Administration and Finance Committee Meeting
Draft Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting
September 7, 2023, Meeting
9:00 AM–10:04 AM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform
Brian Kane, Chair, representing the MBTA Advisory Board
The Administration and Finance Committee agreed to the following:
See attendance on page 5.
There were none.
1. May 11, 2023, meeting summary (pdf)
2. May 11, 2023, meeting summary (html)
1. May 18, 2023, meeting summary (pdf)
2. May 18, 2023, meeting summary (html)
A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of May 18, 2023, was made by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Eric Bourassa) and seconded by the MetroWest Regional Collaborative (Dennis Giombetti). The motion carried.
1. June 1, 2023, meeting summary (pdf)
2. June 1, 2023, meeting summary (html)
A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of June 1, 2023, was made by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Eric Bourassa) and seconded by the MetroWest Regional Collaborative (Dennis Giombetti). The motion carried.
Hiral Gandhi, MPO Staff, began with an overview of the past three fiscal years, stating that in the three years prior to SFY 2023, CTPS has experienced a deficit in its operating budget. The goal in SFY 2023 was to offset that deficit with either a surplus or a balanced budget. This year, CTPS had a surplus of $250,000 at the end of the fiscal year, leveling out the deficits from the previous years.
Some unique occurrences related to the surplus included the procurement of the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, a midyear salary increase, and a change in accounting for expenses across the fiscal year. Additional successes included the purchasing of new office furniture, hybrid work technologies, and IT resources for increased cyber security. Challenges were primarily found in recruitment, which has implications for charging of contracts, resulting in unobligated funds.
Silva Ayvazyan, MPO Staff, then outlined the changes in revenue by quarter, noting that revenue peaked in Quarter 3 as project managers are trying to close out their projects by the end of the year. Expenses remained fairly steady throughout the year, primarily due to a new budgeting practice of spreading out the payment of large invoices over the course of the year. Generally, CTPS charged to its funding sources close to the amount that it was expected to. The overhead rate for SFY 2023 was projected to be 119.34 percent, but was ultimately 108.76 percent, a 10.58 percent difference.
D. Giombetti asked whether revenue and contracts were different. H. Gandhi replied that revenues and funding sources were the same. Contracts fall under the federal fiscal year cycle, while revenue (and therefore operating budget) is on the state fiscal year cycle. Tegin Teich, Executive Director, additionally shared that staff are not charging to a given contract, which can result in a difference in revenue.
Brad Rawson (City of Somerville) asked whether a lag in commencing a contract-based project affects the MPO’s cash flow. H. Gandhi stated that while staff can project potential costs related to a contract-based project, CTPS cannot recognize the revenue until a contract is signed and invoiced. B. Rawson asked about the risk factors associated with larger scale projects for external partners. T. Teich stated that there is a risk associated with taking on larger projects versus working with MassDOT PL funds.
B. Kane commended staff for investing in office equipment and hybrid technology, and asked what CTPS will do with the $230,000 surplus funds. H. Gandhi replied that since CTPS does not actually hold the surplus funds, depending on whether the actual overhead rate is above or below the projected rate, CTPS will either have to pay back the unspent amount in a contract or bill the client for the additional expenses.
Len Diggins (Regional Transportation Advisory Council) asked how staff spend down the surplus. H. Gandhi replied that staff will examine administrative expenses and determine if there are purchases or expenses that can be moved up into the current fiscal year.
B. Rawson asked whether there is a federal equivalent to municipal special funds for MPOs. T. Teich replied that because of how the money is distributed to the MPO by MassDOT, unspent funds revert to MassDOT. The federal government allows the spending of carryover funds but the process to access those funds is complex.
D. Giombetti asked how staff make decisions on spending down the surplus funds. H. Gandhi replied that the leadership team holds discussions on needs and consults the chair of the A&F Committee on the spending choices made.
T. Teich provided an overview of some of the agency’s goals, beginning with the Executive Director evaluation process. Some of the Executive Director’s goals included obtaining board approval of an operations plan, revisiting employee policies that may have become less competitive, reaching full intended staff capacity, addressing MOU recommendations in the federal certification report, and completing a new fiduciary agent agreement, among others. T. Teich outlined the next steps towards achieving these goals, which include summarizing any recommended updates, developing a format to include quarterly updates, and developing a new format for annual evaluations.
There were none.
A motion to adjourn was made by the Advisory Council (Len Diggins) and seconded by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Eric Bourassa). The motion carried.
|
Members |
Representatives and Alternates |
|
City of Boston (Boston Planning & Development Agency) |
Jim Fitzgerald |
|
Massachusetts Department of Transportation |
Miranda Briseno |
|
MBTA Advisory Board |
Brian Kane Amira Patterson |
|
Metropolitan Area Planning Council |
Eric Bourassa |
|
MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of Framingham) |
Dennis Giombetti |
|
Regional Transportation Advisory Council |
Lenard Diggins |
|
Other Attendees |
Affiliation |
|
Ali Kleyman |
MBTA |
|
Jon Seward |
|
|
Jen Rowe |
City of Boston |
|
Morgan Griffiths Sandy Johnston Brad Rawson Jeff Epstein |
City of Natick MBTA City of Somerville
|
|
MPO Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Tegin Teich, Executive Director |
|
Annette Demchur |
|
Hiral Gandhi |
|
Gina Perille |
|
Silva Ayvazyan |
|
Ethan Lapointe |
|
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. 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. |