MPO Policy Committee

MPO POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA June 24, 2021 10:30 a.m. Commission Chambers City of Aztec 201 West Chaco Aztec, New Mexico  AGENDA FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING June 24, 2021 10:30 AM This regular meeting will be held in Commission Chambers at Aztec City Hall, 201 West Chaco, Aztec, New Mexico. Virtual participation will also be provided via GoToMeeting. ITEM PAGE 1. Call to Order: Call meeting to order 2. Minutes: Approve the minutes from the May 27, 2021 Policy Committee Meeting. 11-18 3. Transportation Project Fund (TPF): Review the final list of projects submitted to 1-8 NMDOT for TPF funding consideration. Presented by: Peter Koeppel 4. Reports from NMDOT a. Update from the Planning Bureau (Joseph Moriarty) b. Update from District 5 (Paul Brasher) 5. Committee Member Discussion Item(s) 9 No additional discussion items were presented for inclusion on the Agenda. 6. Information Items 10 a. No Policy Committee Meeting in July. Presented by: FMPO Staff 7. Business from Chairman, Members, and Staff 8. Public Comment on Any Issues Not on the Agenda 9. Adjournment The public body may only take action on an item if it is listed for action on the publicly noticed agenda. The public is invited to participate in this GoTo Meeting: By using a computer, tablet, or smartphone: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/568161669 or by dialing: 1 (872) 240-3212 and entering access code: 568-161-669 ATTENTION PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: If you are an individual with a disability who is in need of a reader, amplifier, qualified sign language interpreter, or any other form of auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in the hearing or meeting, please contact the MPO Administrative Assistant at the Downtown Center, 100 W Broadway, Farmington, New Mexico or at 505-599-1466 at least one week prior to the meeting or as soon as possible. Public documents, including the agenda and minutes, can be provided in various accessible formats. Please contact the MPO Administrative Assistant if a summary or other type of accessible format is needed.  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #3 Subject: New Mexico Transportation Project Fund (TPF) Project Review Prepared by: Peter Koeppel, MPO Officer Date: June 24, 2021 BACKGROUND During the 2019 legislative session, the New Mexico legislature passed HB 694, which created a new fund known as the “Local Government Transportation Project Fund” (LGTPF). The LGTPF serves as an expeditious mechanism to distribute appropriated funds to local governments using the NMDOT’s existing Metropolitan Planning Organization and Regional Transportation Planning Organization planning process. The Legislature changed the name of the fund during the 2020 Regular Session to the Transportation Project Fund. Due to the timelines specified in HB 694, the NMDOT passed an emergency rule in mid- 2019 to administer the initial $50 million appropriation. (No money was appropriated to the fund during the 2020 Regular Session). At the same time the State Transportation Commission authorized the adoption of an emergency rule, it authorized the adoption of a permanent rule. That rulemaking process is now complete. CURRENT WORK  The Project Oversight Division is soliciting applications for NMDOT’s Transportation Project Fund (TPF) for fiscal year 2022 formally known as Local Government Transportation Project Fund (LGTPF).  Local and tribal governments in New Mexico are eligible to apply for state funded grants.  FMPO entities submitted projects for potential TPF funding  FMPO Technical Committee reviewed the list of projects to be submitted on June 9 using evaluation criteria provided by NMDOT.  MPO Staff prepared the final list of projects for submittal to NMDOT. ANTICIPATED WORK  FMPO staff submitted the list of projects and other required documentation to NMDOT by the specified deadline of June 15, 2021 ATTACHMENTS  List of submitted projects  TPF call for projects memo  TPF frequently asked questions document 1  INFORMATION ITEM  Staff recommends that the Policy Committee review the list of projects submitted to NMDOT for potential TPF funding. 