Programming and Funding Policy Paper
DRAFT May 2005
Definition:
Programming and funding refers to decisions made by public agencies on how public dollars are spent. This includes efforts to call for state departments of transportation (DOTs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), to regularly report to the public how federal transportation funds are spent. It also includes efforts to develop innovative methods of funding transportation projects.
Best Practices:
Performance Measures and Transparency/Accountability
· Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay Area MPO)
Annual Report to Congress and Annual Report to the State Legislature - These documents provide a listing of projects that use federal and state money in each of the counties. The documents also serve as annual requests for funding, i.e., earmarks, as well as identifying legislative priorities.
Innovative Funding
· Lancaster County Transportation Authority
The Board of County Commissioners of Lancaster County incorporated the Lancaster County Transportation Authority in March 2000. Given the power to finance, construct, lease, and own transportation facilities, the authority was created to help PennDOT and municipalities complete needed transportation improvements. The authority’s board is comprised of business and government officials from within the county who have an interest in completing transportation projects and have knowledge critical to the authority’s purpose. The Moon Transportation Authority in Allegheny County is a local example of a transportation authority.
Project Development and Implementation
· Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Council (MORPC)
MORPC receives a sub-allocation of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) federal Surface Transportation Program, Congestion Management/Air Quality Program, and Transportation Enhancement Program funds that includes a proportional sub-allocation of ODOT's authority to obligate these funds. The Policy Committee established 11 policies to guide the allocation and use of these MORPC-attributable federal funds. These include: no set-asides for geographic areas or modes; and justification for funding projects must be documented in the (Long-Range) Transportation Plan. The Policy Committee may suspend any of these policies at its discretion if circumstances warrant that action.
· Denver Regional Council Governments (DRCOG)
DRCOG has an extensive TIP policy preparation documentation, including Eligible Projects by Funding Source, guidance for (Transportation) Enhancements Projects, and Implementation of Metro Growth Criteria (points awarded for projects that enforce the urban growth boundary and promote infill development).
· Southwestern Pennsylvania Citizens’ Vision for Smart Growth: Strengthening Communities and Regional Economies (Citizens’ Vision) - Sustainable Pittsburgh
Recommendations for focusing public investments in existing communities and advancing means to program and plan on a regional basis including incentives for multi-municipal planning and revenue sharing per intent of the Commonwealth Municipal Planning Code.
Policy Recommendations:
1. The Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) is encouraged to provide additional financial and technical support for the development and implementation of regional, county and multimunicipal comprehensive land use plans as well as financial incentives for intergovernmental approaches to municipal planning and equitable service delivery.
2. SPC is urged, in cooperation with the counties and public transportation agencies, to provide input to the Pennsylvania Mobility Plan and other state agency land use and economic development plans to ensure consistency amongst state, regional, and local planning efforts and that the region’s priorities are reflected in these plans.
3. SPC, Counties, and municipalities are urged to incorporate outcomes of initiatives such as the Natural Infrastructure Project (Pennsylvania Environmental Council and SPC) and Three Rivers, Second Nature (CMU Studio for Creative Inquiry) to underpin the planning of development and infrastructure in their respective plans and programs.
4. SPC is urged, in coordination with the comprehensive plans of counties and public transportation agencies, to develop a needs assessment and project prioritization to enforce the Fix It First principle. This would be used to determine infrastructure improvements including roadways, water and sewer, etc. and be the basis for the development of the Long Range Transportation and Development Plan and subsequently the preparation of the Transportation Improvement Program, Unified Planning Work Program, the ARC Development Plan other economic development projects. The project prioritization process would provide greater weight for projects that are reflected in adopted multi-municipal and comprehensive plans that ensure preservation of existing communities through mechanisms such as revenue and resource sharing. The project prioritization process should be subject to public review and input per the public involvement process developed for the Long Range Transportation and Development Plan and the TIP.
5. SPC is urged to spend the suballocation of federal transportation dollars from PENNDOT on discretionary programs such as Congestion Management and Air Quality per federal program guidelines. SPC could also seek greater funding for transportation planning to manage these discretionary programs by supporting efforts to increase the percentage takedown for these programs from the federal highway and public transportation dollars allocation.
6. SPC is urged to utilize Committees (existing or previously established) to oversee discretionary programs such as Congestion Management and Air Quality, Transportation Enhancements, Hometown Streets and Safe Routes to Schools, and Job Access and Reverse Commute. These discretionary programs should have a line item in the TIP to ensure money from the program is dedicated to the respective program for its intended use per federal regulations. Each discretionary program should have clear eligibility and ranking criteria, e.g., mobility, as well as an open application and selection process developed by the respective committee. The eligibility and ranking criteria would be used to provide funding prioritization to address transportation equity concerns.
7. The Commonwealth and SPC are urged to adopt annual reporting that identifies a county-by-county listing of major projects, including quantitative and qualitative information, in which federal or state dollars are allocated. This could also include major county sponsored or co-sponsored projects as well as major projects of other modal agencies e.g., Port Authority of Allegheny County, Allegheny County Airport Authority and Port of Pittsburgh Commission.
8. In cooperation with the Counties, SPC is urged to explore establishment of additional county-wide and/or area specific transportation improvement districts that are given the power to finance, construct, lease, and own transportation facilities. Use of funds in these districts should follow the Fix It First principle.
9. The Commonwealth is urged to ensure the State Planning Board is engaged in helping to enhance agency coordination in targeting investments for the revitalization of existing communities.