Administration & Finance (A&F) Committee Meeting Minutes
Draft Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting
July 6, 2022, Meeting
9:00 AM–9:45 AM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform
Brian Kane, Chair, representing the MBTA Advisory Board
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) agreed to the following:
See attendance on page 5.
There were none.
1. May 5, 2022, A&F Meeting Minutes (pdf)
2. May 5, 2022, A&F Meeting Minutes (html)
A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of May 5, 2022, was made by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Eric Bourassa) and seconded by the MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning (Derek Krevat). The motion carried.
Brian Kane introduced the MPO elections process for discussion and shared questions from the Operations Plan Elections Process working draft document. B. Kane posed two questions to the committee. First, should the elections [for municipal representatives who would serve on the MPO board] continue to be fully done through an electronic ballot, or should the MPO have an in-person voting component re-established at MAPC’s potentially in-person Fall Council meetings? Secondly, how should the subregions elect their municipal members?
Eric Bourassa, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), stated that the Operations Plan Elections Process working draft document that had been shared with committee members summarized the MPO’s election process and procedures. Regarding the first question, MAPC has continued to operate meetings in a completely virtually manner. While the goal is to return to an in-person meeting model, MAPC has yet to decide what meeting model will be used for the Fall Council meeting. Regarding the second question, the MPO should seek nominations for subregional representatives in a similar fashion to how the organization has run the election historically. Municipal candidates should seek nominations from municipalities in their subregion, and there should be a ballot to vote in the election. E. Bourassa stated that the requirement for five nominations was high, and a proposal for two or three nominations, including a self-nomination, would be more favorable.
Lenard Diggins, Regional Transportation Advisory Council, agreed with E. Bourassa that three or fewer nominations would be more suitable. In terms of the fall election, L. Diggins supported the meeting model that supports the highest amount of attendance.
Derek Krevat, MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning, asked if municipal members could only nominate those who were a part of their own subregion. E. Bourassa responded yes, the MPO had previously voted to limit nominations for subregional seats to only municipalities within each specific subregion.
E. Bourassa stated that the MPO has done an absentee ballot process historically and will continue to do this via election ballot. E. Bourassa stated that he liked the idea of having the MPO election results announcement be at a large event.
B. Kane suggested that it is the sense of the committee to have a hybrid format for the MPO election results meeting. Further, the sense of the committee is that the requirement of five nominations is too high, and that three would be preferable because it would require a municipality to self-nominate, as well as gain two other nominations from other municipalities.
E. Bourassa stated that a reason for lowering the number of nominations could be to encourage more municipalities to participate in the elections process.
B. Kane asked if it was the sense of the committee to lower the number of nominations from five nominations to three nominations.
E. Bourassa requested that the committee produce guidance today to allow elections process information to be sent out to the public by August.
L. Diggins stated that three nominations would be sufficient, including a self-nomination.
E. Bourassa stated that in the past the MPO would require municipalities to send a nomination letter with their included nominations. The MPO currently uses an electronic nomination form to simplify the process.
B. Kane confirmed that it was the sense of the committee that nominations for a subregional seat should be lowered to three, and that the elections result meeting should be held in a hybrid meeting model.
E. Bourassa asked if the changes to the elections process should be presented to the MPO board for a vote. B. Kane stated that it was not necessary, and that the MPO board would see the changes during in the approval of the Operations Plan.
Tegin Teich, Executive Director of Central Transportation Planning Staff (the staff to the MPO), suggested that the MPO board could be updated on the elections process in an update from the committee. T. Teich asked for further clarification that the committee would like MPO staff to use this conversation to draft a final elections process document. B. Kane answered yes.
E. Bourassa asked if the committee should create a timeline to address different items within the Operations Plan. B. Kane replied that the MPO staff has put together dates sourced from the 2011 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and grouped the timeline by theme.
B. Kane asked MPO staff what their ideas were on how to create a timeline. T. Teich responded that the timing in the MOU is vague and MPO staff is continuing to compile a more detailed timeline based upon staff input and day-to-day operations. MPO staff needs time to compile this information and then will be ready to propose a topic timeline.
T. Teich suggested that MPO staff would work with A&F Committee members to find the next time to meet.
E. Bourassa asked if there would be an MPO board meeting on August 4, 2022. Jonathan Church, MPO staff, responded yes.
L. Diggins asked if the Operations Plan would be complete before October or before the Federal Certification Review begins. T. Teich answered that, because the Certification Review had already begun, the Operations Plan will not be complete before the start of the Certification Review process.
A motion to adjourn was made by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Eric Bourassa). The motion carried.
|
Members |
Representatives
and
Alternates |
|
MBTA Advisory Board |
Brian Kane |
|
Metropolitan Area Planning Council |
Eric Bourassa |
|
Regional Transportation Advisory Council |
Lenard Diggins |
|
MassDOT Office of Transportation Planning |
Derek Krevat |
|
MPO Staff/Central
Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Tegin Teich, Executive Director |
|
Silva Ayvazyan |
|
Logan Casey |
|
Jonathan Church |
|
Annette Demchur |
|
Gina Perille |
|
Michelle Scott |
|
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 By Telephone: 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. |