Boston Region MPO Administration
& Finance Committee
Worksheet for Standing and Ad Hoc
Committees – November 17, 2022
Operation Plan Memo - Relevant Sections from Operations Plan Memo
Standing and Ad Hoc Committees
● Identify the purpose and responsibilities of
committee meetings and their attendees relative to the MPO board meetings
● Confirm or adjust number, role, and officers
of standing committees based on the expectations for both committee and board
meetings.
● Define the trigger and process for
establishing ad hoc committees and their officers
2011 MOU - Relevant
Sections pertaining to Standing and Ad Hoc Committees Requirements/Actions
Functions and Roles of the Boston Region MPO and its Committees
●
Overview
○ In the resolution of basic regional
transportation policy, the Boston Region MPO shall seek and consider the advice
of the Advisory Council. In so doing,
the Boston Region MPO shall provide the Advisory Council with information and
analysis in the form of reports, briefings, and discussion concerning their
plans, programs, and priorities so that the Advisory Council can carry out its
functions in a timely fashion.
○ In addition to the advice of the Advisory
Council, the MPO shall seek the involvement of members of the public and the
many entities and organizations with interests and views relative to the Boston
Region’s planning and programming. To facilitate this, the Boston Region MPO
will post on its website, at least 48 hours in advance of meetings, all
materials related to meeting action items, unless waived by unanimous consent
of the Boston Region MPO. The Boston Region MPO will also meet quarterly at
locations outside of the City of Boston.
●
Establishment
of Committees and Task Forces
○ The Boston Region MPO shall appoint committees
it determines necessary and task forces to accomplish its business and assign
duties to them.
Considerations from the 2019 Certification Review
● The BRMPO should develop an
operations plan, as called for in its MOU. … Additionally, [the BRMPO should]
define officer roles for sub-committees.
MPO Peer Examples, including
“Technical Advisory Committees”
● MPOs use planning or
technical advisory committees (PAC or TAC) and subcommittees to provide
technical analysis, recommendations and specialized knowledge to the board on
specific planning strategies, projects, or issues. The TAC is made up of local
government technical staff with expertise in specific planning or engineering
areas.
2017
USDOT report: MPO Staffing and
Organizational Structures
● The vast majority of advisory
committee members do not participate directly in governing board meetings.
Instead, MPO advisory committees typically transmit recommendations to the MPO
governing board through votes at their own separate meetings.
● Nearly all (92%) of MPOs
responding to this part of the survey (249 out of 271) maintain a technical
advisory committee (TAC), which is usually comprised of professional and
technical staff from member local governments and modal agencies. A TAC and its
members typically help board members understand complex engineering and
planning concepts and provide input on how MPO decisions are likely to impact
local constituencies. An effective TAC facilitates the movement of information between
local agencies and MPO staff and can provide important direction and insight
for MPO staff.
● Most MPOs with policy boards
have the majority of the policy board filled with elected officials. However, 4
MPOs have policy boards where greater than half of the body is composed of
non-elected members.
Questions for Discussion
● Partially discussed: Are the
existing MPO committees enough to complete the MPO’s work in the region?
● Partially discussed: Should
any of the work or discussion currently carried out by board members be shifted
into committees or should any work currently carried out in committees shift to
board members?
● What expectations might there
be for committee members in terms of ongoing education around best practices of
MPOs and committee members? What training opportunities would benefit committee
members?
● Should there be
requirements/guidance around committee meeting attendance, preparation
(reviewing materials), and participation?
● New: Should there be
requirements or restrictions on board members’ participation on committees
(requirement to serve, eligible members, eligible officers, alternative
representation)?
Draft Operations Plan Elements: Standing and Ad Hoc Committees
A) Existing MPO Committees and
processes
1.
Current
standing MPO committees are the Administration and Finance Committee, UPWP
Committee, Congestion Management Committee
2.