2  FMPO 2021 TPF Project Submittals Evaluation Criteria Planning: Is this Project Readiness: If Priority Bridge: Is Phasing: a. Is this project part of a project identified as a awarded, will the this project phased project previously funded priority on a local or applicant be able to addressing a with other state funds (e.g. Local regional planning or start spending the bridge on Government Road Fund, Municipal programming money within 3 NMDOT’s Local Arterial Program, Capital Outlay, document? Is this months from Bridge Priority List State Road Fund etc.)? b. Is this project consistent receiving the fully for project part of a phased project Amount with local or regional executed project Replacement/Reha previously funded with TPF? If so, # of Crashes Project Entity Description requested plans? agreement? bilitation? what year? AADT (2019 & 2020) (2015‐2019) Functional Class Tier 1 East Blanco Bridge Bloomfield Bridge replacement $383,000 MTP, TIP Yes Yes ‐ fair condition Yes 2550 & 2101 N/A Minor Arterial Tier 2 Reconstruct road with travel lanes, bike lanes, MTP, Comprehensive roundabout, multi‐use trail, Plan, ICIP, FMPO Bike Foothills Dr. Phase 3 Farmington and drainage improvements. $1,672,950 Plan Yes No Yes 2370 & 2114 7 Minor Arterial McWilliams Rd. Aztec Paving + sidewalks $698,000 MTP, ICIP, Comp Plan Yes No No 3,243 & 2526 1 Minor Collector Tier 3 TIP, Capital CR 6100 San Juan County Resurfacing $603,250 Replacement Plan Yes No No 1808 & 1408 21 Major Collector 3 Before Wildflower Mesa Parkway: 9719 & 8008 After Wildflower Mesa Wildflower Pkwy Farmington Resurfacing $605,910 Comprehensive Plan Yes No No Parkway: 7066 & 5822 55 Minor Arterial Roads 6405 Kirtland Resurfacing $114,950 No No N/A 4 N/A Roads 6411 Kirtland Resurfacing $114,950 No No N/A 2 N/A  Frequently Asked Questions The Department of Transportation established the Transportation Project Fund (TPF, formerly known as LGTPF) in 2019. The MPO/RTPO played an important role in application process. The department provided webinars and public hearing to help establish the criteria and processes. Since the 2019 call for projects, the department has not changed the process or the roles of the MPO/RTPO. The most pertinent change to the process is that projects that have federal funds, no longer qualify for TPF funding. Below are a list of frequently asked questions. 1. When are applications due to the NMDOT FTP site? The department has extended the submittal date for FY22 Call for Projects. The deadline to submit applications to the FTP site is Tuesday, June 15, 2021 by 5:00 pm. 2. What is the estimated amount of funding available for the TPF program? The estimated amount of funding available for FY22 is 120 million ($3 million will be held for hardship waivers). In the future, the program anticipates being approximately $40 million per year. 3. What is the definition of “Shovel Ready”? Shovel Ready is defined as- the project is advertisement ready, regardless of the phase the funding is being applied for. 4. Do the MPO/RTPO’s need to create a point system to prioritize and rank projects? No, a point system is not necessary to prioritize projects, however an MPO/RTPO may use one if they choose to. A ranking scale of 1-10 will be sufficient. If no point system is used, submit all applications received. 5. What if an MPO/RTPO does not wish to rank their projects? If the MPO/RTPO does not wish to rank their projects, they will need to submit a letter to the Cabinet Secretary stating they do not want to rank the projects and they are allowing the District to do so on their behalf. 6. What criteria does the MPO/RTPO use to rank projects? The criteria is provided in the call for projects letter dated April 15. The MPO/RTPOs have the option to add additional criteria if desired. 4 7. Is the MPO/RTPO Board required to approve the ranked list of projects? No, the MPO/RTPO Boards are not required to approve the ranked projects. However, each respective board should decide if a ranking system would be used. 8. Who can approve the ranking of projects? MPO/RTPOs Staff or Boards are all eligible to approve ranking of projects if desired. 9. Is the MPO/RTPO staff responsible for uploading approved applications to the FTP site or will the local entities do this individually? Yes, MPO/RTPO’s should upload the applications to the FTP on behalf of the local entities. 10. Does NMDOT accept the Project Prospectus Form (PPF) in place of the Project Feasibility Form (PFF)? Yes will accept the PPF. However, we recommend using the PFF that has been created for use with the TPF program and is geared toward 100% state funding. 