Review of Noteworthy MPO Practices Cooperative Revenue Forecasting

1
Review of Noteworthy MPO Practices
Cooperative Revenue Forecasting Annual
Project Obligation Listings

• Presented to
• Association of Metropolitan Planning
  Organizations
• Washington Policy Conference
• March 20, 2002
• Peter E. Plumeau, MPA
• Senior Planning Studies Manager
• Wilbur Smith Associates

2
Overview

• Background on Noteworthy MPO Practices
• Results
• Products
• Questions Answers

3
Background on Review of Noteworthy MPO Practices

• Project Objectives
• Survey MPO practices in
• cooperative revenue forecasting
• annual listings of obligated projects
• Identify and analyze examples of noteworthy and
  successful approaches
• Disseminate information for use by MPOs and other
  concerned organizations

4
Background on Review of Noteworthy MPO Practices

• Federal Requirements
• TEA-21 explicitly requires the states and MPOs to
  cooperatively develop estimates of funds that
  will be available to support plan and program
  (TIP) implementation (also transit operator).
• TEA-21 also requires MPOs to publish or make
  available an annual listing of projects,
  consistent with the categories in the TIP, for
  which federal funds have been obligated in the
  preceding year.

5
Background on Review of Noteworthy MPO Practices

• Main project tasks
• Review results of recent AMPO surveys and other
  information to identify MPOs to be reviewed in
  detail concerning MPO practices
• Conduct interviews with selected MPOs, state
  DOTs, and transit operators and report noteworthy
  practices
• Present results to professional peers and
• Prepare a final report.

6
Background on Review of Noteworthy MPO Practices
MPOs Selected for Review
7
Results Noteworthy MPO Practices in Cooperative
Revenue Forecasting

• MPOs employ a wide variety of approaches to
  addressing cooperative revenue forecasting needs
• Approaches to cooperative revenue forecasting
  vary in their complexity and sophistication
• A basic element of successful approaches to
  revenue forecasting is broad cooperation between
  the MPO, state DOT and transit operator(s)

8
Results Noteworthy MPO Practices in Cooperative
Revenue Forecasting
9
Results Noteworthy MPO Practices in Annual
Listings of Obligated Projects

• The interpretation of listing of obligated
  projects varies across MPOs and states
• MPOs vary in how they compile, format and
  communicate obligated project information due to
  variability in the quality, quantity, and
  character of information they receive
• MPOs often use this process to help monitor
  implementation of TIP programs
• Cooperation and open communication between the
  state DOT and MPO is key transit operators
  generally provide support and review

10
Results Noteworthy MPO Practices in Annual
Listings of Obligated Projects
11
Results Commonalities Among Noteworthy Practices

• Proactive communication between the MPO and state
  DOT
• Statewide approaches to developing revenue
  estimates among MPOs and non-MPO regions of the
  state
• Credibility and usefulness of revenue forecasts
  among key players
• Understandable and clear information provided to
  decision-makers and other stakeholders
• Level of effort/sophistication scaled to
  individual MPO situations
• MPO proactiveness regarding soliciting annual
  obligations information from the state DOT (and
  other sources)
• MPO ability to match project obligation
  information to TIP program information

12
Results Other

• State-to-state comparability and translatability
  is a consideration

13
Products

• Final report with detailed information
• CD-ROM with hyperlinks to MPO product samples
  resources (in production)
• MCB website
• AMPO website
• Dissemination to MPOs and planning partners
• Future AMPO/USDOT MCB activities

14

• Questions and Answers