GBCCC Release Letter to SA-BC Metropolitan Planning Organization

SAN ANTONIO - March 21, 2014 - PRLog -- On March 21, 2014, the Greater Bexar County Council of Cities released the following letter to Chairman Ray Lopez and Director Isidro Martinez of the San Antonio – Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) regarding recent actions taken by the MPO’s Technical Advisory Committee:


March 20, 2014

Honorable Councilman Ray Lopez, Chair
San Antonio – Bexar County
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
825 South St. Mary’s
San Antonio, Texas 78205

Isidro Martinez, Director
San Antonio – Bexar County
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
825 South St. Mary’s
San Antonio, Texas 78205

Re: FY 2015 – 2018 Transportation Improvement Program

Chairman Lopez and Director Martinez,

On March 19, 2014, members of the Greater Bexar County Council of Cities (the “GBCCC”) agreed to draft a memorandum expressing their disapproval of recent actions taken by the Technical Advisory Committee (the “TAC”) on March 14, 2014.  On that date, TAC membership recommended approval to the Transportation Policy Board of nineteen (19) transportation projects located throughout Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, and Kendall counties.  Unfortunately, and perhaps deliberately, the TAC negated to recommend approval of any projects located wholly within and sponsored by suburban municipalities in Bexar County.  All too often, Federal and State transportation funds are quickly apportioned to the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, the Texas Department of Transportation, and VIA without regard for the needs of suburban municipalities.

TAC membership was designed to be unbiased, technical in nature, and unyielding to political pressures.  Consequently, TAC membership is comprised entirely of MPO member agency staff members whose job it is to score and rank projects for the Transportation Improvement Program and provide technical recommendations to the Transportation Policy Board.  The GBCCC understands that four (4) policy makers seated on the Transportation Policy Board were allowed to participate in the discussions and, therefore, directly influenced TAC discussion and action on proposed projects on March 14th, thereby creating the perception that project scoring and selection was compromised and predetermined.

Despite an increase in the funding level from $55 million to approx. $110 million, it is unfortunate that the TAC neglected to afford any opportunity to suburban municipality transportation projects.  The one hundred percent (100%) increase in available funding should be allocated to a variety of small and large transportation projects sponsored by a variety of small and large public entities.  Large agency needs should never negate the needs of the local municipalities/suburban cities, many of which serve tens of thousands of vehicular and pedestrian travelers each day.

Interestingly, many of the projects recommended by TAC scored lower than those projects submitted and sponsored entirely by suburban municipalities, and numerous recommended projects received no score at all.  This is particularly troublesome given the TAC’s responsibility to insulate itself from outside pressures and rank projects utilizing a scientific and technical approach.  Of the nineteen (19) projects recommended by TAC, nine (9) or approximately forty-seven percent (47%) of the projects received technical scores less than three (3) high scoring projects submitted and sponsored by suburban municipalities.  Moreover, it is our understanding that TAC’s initial “rule” eliminating from consideration all submitted projects with technical scores less than four hundred (400) was quietly withdrawn after recommending approval of a project with a technical score of only three hundred fifty (350).

The Greater Bexar County Council of Cities believes that actions taken by the San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization must be consistent, fair, and transparent.  The procedures must be understood beforehand, and submitted projects—particularly smaller projects submitted by smaller agencies—must be given equal representation and consideration.  The GBCCC requests that the MPO’s Transportation Policy Board reduce the significance placed on TAC’s technical reviews and recommendation and ensure that suburban municipality projects are incorporated into the FY 2015 – 2018 Transportation Improvement Program.

Executed

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Mayor Al Suarez, City of Converse
Chair, GBCCC

Executed

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Mayor Thomas Schoolcraft, City of Helotes
Vice-Chair, GBCCC

The MPO’s Transportation Policy Board is scheduled to discuss and take action on the “Recommendation of STP-MM Funding Projects in Support of the Development of the FY 2015-2018 Transportation Improvement Program” on Monday, March 24, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. in the VIA Metro Center Community Room located at 1021 San Pedro Avenue, San Antonio, Texas.

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