Agenda Date: 08/07/2018
Subject:
Title
A resolution approving an Intergovernmental Agreement for the Collaborative Transportation Forum with the City of Arvada, Town of Bow Mar, City of Edgewater, City of Golden, City of Lakewood, City of Littleton, Town of Morrison, Town of Superior, City of Westminster, City of Wheat Ridge, and Jefferson County
Body
|
Presented By: |
Keith Reester, Public Works Director |
REQUESTED COUNCIL ACTION:
Does city council support an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with other cities within Jefferson County to facilitate the development of the Sub-regional Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) for the years 2020-2023 within the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG)?
BACKGROUND:
Every four years the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is required by federal regulations through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to complete a statewide TIP. The process to complete these plans is required to be led by the regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO); in the Denver region this is DRCOG.
The TIP creates a statewide priority project list that drives the allocation of federal transportation funds and grants that are allocated to each state. Most people see this as money for roads but there are large allocations to support non-road specific projects; for example, transit, air quality, multi-modal, freight rail, and safety. The MPOs also assist in the designation of the project list for these areas but the project priorities are set in a different methodology. TIP funds can only be used for new capacity, congestion, safety, design/studies, or environmentally important projects. The funds cannot be used for maintenance.
DRCOG has initiated a new process for determining what projects should be included in the 2020-2023 TIP. The “dual model” process provides an opportunity to fund local priority projects in addition to regional priority projects. There will be a focus on Metro Vision and the Regional Transportation Plan.
The process for the next four-year TIP is underway to coincide with the federal funding year that begins in October 2019. In the process of preparing a TIP, all MPOs must develop a set of project scoring criteria that cover a range of factors to develop a final project priority list that creates the most value and highest use of dollars. The scoring process is managed through the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and receives final approval by the DRCOG Board.
Historically, DRCOG has managed a process where all project submissions and scoring is completed in one large, super regional pot. Beginning with the 2019 cycle, DRCOG has adopted a new model that creates a regional pot of funds and then eight sub regional allocations. This model was used in the Seattle metro area for the last two TIP cycles. The funds are allocated 20% to regional and 80% sub regional. The sub regions are laid out by county. The City of Littleton is part of three sub regions: Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties. The DRCOG TIP Policy Working Group is creating a set of master scoring criteria that all sub regions must use as a baseline but can then be customized to meet local needs. Regional projects require a 50% local match, while sub-regional projects will require between 20-30% match.
It is required that each sub region develop an IGA or MOU between all partners to assure that there is agreement on how the process will occur, be scored, and what the core tenets are in decision making. Each region will have a “forum” that will include an executive committee of elected officials from each jurisdiction, as well as a TAC for the details of scoring and technical review. Littleton will need to participate in three IGAs.
The Jefferson County Transportation Forum has hosted over a dozen meetings to date to move the process quickly and has received concurrence on the proposed IGA by the 11 jurisdictions in the sub region.
The TIP process does not guarantee funds to any city or county, it produces a priority project list that accounts for many factors in creating the most effective funding allocation list. The TIP will have over 100 projects on the final program list but perhaps 20 will make the funding cut. The TIP also provides a mechanism to prioritize projects if additional funding were to become available during the four-year TIP cycle, for example, in the case of Congress providing a boost in transportation funds through a transportation investment package.
More information on the DRCOG TIP process can be found at: <https://drcog.org/programs/transportation-planning/transportation-improvement-program/2020-2023-transportation>.
PRIOR ACTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS:
A parallel IGA has been approved for the Arapahoe County Transportation Forum and one will come forward for the Douglas County Transportation Forum.
STAFF ANALYSIS:
Participation in the TIP process is elemental to receive funds both regionally and locally to support transportation improvement efforts. Lack of participation very likely assures that Littleton will receive no state or federal appropriated transportation funds beyond the Highway User Tax Fund (HUTF).
OPTIONS/ALTERNATIVES:
Support the IGA and facilitate the development of the Sub-regional TIP, allowing potential access to additional funding for transportation improvements.
Do not support the IGA and have no standing in the DRCOG TIP.
FISCAL IMPACTS:
Current costs: none.
Future costs: local match for awarded projects (20%-50%)
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the resolution.
PROPOSED MOTION:
Proposed Motion
I move to approve the resolution approving an Intergovernmental Agreement for Collaborative Transportation Forum with City of Arvada, Town of Bow Mar, City of Edgewater, City of Golden, City of Lakewood, City of Littleton, Town of Morrison, Town of Superior, City of Westminster, City of Wheat Ridge, and Jefferson County.