11. Does a project have to be on an RTIPR to be eligible for funding? No, projects do not have to be on an RTIPR to be submitted for consideration. However, if a project is on the RTIPR local entities must ensure that no federal funds have or will be used on the project. If a project does have federal funds, it will need to be de-federalized to be eligible for TPF funding. 12. Is drainage work an allowed expense? Yes, as long as the drainage work is part of an overall project it is eligible. The drainage work cannot be a standalone project. 13. Is utility work an allowed expense? Yes, if the utility work is required to mitigate the impacts of the proposed construction. A standalone project or upgrading of utilities will not be eligible for this grant funding. This work can be added to the project provided it is paid for with another local or state funding source. 14. Can an application be submitted with the same scope of work as a project that has already been awarded federal funding? No, the scope of work being submitted cannot be identical to a federally funded project. Per the final rule, federal funds may not be used as part of a TPF funded project. 15. Can any form of meeting (i.e. Zoom, Phone, in person, etc.) be used to review project applications with NMDOT District staff? Yes, meetings to review projects are allowed to be held virtually, by phone or in person. 5 16. What role do the Districts play in the application review process? The districts will review the applications to ensure all paperwork is filled out correctly. They will also review the project feasibility form to verify the work can be completed in the time allotted and that funding requested is enough to complete the work/phase requested. The districts provide a priority list of projects to the Cabinet Secretary based on project evaluation criteria. 17. Can the District Engineer reprioritize the list of projects received by the MPO/RTPO? Yes, the District Engineer has the ability to reprioritize the projects submitted to the Cabinet Secretary. 18. Can the Cabinet Secretary reprioritize the list of projects received by the District Engineer? Yes, the Cabinet Secretary has the ability to reprioritize the projects submitted to the State Transportation Commission. 19. Who is responsible for the final approval of Transportation Project Funds? The State Transportation Commission is responsible for final approval of awards. 20. Can Tribal Entities apply for TPF Hardship waiver? Yes, Tribal Entities qualify for Hardship waiver only if the Department of Finance approves a financial hardship qualification certification. Tribal Entities may use Tribal Transportation Funds as their match, but this must be disclosed on the application. It is not the department’s responsibility to verify the requirements for the Tribal Transportation funds are followed. 6 April 15, 2021 RE: Transportation Project Fund (TPF) Call for Projects Metropolitan and Regional Transportation Planning Organizations: The Project Oversight Division is soliciting applications for the Department's Transportation Project Fund (TPF) for fiscal year 2022 formally known as Local Government Transportation Project Fund Michelle Lujan (LGTPF). Local and tribal governments in New Mexico are eligible to apply for state funded grants. Grisham Eligible projects are in the following categories: (1) environmental and other studies; (2) planning; (3) Governor design; (4) construction; and (5) acquisition of rights of way necessary for the development of transportation infrastructure, which includes highways, streets, roadways, bridges, crossing structures and parking facilities, including all areas for vehicular, transit, bicycle or pedestrian use for travel, Michael R. Sandoval ingress, egress and parking. Cabinet Secretary The Metropolitan or Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (MPO/RTPO) will use the following criteria to prioritize their planning-area projects; the District office will also use the criteria to rank projects from their District. Commissioners Project Prioritization Criteria: Jennifer Sandoval 1. Planning: Is this project identified as a priority on a local or regional planning or Commissioner, Vice-Chairman programming document? Is this project consistent with local or regional plans? District 1 2. Project readiness: If awarded, will the applicant be able to start spending the money within 3 months from receiving the fully executed project agreement? Bruce Ellis 3. Priority Bridge: Is this project addressing a bridge on the NMDOT’s Local Bridge Priority Commissioner List for Replacement / Rehabilitation? District 2 4. Phasing: a. Is this project part of a phased project previously funded with other state funds (e.g. Hilma E. Chynoweth Local Government Road Fund, Municipal Arterial Program, Capital Outlay, State Commissioner Road Fund etc.)