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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MEETING MINUTES

January 20, 2016

Osage Centre – Cape Girardeau

Board Voting Members Present:

Mr. Chauncy Buchheit, Southeast Missouri Regional Planning & Economic Development Commission (SEMO RPC)

Mr. Dwain Hahs, City of Jackson

Mr. Scott Meyer, City of Cape Girardeau

Mr. Harry Rediger, City of Cape Girardeau

Mr. Jim Roach, City of Jackson

Mrs. Kelley Watson, Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority (CGCTA) (Appointed alternate for Tom Mogelnicki)

Board Ex-Officio Members Present:

Mr. Mike Latuszek, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) (via conference call)

Mrs. Kathy Mangels, Southeast Missouri State University

Mrs. Betsy Tracy, Federal Highway Administration (via conference call)

Technical Planning Committee Members Present:

Mr. Rodney Bollinger, City of Jackson

Mr. Drew Christian, Southeast Missouri Regional Planning & Economic Development

Commission

Mr. Joe Killian, Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT)

Mr. Larry Payne, Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee

Mr. Jeremiah Shuler, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) (via conference call)

Staff Present:

Ms. Molly Hood, City of Cape Girardeau

Mr. Alex McElroy, City of Cape Girardeau

Mr. Ryan Shrimplin, City of Cape Girardeau

Call to Order

Chairman Buchheit called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m.

Introductions

The group went around the room, with each person giving a brief introduction.

Public Comments

There were no public comments.

Adoption of Agenda

The agenda of the January 20, 2016 Board of Directors Meeting was unanimously approved for adoption upon motion made by Mr. Meyer and seconded by Mr. Rediger.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes of the December 16, 2015 Board of Directors Meeting were unanimously approved upon motion made by Mr. Roach and seconded by Mr. Hahs.

Communications from the Chairman

Chairman Buchheit stated he received an email from MoDOT regarding HB 1820, recently filed by Representative McGaugh. If approved, HB 1820 would require condemning authorities to pay more to acquire parcels through condemnation. Per the language of the bill, if the Commissioners’ Award is 20% or higher than the original offer made, the condemning authority will be required to pay the difference between the two numbers multiplied by three. The same calculation would also be made for jury verdicts. The Board noted that such legislation could substantially increase the costs of local transportation projects.

New/Unfinished Business

Mr. Christian reviewed sections of the 2016-2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and the FY 2016-2019 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). He stated he is in the process of addressing recent comments by FHWA and FTA. The updated documents will be reviewed by the TPC on February 3, 2016. Mr. Shrimplin stated one of the comments was that the MTP did not include possible actions that could be taken to achieve the goals. He will work with Mr. Christian on preparing a list for the MTP.

Chairman Buchheit asked if a contingency amount could be added to the TIP. Mr. Latuszek stated that all funding in the TIP has to be programmed for actual work. Mr. Meyer asked if a fund designated for right-of-way acquisition would be allowed. Mr. Latuszek indicated that he did not believe so, and that programmed funds should be project-specific. Mr. Meyer noted it will be difficult to move the funds around. Chairman Buchheit stated the threshold for making TIP administrative modifications should be increased from 15% to 50%; doing so would give the Board more flexibility in making changes in programmed funding without having to go through the TIP amendment process.

Mr. Shrimplin reviewed the proposed schedule for the 2017 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). No concerns were raised with the proposed schedule.

Mr. Shrimplin stated the second session of the Missouri General Assembly is underway, and several bills have been filed pertaining to increasing Missouri’s motor fuel tax to fund the maintenance and preservation of the state highway system. He asked the Board if they wish to pass a resolution in support of an increase in the tax up to a certain amount, as was done last year. The Board decided to hold off on passing a resolution until more information on the proposed tax increases is received.

Other Communications

Chairman Buchheit discussed the recent flood event and mentioned that federal relief funds may be coming. He asked the group to think about what transportation projects could be funded (i.e. improvements to roads and bridges affected by flooding, sinkholes, and other hazards).

Mr. Rediger stated a grant program for pre-hazard mitigation (planning for the next event) has been announced. $100 million in funding will be available for communities along the Mississippi River. Training on the grant procedures will be held in the next 30 to 45 days.

Mr. Meyer reported that the City of Cape Girardeau will propose two tax issues on the April 5, 2016 ballot. One issue will be the extension of the sales tax charged for vehicles purchased out-of-state and titled in the city. The other issue will be a new use tax, which would apply to out-of-state purchases that would be subject to city, county and state sales taxes if purchased in the city. Mr. Roach indicated the City of Jackson is working on a use tax issue as well.

Mrs. Mangels reported that the University is changing its transit routes between the Main Campus and the River Campus.

Mrs. Watson indicated the CGCTA is waiting on FTA clearance in order to move forward with acquiring new vehicles.

Mr. Killian stated MoDOT is finalizing its plans for the projects to be funded by the additional FY 2015 state revenues. Two of the projects are in SEMPO’s metropolitan planning area. The first project is a pavement overlay for US-61 from Center Junction to Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau. He clarified this project will not include the portion of US-61 under the I-55 bridge, as MoDOT wants to complete the bridge work first. The bridge is currently in the scoping phase and will hopefully be approved for construction soon. The second project involves bridge improvements for the I-55 flyover at Exit 93 (US-61) in Cape Girardeau.

Mr. Killian announced that MoDOT’s annual Statewide Planning Partner Meeting will be held on February 18, 2016 in Jefferson City.

Mr. Killian reported that the states with federal authorization to establish road tolling, including Missouri, must do so within two years or they will lose the authorization. He expects there will be more productive discussions on tolling I-70 this year.

Adjournment

Upon motion made by Mr. Rediger, seconded by Mr. Meyer, the meeting was adjourned unanimously at 3:00 p.m.