Memorandum for the Record

Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization

Administration and Finance (A&F) Committee Meeting Summary

 

April 13, 2023, Meeting

9:00 AM–9:50 AM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform

The A&F Committee decided, through a roll call vote, that Eric Bourassa, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), would chair this meeting.

Decisions

The A&F Committee agreed to the following:

Meeting Agenda

1.    Introductions

See attendance on page 4.

2.    Public Comments  

There were none.

3.    Action Item: Approval of February 16, 2023, A&F Meeting Summary

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    February 16, 2023, Meeting Minutes (pdf)

2.    February 16, 2023, Meeting Minutes (html)

Vote

A motion to approve the summary of the meeting of February 16, 2023, was made by the MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of Framingham) (Dennis Giombetti) and seconded by the MBTA Advisory Board (Amira Patterson). The motion carried through a roll call vote.

4.    Discussion: Operations Plan: Executive Director Evaluation and Compensation—Eric Bourassa, MAPC

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

3.    Executive Director Evaluation and Compensation Worksheet (pdf)

4.    Executive Director Evaluation and Compensation Worksheet (html)

E. Bourassa reviewed the Executive Director Evaluation and Compensation worksheet and invited committee members to continue discussions of the worksheet.

Discussion

Derek Krevat, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, asked what prompted the creation of the worksheet. Tegin Teich, executive director of the Central Transportation Planning Staff (the staff to the Boston Region MPO), stated that the topics for the Operations Plan were discussed in a memo to the full MPO board. Previous federal certification reviews indicated the need to outline the hiring process for the executive director. The evaluation and compensation elements were deemed useful to document.

A. Patterson asked when the evaluation and compensation process would be implemented. E. Bourassa and T. Teich stated that the processes would be implemented at the beginning of state fiscal year 2024.

Lenard Diggins, Regional Transportation Advisory Council, asked when the MPO board will vote on the Operations Plan. E. Bourassa stated that the Operations Plan will be presented to the full board in the next few months.

D. Giombetti asked why the A&F chair will be included in the executive director evaluations. T. Teich stated that the A&F Committee is responsible for the administration and budget of the MPO, and salary adjustments are associated with evaluations.

L. Diggins asked how frequently staff evaluations occur and if the proposed quarterly check-ins with the A&F Committee align with them. T. Teich stated that the quarterly check-ins are designed to align with the quarterly agency budget reviews. T. Teich stated that staff participate in a performance assessment in April and employee development plans in July.

D. Giombetti suggested quarterly check-ins with the executive director, attended by the MPO chair, vice-chair, and A&F Committee chair, to track progress.

L. Diggins suggested that the goals identified during the evaluation could be shared with the full board through a memo, replacing the quarterly check-ins shared with the full board.

5.     Discussion: Operations Plan: Communications Norms—Tegin Teich, Executive Director

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

5.    Communications Norms (pdf)

6.    Communications Norms (html)

T. Teich stated that the Communications Norms worksheet was edited from the Code of Conduct worksheet discussed at prior A&F meetings. T. Teich stated that comparable agencies, such as the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, have similar frameworks of expected behaviors and interactions in a board setting.

Discussion

L. Diggins stated his support for the Communications Norms and suggested outlining what the expected interactions are between staff and board members.

A. Patterson asked how the benchmarks were created and how goals are evaluated. T. Teich stated that the Communications Norms were developed to provide a framework to initiate conversations, should an individual feel that the norms have been violated.

D. Krevat asked if members of the board would be asked to sign the document. T. Teich stated that the intent is to have members sign the document to acknowledge that they are aware of the expected norms and noted that it is not legally binding.

6.    Members’ Items

There were none.

7.     Adjourn

The meeting adjourned at 9:50 AM.


 

Attendance

Members

Representatives

and Alternates

Massachusetts Department of Transportation

Derek Krevat

MBTA Advisory Board

Amira Patterson

Metropolitan Area Planning Council

Eric Bourassa

MetroWest Regional Collaborative, City of Framingham

Dennis Giombetti

Regional Transportation Advisory Council

Lenard Diggins

 

MPO Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff

Tegin Teich, Executive Director

Silva Ayvazyan

Logan Casey

Annette Demchur

Hiral Gandhi

Erin Maguire

Gina Perille

 

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) operates its programs, services, and activities in compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related statutes and regulations. Title VI prohibits discrimination in federally assisted programs and requires that no person in the United States of America shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency), be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives federal assistance. Related federal nondiscrimination laws administered by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, or both, prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, and disability. The Boston Region MPO considers these protected populations in its Title VI Programs, consistent with federal interpretation and administration. In addition, the Boston Region MPO provides meaningful access to its programs, services, and activities to individuals with limited English proficiency, in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation policy and guidance on federal Executive Order 13166.

The Boston Region MPO also complies with the Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law, M.G.L. c 272 sections 92a, 98, 98a, which prohibits making any distinction, discrimination, or restriction in admission to, or treatment in a place of public accommodation based on race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or ancestry. Likewise, the Boston Region MPO complies with the Governor's Executive Order 526, section 4, which requires that all programs, activities, and services provided, performed, licensed, chartered, funded, regulated, or contracted for by the state shall be conducted without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, disability, veteran's status (including Vietnam-era veterans), or background.

A complaint form and additional information can be obtained by contacting the MPO or at http://www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination. To request this information in a different language or in an accessible format, please contact

Title VI Specialist
Boston Region MPO
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116
civilrights@ctps.org

By Telephone:
857.702.3700 (voice)

For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the state MassRelay service:

·       Relay Using TTY or Hearing Carry-over: 800.439.2370

·       Relay Using Voice Carry-over: 866.887.6619

·       Relay Using Text to Speech: 866.645.9870

For more information, including numbers for Spanish speakers, visit https://www.mass.gov/massrelay.