? District 3 b. Is this project part of a phased project previously funded with TPF? If so, what year? 5. Additional criteria identified by the MPO or RTPO Walter G. Adams Commissioner, Chairman The application package shall include the following: District 4 1. Cover letter application including: (1) brief overview of project; (2) whether the potential grantee intends to apply for hardship (match waiver); (3) the timeframe in which the potential grantee is Thomas C. Taylor prepared to spend the grant funds, if received (project readiness); (4) verification that funding Commissioner requested will be enough to complete the phase of work submitted, and (5) whether the project falls District 5 into category (a) or (b): a) Project is located on or within locally-owned right-of-way and the project does not include Charles Lundstrom federal funds; or Commissioner, Secretary b) Project is located within or on NMDOT owned right-of-way or is an NHS route and/or may District 6 include federal funds; 2. Project must fall into one or more of the following categories, including: (1) environmental and other studies; (2) planning; (3) design; (4) construction; and (5) acquisition of rights of way necessary for the development of transportation infrastructure, and includes highways, streets, roadways, bridges, crossing structures, parking facilities, including all areas for vehicular, transit, bicycle or pedestrian use for travel, ingress, egress and parking. Please be sure to clearly identify the phase of work the funding will be used for (i.e. planning, design, construction, etc.); G e n e r a l O f f i c e P. O. B o x 1 1 4 9 S a n t a F e, N M 8 7 5 0 4 7 3. Project Feasibility Form (PFF) signed by District representative if the project does not have a signed PFF, then the potential grantee must work with the District on the PFF; 4. Resolution of Sponsorship from their governing body, indicating the availability of the 5% match. Alternatively, the potential grantee may submit an official letter signed by the potential grantee’s chief executive or official with budget authority, indicating the availability of the 5% match; 5. Map of project location including mile posts; and 6. Required if local entity does not own the right of way; A letter of support from owners of the project right-of-way. This includes getting a letter from the NMDOT District if the project is partially or fully within NMDOT right-of-way. Complete applications must be submitted through NMDOT’s FTP site https://grader.dot.state.nm.us/public/folder/d8gSzswmw0ezwTcsxTQodQ/FY22%20TPF%20Applicatio ns no later than close of business May 31, 2021. All incomplete applications will be returned to the local entity for submission the following year. Projects will be selected and approved by the State Transportation Committee by September 1, 2021. Selection letters will be mailed out within the first week of September. If you have any questions regarding funding or agreements please contact Clarissa Martinez, 505.699.9946 or Clarissa.Martinez@state.nm.us or Sean Sandoval, 505.660.6102 or Sean.Sandoval@state.nm.us. George Dodge Jr. our Local Government Relations Director is also available for all other inquiries at George.Dodge@state.nm.us or 505-470-4095. Sincerely, Michael Sandoval Cabinet Secretary Xc: NMDOT District Engineers District Coordinators Clarissa Martinez, State Funded Grant Manager Sean Sandoval, Project Oversight Director George Dodge Jr., Local Government Relations Director 8  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #5 Subject: Committee Member Discussion Items Date: June 24, 2021 DISCUSSION ITEMS There were no additional discussion items provided by Policy Committee members for inclusion on the Agenda. 9  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #6 Subject: Information Items Prepared by: MPO Staff Date: June 24, 2021 INFORMATION ITEMS a. There is no Policy Committee in July. The next meeting is August 26, 2021 in Council Chambers at Farmington City Hall. 10 The draft minutes from the May 27, 2021 Policy Committee meeting are on the following pages. 