Each
committee is charged with the following:
a. The Administration and Finance (A&F)
Committee reviews the operating budget of the Central Transportation Planning
Staff (the staff to the MPO).
b. The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)
Committee oversees the development of the UPWP and monitors the progress of
projects and programs funded through the UPWP.
c. The
Congestion Management Committee facilitates the development and implementation
of the MPO’s Congestion Management Process (CMP). and recommends projects and
programs that reduce congestion and improve mobility, safety, and efficiency.
3.
Committee
meetings are generally on an as needed basis.
4.
Committee
meetings are typically held before or after an MPO meeting.
5.
Staff
sends/posts agenda and materials one week in advance when possible and at a
minimum 48 hours in advance of a meeting as defined by the Open Meeting Law.
6.
Meeting
minutes are presented according to Massachusetts Open Meeting Law requirements:
within three meetings or thirty days, whichever is later.
7.
Audio and
video recordings are posted to the MPO website ASAP after the meeting.
8.
TIP
Screening and Readiness Committee
This new committee would be charged with the
following:
a. Reviewing and discussing additional
information needed for the TIP Universe of Projects for each annual TIP
development cycle before staff select projects for scoring and evaluation in
December.
b. Reviewing information received from MassDOT,
the MBTA and the region’s RTAs for project readiness for programming in the TIP
before the February TIP readiness day
c. Invite all project proponents and MassDOT
project managers associated with projects to present to the committee regarding
project readiness and latest cost estimates in advance of recommendations made
to the board.
d. Reviewing project selection criteria results
for projects that have the potential for programming in detail, requesting
additional information and communication as needed before presenting results to
the full board
e. Reviewing project scenarios for potential TIP
programming before summarizing those scenarios to the board and recommending a
preferred alternative to programming in the multi-year elements of the TIP
f. Reviewing and providing feedback on the TIP
development process for the prior cycle to invite process improvements.
B) Committee Membership
1)
Selecting Board Members to
Serve on Committees
a) Within 30 days of the start
of a board member’s term, new board members and recurring board members shall
join at least one MPO Committee.
b) Committee members will be
selected by whomever volunteers to serve on a committee.
c) Committee members and
officers shall be selected from all Board members and there will be no
requirement to have a specific “split” of state, regional or municipal members.
2)
Quorum
a) A quorum consists of ⅔
of the committee members present at all meetings.
3)
Committee Member Terms
a) Committee members serve a
one-year term.
b) Committee members shall be
either renewed or join a committee following the MPO’s annual election of Board
members.
4)
Officers of Committees
a) Upon the first committee
meeting after the annual election of Board members, a chair of the committee
shall be elected by the membership of the committee.
b) Chairs of committees are
responsible for:
i)
Coordinating with staff on agenda setting for each meeting
ii)
Coordinating with staff to ensure that information needed for
informed decision making is available for each meeting
iii)
Facilitating presentations, discussions, and voting according
to Robert’s Rules of Order
5)
Onboarding of Committee
Members
a) Within 90 days of the start
of a committee member’s term, new board members and recurring committee members
shall be invited to an overview orientation meeting with MPO staff to review
the purpose of the committee and the committee’s role. New committee members
must work with staff to find a date within the 90 days - the orientation or
reorientation is optional for returning committee members.
b) Prior to the orientation of
new committee members, existing committee members shall be contacted by staff
to ask for volunteers to meet with and assist in orienting and mentoring new
committee members, also within the first 90 days.
c) At times, committee members
may also be invited to additional training modules organized by staff. These
modules would focus more deeply on particular and timely topics, such as one of
the primary 3c documents (the UPWP, TIP, and LRTP).
C) Committee Member Expectations - refer to Board Member Expectations, section 3, with the additional expectations:
a)
To ensure
that a committee is able to reach quorum, committee
members are asked to make every effort to attend each committee meeting. If a
committee member is not able to attend a meeting, that member shall inform
staff and the chair of the committee.
b)
If a
Board member or their designee cannot attend a committee meeting, that meeting
may be attended by the assigned alternate designee