifications will be made to the MTP through an amendment process. Direction to Staff: • The MPO Policy Board and Technical Committee agreed the draft MTP is ready for public release. • Staff will begin the required 55 day public process to solicit comment regarding the draft plan and recommendations on November 22, 2019. Staff will conduct 2 public meetings in December 2019 and 2 in January 2020, and appropriate stakeholder consultations. • Once analyzed, input received may be incorporated into the draft MTP if appropriate and presented to the Policy Board on January 17, 2020. • Consideration of adoption by the Policy Board is scheduled for Friday, January 17, 2020.