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MPOJC Urbanized Area Policy Board for April 2, 2025

Agenda

4:30pm
City Council Chambers, 360 N Main St., North Liberty, Iowa

This meeting may be accessed live by the public in person or on the internet at northlibertyiowa.org/live, on Facebook at facebook.com/northliberty or on YouTube at youtube.com/northliberty.

  1. Call to Order
    1. Recognize alternates
    2. Consider approval of meeting minutes
    3. Set next Board meeting date, time and location (May 21, location TBD)
  2. Public Discussion of any item not on the agenda*
  3. Transportation Planning
    1. Consider approval of Locally Determined Projects for the MPOJC FY2026 Transportation Planning Work Program
    2. Consider approval of MPOJC Surface Transportation Block Grant, Transportation Alternatives Program, and Carbon Reduction Program funding allocations
    3. Consider approval of the MPOJC Title VI Program
    4. Update regarding the MPOJC FY2026 Transit Program of Projects
    5. Update on the MPOJC Long Range Transportation Plan revision process
    6. Update on metro area bicycle and pedestrian collision data
  4. Other Business
    1. Iowa Bicycle Coalition study on ‘Economic and Health Impacts of Bicycling and Trails in Iowa‘ available here: https://iowabicyclecoalition.org/economic-impact-study-of-cycling-and-trails/
  5. Adjournment

 

*Public input is permitted on any agenda item. Please indicate to the Chair if you wish to comment on an agenda item.

To request any disability-related accommodations or language interpretation, please contact MPOJC staff at 319-356-5230 or [email protected] 48 hours prior to the meeting.

Minutes

MINUTES

MPOJC URBANIZED AREA POLICY BOARD JANUARY 29, 2025 – 4:30 PM

CITY OF IOWA CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 410 E WASHINGTON STREET, IOWA CITY, IA

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Iowa City:  Laura Bergus, Megan Alter, Shawn Harmsen, Mazahir Salih, Josh Moe

Johnson County: V Fixmer-Oraiz, Rod Sullivan

North Liberty:Brian Wayson, Erek Sittig

University Heights: Louise From

University of Iowa:  Greg Schmitt

Coralville: Meghann Foster, Royce Peterson

Tiffin: Tim Kasparek

ICCSD: Molly Abraham

STAFF PRESENT: Kent Ralston, Emily Bothell, Hannah Neel, Sarah Walz, Madelyn Stoen

OTHER: Kelly Schneider, Karen Kurt

 

  1. CALL TO ORDER

From called the meeting to order at 4:30 PM. The meeting was held in the City of Iowa City Council Chambers.

  1. Recognize alternates and welcome new board members

V Fixmer-Oraiz (Johnson County) and Tim Kasparek (Tiffin) were recognized as new members of the Board.

  1. Consider approval of meeting minutes

Sullivan moved to approve; Moe seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

  1. Set next Board meeting date (March 26, location TBD)

Tentatively scheduled for March 26, 2025, at 4:30 pm. The location is to be determined.

  1. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA

None.

  1. ADMINISTRATION
    1. Report from nominating committee for 2025 MPOJC Board officers

Ralston reminded the Board that at their last meeting in November, a three-person nominating committee was appointed to nominate the Chair and Vice-Chair for the 2025 Urbanized Area Policy Board. The three members of this committee were

Jon Green (Johnson County), Megan Alter (Iowa City), and Brian Wayson (North Liberty).

The committee nominated Louise From to remain in the position of Chair and Rod Sullivan to remain in the position of Vice-Chair.

  1. Consider action

Wayson moved to approve the nominations; Moe seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

  1. Consider approval of the FY26 MPOJC Budget and financial forecast

Ralston explained that the primary focus of MPOJC is to continue to fulfill federal and state requirements necessary for MPOJC entities to receive state and federal formula and discretionary funds and to produce locally-generated traffic studies, grant applications, and mapping services for MPOJC members. Ralston reminded the Board that MPOJC is organized as a division of the City of Iowa City Neighborhood and Development Services (NDS) Department and that MPOJC staff also serve as NDS staff.

Ralston stated that the overall budget reflects an approximate 2.38% increase from FY25, primarily due to increases in costs for staff benefits and wages. Ralston explained that MPOJC assessments are based on the 2020 decennial census population of MPOJC entities, as required per MPO bylaws. The budget also continues to reflect the use of internal carryover funds and Iowa DOT funding.

Ralston expressed concern regarding long-term federal support for MPOJC and its member entities, as MPOJC is partially federally funded. Ralston will continue to update the Board on this issue.

Ralston asked the Board for approval of the FY26 MPOJC budget.

Sullivan moved to approve, Alter seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

  1. Consider approval of the FY26 Johnson County Assessments for the East Central Iowa Council of Governments

Ralston stated that MPOJC collects East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) dues for Johnson County entities and forwards those funds to ECICOG. Ralston explained that these assessments are calculated on a per-capita basis for the counties served by ECICOG, and that per-capita assessments are then calculated for each governmental entity in Johnson County. Ralston explained that for FY26, ECICOG proposed a 2% increase for all the counties it serves.