11  MINUTES FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING May 27, 2021 Policy Members Present Rosalyn Fry, City of Aztec Julie Baird, City of Farmington Jeanine Bingham-Kelly, City of Farmington Sean Sharer, City of Farmington Javier Martinez (Alt.), NMDOT District 5 Steve Lanier, San Juan County Policy Members Absent: GloJean Todacheene, San Juan County George Walter, City of Bloomfield Thomas Wethington, Town of Kirtland Staff Present: Peter Koeppel, MPO Officer Kathryn Leys, MPO Associate Planner June Markle, MPO Administrative Assistant Staff Absent: None Others Present: Joe Moriarty, Planning Liaison, NMDOT 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Sharer called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m. 2. APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE APRIL 22, 2021 POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING Commissioner Lanier moved to approve the minutes from the April 22, 2021 Policy Committee meeting. Commissioner Fry seconded the motion. The motion passed with no opposition. 3. AMENDMENT #7 TO THE FFY2020-2025 TIP Subject: Amendment #7 to the FFY2020-2025 TIP Prepared by: Peter Koeppel, MPO Officer Date: May 27, 2021 BACKGROUND  The first Call for Projects for the FFY2020-2025 TIP Amendment #5 was sent on March 22, 2021; a reminder sent out on March 31. 12   The Public Notice for Amendment #7 to the FFY2020-2025 TIP was published on the MPO’s website and in the Daily Times on May 9, 2021  The amendment includes four projects: Foothills Drive Phase 3, County Road 6100 pavement rehabilitation, the Lower Animas Valley River Trail, and the East Blanco Bridge  The Technical Committee recommended their approval of proposed Amendment #7 and the Self-Certification for Amendment #7 on May 12, AMENDED TIP PROJECT(S)  Foothills Drive Phase 3  County Road 6100 Pavement Rehabilitation  Lower Animas Valley River Trail  East Blanco Bridge ACTION ITEM  The Technical Committee and Staff recommend that the Policy Committee consider approval of proposed Amendment #7 and the Self-Certification for Amendment #7 to the FFY2020-2025 TIP. APPLICABLE CITATIONS  § 450.328 TIP revisions and relationship to the STIP.  (a) An MPO(s) may revise the TIP at any time under procedures agreed to by the cooperating parties consistent with the procedures established in this part for its development and approval. In nonattainment or maintenance areas for transportation-related pollutants, if a TIP amendment involves non-exempt projects (per 40 CFR part 93), or is replaced with an updated TIP, the MPO(s) and the FHWA and the FTA must make a new conformity determination. In all areas, changes that affect fiscal constraint must take place by amendment of the TIP. The MPO(s) shall use public participation procedures consistent with § 450.316(a) in revising the TIP, except that these procedures are not required for administrative modifications.) After approval by the MPO(s) and the Governor, the State shall include the TIP without change, directly or by reference, in the STIP required under 23 U.S.C. 135. In nonattainment and maintenance areas, the FHWA and the FTA must make a conformity finding on the TIP before it is included in the STIP. A copy of the approved TIP shall be provided to the FHWA and the FTA.  (c) The State shall notify the MPO(s) and Federal land management agencies when it has included a TIP including projects under the jurisdiction of these agencies in the STIP. DISCUSSION: Mr. Koeppel reported on Amendment #7 to the FFY2020-2025. This amendment adds three projects to the outer years of the current TIP (Foothills Drive Phase 3, County Road 6100 Pavement Rehabilitation, and Lower Animas Valley River Trail (trail from Farmington to Aztec)) and updates the funding for one existing project (East Blanco Bridge). These projects will also be included on the proposed FFY2022- 13 2027 TIP upcoming for consideration by the Policy Committee in Agenda Item #4. The three new projects added to the outer years of the TIP are currently unfunded, although the FMPO is cautiously optimistic that some could be funded in the future. The Policy Committee members had no questions regarding the projects in proposed TIP Amendment 7. Chair Sharer opened the public hearing. No comments were received. Chair Sharer closed the public hearing. ACTION: Councilor Bingham-Kelly moved to approve TIP Amendment #7 to the FFY2020-2025 TIP. Commissioner Fry seconded the motion. The motion passed with no opposition. 