Month

General

TIP-Specific

October

      Start of new federal fiscal year (Oct 1)

      MPO seat nominations due by early October

      MAPC and/or MBTA Advisory Board hosts a forum for the electorate to meet representatives of candidate communities (can be virtual)

      MAPC staff send ballots for open MPO seats to chief elected officials (mid-October)

      Ballots are due the day before the MAPC Fall Council Meeting

      New MPO members announced at MAPC Fall Council Meeting (late October)

      State agencies provide staff with information or present information on project status and outcomes for TIP projects scheduled in the prior FFY

      MPO staff and the MPO Board discuss and decide on the TIP development process for the upcoming TIP in the first quarter of each federal fiscal year

      MPO staff develop and shares with the  and MPO Board a TIP Development Memorandum describing the FFY process for developing the TIP,

      The MPO board reviews and if desired begins an update to the TIP selection criteria (OctJan)

November

      New MPO members (four municipalities annually) start terms (Nov 1)

      The MPO holds an Annual Meeting, where new members are introduced

      Vice chair nominations occur one meeting before the Vice-chair elections take place, either before or at the Annual Meeting depending on whether the Annual Meeting is held on the first or second meeting of the month.

      Vice-chair shall be elected for a one-year term at the second MPO meeting of the month by majority vote

      The MPO shall review committee slates and appoint committee members. (Ad hoc committees and task forces may be appointed at any time during the year at the discretion of the Chair or through a motion and majority vote) 

      MPO staff presents a project universe for the next year’s TIP to the MPO Board

      MPO staff publishes TIP project-selection criteria, application of the criteria in project evaluations, and the Universe of Projects for the TIP

December

      MassDOT cooperatively develops the statewide federal aid and non-federal aid highway funding estimate with MARPA and MPO staff

      MPO staff post obligated project lists which summarize  how projects fared in the previous fiscal year before asking the MPO to vote on the new TIP.

 

January

At the annual MARPA meeting:

      MassDOT presents and explains the funding estimate, providing additional information as requested

      MassDOT proposes its priorities for projects with costs that will be subtracted from the federal obligation authority of the state

 

February

 

      MPO staff present the TIP target funds for the TIP being developed, using the federal and non-federal aid amount and the state match announced at the MARPA meeting

      MPO staff shares MassDOT’s priorities for projects with costs that will be subtracted from the federal obligation authority of the state presented at the annual MARPA meeting.

March

 

      MPO staff and MassDOT staff present TIP project readiness updates to the MPO Board

      MPO Board selects a final programming scenario for the TIP in development.

      State agencies (MassDOT, MBTA, RTAs) provide staff with information or present prioritization process and project information for non-target funded projects to be included in the TIP (late March or early April, before the MPO Board votes on the new TIP)

April

      MPO Board and MPO staff review the MOU, which shall be reviewed every year, beginning in April

      MPO staff produce a draft TIP document

to be voted to be released for public review

May

      MPO Board or staff circulate the latest MOU document to the municipalities of the MPO

      MPO Board endorses the TIP

June

      Every four years, MPO Board approves the Long-Range Transportation Plan and Coordinated Public Transit–Human Services Transportation Plan

 

July

 

 

August

      The MPO Board adopts an annual UPWP for the region

      MAPC staff sends correspondence inviting nominations for open MPO seats (4 annually), due in late October. 

 

September

 

      End of Federal Fiscal Year on September 30

 

 

 

 

Other Required MPO Documents Not Approved Annually:

While they are not annual documents, and may not fit into this framework, the board must approve the:

      Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) - updated every four years, typically approved by MPO in June.

      Public Engagement Plan (PEP) - updated as needed.  Can be approved anytime of the year by the MPO.

      Title VI Program - typically updated every three years or when MassDOT Office of Diversity and Civil Rights (ODCR) requests. Can be approved anytime of the year by the MPO.

      Coordinated Public Transit–Human Services Transportation Plan - updated every four years, typically in conjunction with the LRTP and approved by MPO by the end of that federal fiscal year.

      Congestion Management Process (CMP) - no set time frame to update, updated “periodically”. The last report was updated in 2012.

 

Agenda setting and minutes:

      At least four to six weeks before a scheduled Board meeting, MPO staff solicit potential agenda items from staff and include them on a running list of potential future agenda items

      MPO staff solicit potential agenda items from the Chair and Vice-chair at least three to four weeks before the meeting

      OTP review of materials to be submitted to board (work scopes, reports, meeting minutes, etc.) complete before the Thursday before the meeting that the materials are relevant for.

      MPO meeting minutes, which must be approved within the next three meetings or 30 days from the date of the meeting, whichever is later

 

Ongoing Items Throughout the Year:

      Implementing agencies submit project status information and other issues of interest to the Boston Region MPO Chair and MPO staff for coordination and distribution to MPO members

      MPO staff shall annually and as-needed share federal funding assumptions, narrative guidance, and financial program targets to MPO members regarding the primary 3C-planning documents. This information shall include, but is not limited to:

o   expected future federal highway funding for Massachusetts

o   planned debt repayments

o   state matches for remaining federal highway funds

o   funding for statewide highway, planning, and pass-through items

o   formula for distributing remaining funds to regional planning agencies

o   federal discretionary grant opportunities

o   financial risk factors, such as inflation

      The MOU states that the MPO shall provide the Regional Transportation 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

      The MOU also states that "members shall support the Advisory Council by individually rendering institutional support and also by attending the Advisory Council meetings, as practical."