Sullivan asked Karen Kurt, director of ECICOG, if they had any insight into how the current state of federal funding will impact ECICOG.

Kurt stated that ECICOG works with funds from federal, state, and local governments and that a small part of their budget is funded by the federal government.

Moe moved to approve the FY26 ECICOG budget, Wayson seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

  1. Consider appointments to the East Central Iowa Council of Governments Board of Directors

Ralston reminded the Board of the entities responsible for appointing members to the East Central Iowa Council of Governments (ECICOG) Board of Directors for 2025. Per the MPO bylaws, the entities responsible to appoint elected officials for 2025 included Johnson County, Tiffin, and Hills. The City of Hills indicated that they would be unable to fill this position, and the opportunity was extended to Shueyville. Shueyville also indicated that they would be unable to fill this position, so the opportunity was extended to University Heights, who accepted. Ralston also noted that the City of Tiffin agreed to allow the City of North Liberty to fill their appointment. The appointments from each entity are as follows:

  • Johnson County: Jon Green (County Supervisor)
  • City of North Liberty: Chris Hoffman (Mayor)
  • City of University Heights: Nick Herbold (City Council)
  • Citizen Appointment: Allison Wells

Sullivan moved to approve the appointments to the ECICOG Board of Directors, Bergus seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

  1. Discuss MPOJC Orientation opportunity for Board members

Ralston offered an orientation for Board members who wish to learn more about the functions and operations of MPOJC.

V Fixmer-Oraiz and Molly Abraham expressed interest in participating.

Ralston indicated he would communicate with those interested via email to establish a date and time.

  1. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING

 

  1. Consider approval of Federal Transit Administration Section 5307 Transit Operating Formula funding apportionment for FY2024

Neel stated that the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) has indicated that MPOJC has a total of $4,954,667 available in FY2024 FTA Section 5307 operating assistance, which can be used for transit operating and capital expenses. This amount includes Small Intensive Transit Communities (STIC) funding.

Neel explained that for more than 10 years, MPOJC used the same local formula to distribute these funds based on prior year transit statistics from each of the three systems; 25% operating/maintenance costs, 25% locally determined income (LDI), 25% revenue miles, and 25% fare revenue. Prior to going fare-free on August 1st, 2023, Iowa City Transit requested a review of the formula.

Neel stated that after discussions with transit managers, the consensus was to adopt a fixed percentage-based allocation, based on historic averages. Neel reminded the Board that they approved the following fixed percentages to apportion FTA 5307 funds at their July 2023 meeting: Coralville 16.10%, Iowa City 60.50%, and University of Iowa Cambus 23.40%. These percentages can be reviewed if or when there are major changes to any of the three local transit systems.

Neel then noted the proposed apportionments for each agency for FY24:

  • Coralville Transit: $797,701
  • Iowa City Transit: $2,997,574
  • University of Iowa Cambus: $1,159,392

Neel asked for approval of the FY24 FTA 5037 apportionments and noted that the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of the apportionments.

Schmitt asked for clarification on what constitutes a major change that would necessitate a review of the formula.

Neel responded that the formula can be reviewed whenever requested by a transit agency.

Ralston stated that the purpose of the formula is to enable transit agencies to plan their budgets with relatively stable funding amounts over the long term, rather than having the formula reviewed and revised each year.

Schmitt asked if there was an ideal time of year to review and revise the formula.

Ralston indicated that if there is interest in changing the formula, this process could begin as early as this summer.

Schmitt explained that between 2022 and 2024, the University of Iowa Cambus has undergone significant staffing changes, adding eight full-time positions. Of these positions, three are dedicated to training staff in order to comply with federal regulations for CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) training and testing. Additionally, Cambus provides testing services for both the Iowa City and Coralville transit staff. Cambus also incurred costs to transition to online scheduling software for its paratransit services. Schmitt mentioned that Cambus will be expanding its route coverage later this spring to include service to the new medical center in North Liberty.

Schmitt acknowledged Iowa City Transit’s request to review the formula before implementing a fare-free policy. He pointed out that Cambus has always been a fare-free system but has historically been at a disadvantage because this aspect is included in the formula. Schmitt mentioned that there are better indicators that could more accurately reflect what the fare is intended to demonstrate— specifically, ridership. Additionally, for FY2024, Iowa City Transit will receive credit for a fare it does not actually collect. Schmitt anticipates requesting a review of the

formula in the future to ensure it is more equitable among the three transit agencies.

Fixmer-Oraiz asked Schmitt about the percentage of student fees that are allocated for transportation.

Schmitt responded that there are student fees allocated to transportation, but Cambus is open to the general public fare-free, not only students.

Fixmer-Oraiz stated that having information about the amount of student fees allocated to transportation would be helpful for future conversations.

Ralston stated that while student fees have not been included in the past, that is another change that could be considered if the formula were to be reevaluated.

Alter asked how many transit staff have completed the CDL training and testing offered by Cambus and how long Cambus has offered this service.