4. FFY2022-20247 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (TIP) DEVELOPMENT Subject: FFY2022-2027 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Development Prepared by: Peter Koeppel, MPO Officer Date: May 27, 2021 BACKGROUND  The TIP is a short-term program of projects expected to be completed in the next four (4) years.  Projects included in the TIP must be regionally significant and fiscally constrained.  The TIP adoption process includes updating project information, adding new projects, and developing a TIP priority list.  A Call for Projects was issued on December 18, 2020 to start the new TIP adoption process.  See the schedule published in the Call for Projects memo distributed on December 18, 2020 for submittal deadlines for all projects.  The Technical Committee recommended their approval of the proposed FFY2022- 2027 TIP and Policy Committee Resolution 2021-3 on May 12. CURRENT WORK  Current projects and/or new projects were discussed with the entities, Red Apple Transit, and NMDOT.  The STIP is scheduled to be updated in August 2021  The new TIP needs to be submitted to NMDOT by June 30, 2021.  A 30-day public comment period on the new TIP opened on April 22.  Seek Technical Committee recommended approval on May 12. FUNDING AND FISCAL CONSTRAINT  The TIP is required to be fiscally constrained. The projects listed have identified detailed funding sources as required. 14  ACTION ITEM  The Technical Committee and Staff recommend that the Policy Committee review the projects and consider approval to the Policy Committee of the FFY2022-2027 TIP and Policy Committee Resolution 2021-3. APPLICABLE CITATIONS  23 CFR § 450.326 DISCUSSION: Mr. Koeppel stated the TIP is a short-term program of projects expected to be completed in the next four years. Every two years the State and the MPOs update their current TIP. Projects in the current TIP will roll into the new proposed FFY2022- 2027 TIP and the three new projects just approved in TIP Amendment 7 will be incorporated into the new TIP. Staff and the Technical Committee recommend approval of the proposed FFY2022-2027 TIP. Chair Sharer opened the public hearing. No comments were received. Chair Sharer closed the public hearing. ACTION: Councilor Bingham-Kelly moved to approve the FFY2022-2027 TIP and Policy Committee Resolution 2021-3. Commissioner Fry seconded the motion. The motion passed with no opposition. 5. REPORTS FROM NMDOT District 5 – Javier Martinez The maintenance project on US 550 between Aztec and Bloomfield is complete except for the pavement markings (crosswalks and turn lanes). Work on the pavement markings is forthcoming. Mr. Martinez reported that District 5 is anticipating up to $5,000,000 in Transportation Project Fund (TPF) funds could be awarded to the FMPO as long as the projects submitted by the MPO come up to that level. District 5 will submit the final project lists from FMPO, Santa Fe MPO and the RTPOs to the Cabinet Secretary who will ultimately determine which projects will receive TPF funding. Commissioner Lanier commented on the potholes and rough pavement of NM 173 and a recent incident where he had a tire blow out while driving to Navajo Lake. Mr. Martinez said he would pass on Commissioner Lanier’s comments and concerns. Planning Bureau – Joseph Moriarty Mr. Moriarty commented on the draft New Mexico 2045 Plan which is NMDOT’s guide on long range transportation policy. The draft plan is available until June 21 for review and feedback. Additionally, the draft Pedestrian Safety Action Plan is out for a 45-day comment period until June 13. The draft documents is available for review at: walksafenm.com 15 6. COMMITTEE MEMBER DISCUSSION ITEMS Subject: Committee Member Discussion Items Date: May 27, 2021 DISCUSSION ITEMS There were no additional discussion items provided by Policy Committee members for inclusion on the Agenda. 