Draft Memorandum for the Record

Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Meeting Minutes

February 19, 2026, Meeting

10:00 AM–11:25, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform

Steve Woelfel, Chair, representing Phillip Eng, Interim Secretary of Transportation and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)

Decisions

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) agreed to the following:

• Approve the minutes of the meeting of February 5, 2026
• Approve and adopt the proposed Open Meeting Law Compliance rules into the MPO Operations Plan

Meeting Agenda

1. Introductions

See attendance below.

2. Chair’s Report—Steve Woefel, MassDOT

There was none.

3. Executive Director’s Report—Annette Demchur, Director of MPO Activities, Central Transportation Planning Staff

A. Demchur shared that the March 5 and March 19, 2026, MPO Meetings will run two and a half to three hours long and the April 2, 2026, MPO Meeting will be in person with a hybrid option.

4. Public Comments  

There were none.

5. Committee Chairs’ Reports

Jen Rowe, City of Boston, shared that the next Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Process, Engagement, and Readiness Committee will be February 25, 2026, at 3:00 PM. They will be discussing areas where the board will be required to maintain fiscal constraint as well as developing program objectives.

6. Community Advisory Council Report—Karl Alexander, Vice Chair, Community Advisory Council

K. Alexander shared that 2027 Unified Planning Work Program discrete studies were discussed at the last Community Advisory Council Meeting, with particular enthusiasm for roadway pricing and transit-oriented development support.

He said that the next meeting will be held on March 9, 2026, at 2:00 PM, and they will be discussing the MPO’s public engagement plan.

7. Action Item: Approval of February 5, 2026, MPO Meeting Minutes

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

• February 5, 2026 Minutes (pdf) (html)

Vote

A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting on February 5, 2026, was made by the City of Boston (J. Rowe) and seconded by the Town of Lexington (Meghan Roche). The motion carried.

8. Action Item: Open Meeting Law Compliance for MPO Committees—Dave Hong, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

• Open Meeting Law Compliance Memo (pdf) (html)
• Markup Operations Plan (pdf) (html)
• Clean Operations Plan (pdf) (html)

D. Hong shared background, including an MPO board member request leading to looking more closely at risk that the MPO board may be exposed to and consultations with the MPO’s legal counsel. He explained how unlawful deliberation can occur and the proposed set of protocols to mitigate these risks. D. Hong then asked the board to vote to approve the protocols described in the posted memo and the corresponding amendments to the MPO Operations Plan.

Discussion

John Strauss, Town of Burlington, asked for clarification on the quorum issue. Marjorie Weinberger, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, explained that having a quorum of the MPO board present is considered a deliberation, and must be properly noticed as a full board meeting rather than a committee.

Steve Olanoff, Town of Norwood, asked about more than one person attending for a single seat. M. Weinberger clarified that each seat counts toward reaching quorum, rather than it being based on how many designees or alternates attend on behalf of one board seat.

Tyler Terrasi, MetroWest Regional Transit Authority, asked about speaking during public comment. M. Weinberger explained that it is not restricted, as long as the comment is prefaced as a member of the public, not in an official board capacity.

Lenard Diggins, Town of Arlington, asked about email communication. M. Weinberger explained that communication should be restricted to less than a quorum.

J. Rowe explained that an entity could have someone from their organization not sitting on the board present at a committee meeting.

Vote

A motion to approve and adopt the proposed Open Meeting Law Compliance rules and to amend these rules into the MPO Operations Plan, was made by the City of Boston (J. Rowe) and seconded by the Town of Arlington (L. Diggins). The motion carried.

9. Quarterly Readiness Update: TIP Readiness Days, Readiness Scenario—Ethan Lapointe and Adriana Jacobsen, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

• TIP Readiness Baseline 1B (pdf) (html)
• TIP Readiness Baseline Cost Increase (pdf) (html)

A. Jacobsen shared an overview including the materials, a review of the programming readiness and cost guidelines, Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2026 changes, project delays by FFY, baseline funding balance, major cost increases, and next steps.

E. Lapointe shared delays in FFY 2026, then the projects in later years of the next development TIP. He then shared a current program overview with the FFYs 2026–30 TIP having 34 “core investment” projects subject to the readiness guidelines. Nine projects do not require a delay, 19 require a delay between FFYs 2027 and 2031, and six require a delay beyond 2031.

Discussion

L. Diggins asked about the propagation of delays. E. Lapointe responded projects would still be at the discretion of the MPO board.

Dennis Giombetti asked about restrictions on unallocated/unprogrammed dollars for FFY 2026. E. Lapointe responded that projects must be ready to advertise to be considered for fill-ins, as staff do not have adequate time to score new projects. Derek Shooster, MassDOT, clarified that dollars should be spent to ensure funds do not lapse.

Rachel Benson, Town of Wrentham, asked about common delays for projects. S. Woelfel explained that there were discussions in January with the MPO’s and related stakeholders to figure out how to address delays, and this information will come to the forefront in upcoming TIP discussions.

J. Strauss asked if municipalities are up-to-date on the new policies. E. Lapointe said they are and that staff is actively reaching out to keep them updated.

10. Members’ Items

J. Rowe provided an update on the Rutherford Avenue project that is on track to advertise in 2031.

11. Adjourn

A motion to adjourn was made by the City of Somerville (Tom Bent) and seconded by the City of Boston (J. Rowe). The motion carried.

Attendance

CIVIL RIGHTS NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

Welcome. Bem Vinda. Bienvenido. Akeyi. 欢迎. 歡迎 .

You are invited to participate in our transportation planning process, free from discrimination. The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is committed to nondiscrimination in all activities and complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency). Related federal and state nondiscrimination laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, disability, and additional protected characteristics.

For additional information or to file a civil rights complaint, visit www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination.

To request accommodations at meetings (such as assistive listening devices, materials in accessible formats and languages other than English, and interpreters in American Sign Language and other languages) or if you need this information in another language, please contact:

Boston Region MPO Title VI Specialist

10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150

Boston, MA 02116

Phone: 857.702.3700

Email: civilrights@ctps.org

For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the state MassRelay service, www.mass.gov/massrelay. Please allow at least five business days for your request to be fulfilled.