Schmitt mentioned that Cambus has introduced this service in response to the ongoing challenge of training drivers. While he didn’t have exact figures, he indicated that this situation occurs quite regularly. He would gather and share more specific information with Alter.

From asked for a motion to approve the Federal Transit Administration Section 5307 Transit Operating Formula funding apportionment for FY2024.

Moe moved to approve, Harmsen seconded. The motion carried with Schmitt opposed.

  1. Consider approval of MPOJC Surface Transportation Block Grant, Transportation Alternatives Program, and Carbon Reduction Program grant funding process

Bothell explained that MPOJC typically conducts the competitive grant process biennially, with 2025 marking the next grant cycle year. Bothell stated that MPOJC staff anticipates approximately $10 million in Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funding will be available for programming in FY2029-2030, approximately

$2 million in Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funding will be available for programming in FY2027-FY2030, and approximately $3 million in Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) funding will be available for programming in FY2026- 2030. Bothell noted that the grant funding process is expected to follow the tentative grant funding timeline:

  • February 3, 2025 – Notice of funding opportunity emailed to all
  • February 24, 2025 – STBG, TAP, and CRP applications due by 5:00
  • March 5, 2025 – Regional Trails and Bicycle Committee (RTBC) meeting to review and discuss projects.
  • March 18, 2025 – Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC) meeting to review projects and provide a recommendation on funding allocations to the Urbanized Area Policy Board (UAPB).
  • May 2025 – UAPB meeting to review projects and approve funding
  • July 2025 – Final FY2026-2029 Transportation Improvement Program presented to the UAPB for adoption.

Bothell stated that this timeline was unanimously approved by the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee at their last meeting. Bothell asked the Board for a motion to approve the grant funding process timeline.

Fixmer-Oraiz moved to approve, Alter seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

  1. Consider a Resolution approving participation in the Iowa DOT pavement data collection program

Bothell explained that the Institute for Transportation at Iowa State University developed the Iowa Pavement Management Program (IPMP) to establish a comprehensive system for managing pavement conditions across all roads in the state. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) funds the collection of pavement condition data every four years for local routes. Bothell noted that local agencies, such as Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), have the option to purchase pavement condition data for local routes every four years, allowing for a two-year data collection cycle. Pavement condition data was last collected in the metro area in 2023, funded through the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG). The next scheduled data collection, funded by the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), is set for 2025.

Bothell requested the Board to consider a resolution to participate in the pavement data collection program in 2027 as a Metropolitan Planning Organization, which will have an estimated cost of $45,000 to $60,000. Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funding would be utilized to cover this expense. Bothell noted that the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee unanimously recommended participation in the program at their January 21st meeting.

Salih moved to approve the resolution, Fixmer-Oraiz seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

  1. Update on the MPOJC FY26 Transportation Planning Work Program and FY26-29 Transportation Improvement Program

Ralston explained that the Transportation Planning Work program is a document developed each year to identify projects that will be addressed by MPOJC in the following fiscal year. The Work Plan is developed in coordination with the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee, the Iowa Department of Transportation, and the Urbanized Area Policy Board. Ralston stated that the Work Program includes all state- and federally required planning processes and documentation, ongoing and routine projects, and special projects requested by member entities. Ralston noted that the solicitation for Work Program projects begins in a few days and that communities should reach out to MPO staff with projects that they would like to be included. The Work Program must be submitted to the Iowa Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Federal Transit Administration by April 1st. The Board will approve the final Work Program in May.

Ralston explained that the MPOJC Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is the programming document for federally funded transportation improvements within the Iowa City Urbanized Area, including streets, highways, transit, and bicycle and pedestrian projects. Ralston stated that this spring, the Board will allocate approximately $10 million in Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funds, $2 million in Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funds, and $3 million in Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) funds which will be reflected in the FY26-FY29 TIP.

Ralston noted that the Urbanized Area Policy Board will consider the FY2026-29 Transportation Improvement Program for adoption in July.

  1. Update on the ‘Trip Connect’ transportation pilot from the Johnson County Mobility Coordinator

Schneider explained that Trip Connect provides services similar to micro transit, allowing individuals to schedule shared rides to take them to their jobs, school, or childcare. Schneider stated that the goal of the service is to fill gaps in existing transit service in the county. The service runs Sunday-Friday from 5pm-12am, with riders paying $2 per ride. While not available in the whole county, riders in the Iowa City Urbanized area, or those living in the county north of I-80, are eligible to request rides.

The Board expressed interest in an update of the program after it has been in operation for longer. This update will tentatively be given at the July Board meeting.

  1. OTHER BUSINESS

Ralston stated that after some conversations with Greater Iowa City Inc., it seems as though the CRANDIC railroad may not be as willing to host pop-up metro as previously thought. While no further information was available at this time, Ralston noted it may impact the feasibility of bringing pop-up metro to the region.

  1. ADJOURNMENT

Salih moved to adjourn, Moe seconded. The motion carried unanimously. From adjourned the meeting at 5:35 pm.

Attachments

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