7. INFORMATION ITEMS Subject: Information Items Prepared by: MPO Staff Date: May 27, 2021 INFORMATION ITEMS a. CMAQ, RTP, and TAP Call for Projects. NMDOT issued a call for projects for the Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality, Recreational Trails, and Transportation Alternatives programs on May 3, 2021. This call is open until October. b. Proposed Changes to the Census Urban Area Criteria. The Census Bureau has proposed changes to the criteria used to determine urban areas based on the results of the 2020 Census. Comments to the Federal Register were due by May 20 . Additional Resources on the Proposed Changes to the Census Urban Area Criteria: Federal Register Notice https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/19/2021- 03412/urban-areas-for-the-2020-census-proposed-criteria National Association of Regional Councils Summary of Proposed Changes for 2020 Urban Areas https://narc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Overview-of-Proposed- Changes-to-2020-Urban-Areas.pdf AMPO Resource Guide on Proposed Changes https://ampo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Proposed-Changes-to-the- Urban-Area.pdf c. New Mexico Transportation Project Fund (TPF). NMDOT’s Project Oversight Division is accepting applications for the TPF for fiscal year 2022. The FMPO 16  and the Technical Committee plan to submit a list of local projects for potential TPF funding (see preliminary project list attached). DISCUSSION: a. Mr. Koeppel reported that along with the TPF call for projects, which the Technical Committee members are working on, NMDOT also issued a call for projects for funding under Recreational Trails Program (RTP), Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), and Congestion, Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ). Projects eligible for these federal funding sources include bicycle, pedestrian and trail projects. This call for projects is open until October. Policy Committee members were encouraged to submit any project ideas to their Technical Committee representative. The FMPO would like to see as many projects submitted as possible to permit the region to more favorably compete with projects submitted from other MPOs and RTPOs around the state. b. Ms. Leys provided some information on changes proposed by the Census Bureau to the criteria used to determine urban areas based on the results of the 2020 Census. Following is a brief summary of that presentation and concerns: - FMPO submitted comments to proposed changes by May 20; - Census is based on numbers and counts only: other agencies have not weighed in on the proposed changes; - USDOT and FHWA are not changing their definitions or thresholds; - Map provided (Page 24 of Agenda) shows current boundaries based on proposed Census definition changes and is a visualization of what the region might look like; - 2020 Census data not available until September 2021; - Increase thresholds to qualify as an urban area; - To qualify as urban area, proposed change is to use housing density vs. population density; o Would adversely affect larger, multi-family households; o Aztec and Bloomfield would no longer be considered urban areas as they could not meet the housing density of 4,000 units; o Kirtland could become part of the Farmington urban area; - Reduce distance of “jumps” and the land (gap) between two qualifying areas could not be included as part of the urban area designation; o Gaps are landmarks such as desert landscapes, lakes, mountains, steep slopes, etc. - MPO would not be affected by proposed changed as the planning area is much larger than the urban area; - Staff will keep MPO Committees informed of adopted changes and any direct impacts to the FMPO region. c. Entity are submitting their projects for review and consideration of potential funding under the Transportation Project Fund (TPF), which is a State legislative funding source. District 5 will review the project list submitted by FMPO, Santa Fe MPO, and the RTPOs before submitting them to the Cabinet Secretary for final review and approval. 17 8. BUSINESS FROM THE CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS AND STAFF There was no business from the Chairman, Members and Staff. 9. PUBLIC COMMENT ON ANY ISSUES NOT ON THE AGENDA There was no public comment on any issues not on the agenda. 10. ADJOURNMENT Councilor Bingham-Kelly moved to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Fry seconded the motion. The motion passed with no opposition. Chair Sharer adjourned the meeting at 10:58 a.m. ______________________________ _______________________________ Sean Sharer, Policy Committee Chair June Markle, Administrative Assistant 18