1. Regional COORDiNATION STRUCTURE AND BEST PRACTICES RECOMMENDATIONS
Tampa Bay TMA Leadership Group
April 5, 2019

2. Study report Notes from the Study Report
Changing structures will not resolve problems if the leadership does not engage and collaborate
Consensus on priorities can occur without such a structure and that structure will not ensure a consensus
Performance Based Evaluation strategies and shared investment are moving forward as project selection criteria
Focus on regional travel patterns of people and freight
Short term actions could be accomplished by 2023
Going forward the three MPO’s can choose to implement some, all, or none of the recommendations

3. RECOMMENDATIONS SHORT TERM
S.1 Assume Greater Control of Technical Analysis and Data Collection
S.2 Increased Authority of TMA Leadership Group (TMALG) and Joint MPO Board Meetings
S.3 Direct Coordination with State Leadership
S.4 Formalize the Regional Transportation Plan Element
S.5 Create a Single, Regional Performance-Based Planning Process
S.6 Develop a Single Citizen Advisory Committee
S.7 Develop a Collection Regional Funding Strategy
S.8 Create Regional Modal Agency Seats on TMA Leadership Groups and on All Three MPO Boards
LONG TERM
L.1 Single MPO Policy Board with Multiple MPO (Technical Advisory Committees
L.2 Voting Structure to Ensure Local Influence Remains Strong
L.3 More Related Functions: Working with Other Agencies

4. S.1 Assume greater control of technical analysis and data colleCTion
Regional Model
Recommendation: MPO’s to develop more resources to highway congestion modeling and take over responsibility for the regional travel demand model from FDOT.
Suggestion: The regional model already is overseen by a collaborative MPO-FDOT workgroup (the Technical Review Team) and has online data sharing (TBARTA.org) Continue to use this framework. Consider creating a TRT Executive Committee for clearer joint decision-making (similar to Raleigh-Durham).

5. S.2 Increased authority of tma leadership group and joint mpo board meetings
MPO’s agree to abide by the decisions of the TMA-LG, on projects the MPO’s designate “regional”
TMA-LG to include cities >50,000 pop. and Modal Authorities
TMA-LG to create a separate Planning Document for “regional projects: may require separate funding for projects
Also consider periodic joint meetings of full MPO board
Suggestion: Clarify the TMA-LG’s relationship with the CCC, which is the MPO’s regional coordination and priority setting forum in law and by inter-local agreement. Consider this report’s membership suggestions for the TMA-LG.

6. S.3 direct coordination with state leadership
Expand TMA-LG to include two non-voting advisors:
One representative from each house of Legislature
Annual Joint meeting of the three MPO policy boards with the full Bay Area Legislative Delegation
Suggestion: Work with our Local Legislative Delegation for possible participation of this type

7. S.4 formalize the regional transportation plan element
Form a regional, long-range planning element
Determine what are truly regional projects
Identify project cost, funding sources and public input
For each MPO’s LRTP process: to include the regional planning elements as a chapter
Suggestion: This has been our practice for our last three LRTP updates (2004,2009,2014) and is underway for our update. We’ve completed a joint growth-scenario planning and outreach project (It’s Time Tampa Bay), clarifying public values and preferences across the TMA, and are currently working on a regional chapter for inclusion in our LRTP’s.

8. S.5 create a single, regional performance based planning process
Develop a Regional Congestion Management Process
Develop one document
Develop common view of projects
Identify regional problem locations
Suggestion: The regional congestion management process was led by the CCC, and has become outdated while the region focused on the TMA-LG. Suggest updating that process; could start with the regional TSMO initiative and the new performance targets. Need to designate a lead MPO.

9. S.6 develop a single citizen advisory committee
Develop a Regional CAC
Subset of existing TMA
Change in State Statute
Suggestion: The MPO’s regional CAC was merged with the TBARTA CAC a few years ago. TBARTA has gone to some trouble to create voting seats for each MPO to send one of it’s CAC members to the regional group. Suggest that regional CAC be used as an advisory body to not only TBARTA but also to the CCC and TMA-LG; would require collaboration on agenda-setting.

10. S.7 develop a collective regional funding strategy
Identify funding sources for dedicated regional projects
Third party study
Once regional entity occurs
Suggestion: Funding for regional roadways exists in many forms. Funding for regional transit is being explored by TBARTA through it’s transit development plan process. At the local level, Hillsborough had a referendum and Pinellas exploring funding options to increase funding for transportation.

11. S.8 create regional modal agency seats on tma leadership group and on all three mpo boards
Include modal agencies as non voting members
Could be adopted any time
to the existing TMA
to existing MPO Boards
can also include State Representatives
Suggestion: Add non-voting advisor seats for modal members, to minimize Government-in-the-Sunshine limitations on agency coordination.

12. Timeline for implementation