Memorandum
DATE: June 16, 2022
TO: Administration and Finance Committee of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
FROM: Tegin Teich, Executive Director, Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS)
RE: State Fiscal Year 2023 Operating Budget for CTPS
This memorandum describes the proposed $6,930,000 state fiscal year (SFY) 2023 operating budget for the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS). The committee members will be asked to vote to approve sending this budget to the board of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
The annual direct expenses (1.1–1.7) are funded by the 3C MPO PL and 5303 contracts under the direct cost line item.
Based upon current revenue projections and the associated work program, it is anticipated that 60 professional positions will be filled in SFY 2023. CTPS programmed 58 positions in SFY 2022. Supplemental nonprofessional staffing may include interns and/or temporary staff assigned to special projects (i.e., data collection). A merit and promotional pool has been budgeted for a salary increase.
Expenditures for the following direct cost line items may require prior approval of the contractor to whom the purchase will be charged.
The CTPS Five-Year Computer Plan outlines the agency’s plan for maintenance and enhancement of its computing infrastructure (hardware) that is more than $5,000 and specifically funded under the direct expense line item in the MPO contracts. The data processing/technology investment in the SFY 2023 budget includes the replacement of the agency’s disk-based backup appliance. Disk-based backup is a data backup and recovery method that backs data up to hard disk storage. The current appliance will reach the end of its service life on December 31, 2022, and will not be eligible for future technical support after that date. Increased need for storage space to back up the CTPS servers and workstations will also be addressed with the purchase of the new backup appliance.
No costs are anticipated for hiring consultants in SFY 2023.
Travel and transportation costs include
The budget for the latter has been reinstated to pre-pandemic year amounts with anticipation that conferences and training sessions will be held in person.
This budget line item is for the cost of translations for the MPO’s vital documents and interpreters for meetings.
AMPO is the transportation advocate for the metropolitan regions, committed to enhancing MPOs’ abilities to improve metropolitan transportation systems. The organization provides a forum for members to discuss policy updates, provide advocacy support, share technical expertise, and participate in committee opportunities, peer-to-peer networking events, and educational development.
Costs that are unanticipated or out of the ordinary, but related directly to contract work, are typically funded in the “Miscellaneous” direct cost line item. In SFY 2023, these costs include the price of equipment rental to support the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program ($3,500) and other unanticipated project costs ($5,000).
Indirect costs for CTPS include all the items that are not project specific and are shared proportionately by all grants and contracts. Dividing the annual indirect costs of $3,699,500 by the annual direct salaries of $3,100,000 yields a provisional overhead rate for SFY 2023 of 119.34 percent.
Paid leave time benefits cover holidays, sick days, accrued vacation, discretionary time, and administrative leave with pay (such as bereavement, family medical leave, jury duty, and others).
Administrative salaries include the wages of administrative staff and wages for the time other staff spend attending all-staff meetings; developing progress reports and work scopes; managing grants; processing time sheets; researching products for purchasing; attending training sessions, conferences, and seminars; conducting staff evaluations; producing graphics and documents; and strategic planning for the agency.
Health and life insurance benefits are offered to each CTPS employee through the Commonwealth’s Group Insurance Commission. CTPS pays a portion of the cost of this premium. It is difficult to project this cost due to the variety of health plans and types of membership and associated premiums from which the employees may choose. CTPS is also assessed a portion of the insurance premiums that cover retired staff.
CTPS employees are covered for workplace injuries by a workers’ compensation liability policy held by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). This line item represents CTPS’s contribution to this premium.
CTPS is self-insured for Unemployment Compensation and entirely responsible for the benefits paid to a terminated or furloughed employee. The CTPS budget includes funds for former professional staff, temporary special project employees, and data collectors who may be eligible. There is a decrease in this line item for SFY 2023 because the data collection staff are slowly returning to their normal work schedules.
CTPS must contribute a portion of the salaries of employees hired after January 1985 to the Social Security Administration to support Medicare.
The Medical Security Trust line item represents a state-mandated cost that is assessed to employers with six or more employees to cover the cost of medical benefits for the unemployed. This budget also includes a portion of the Massachusetts health insurance that covers certain temporary staff.
MAPC has established a short-term disability insurance program for all eligible employees of MAPC and CTPS. One hundred percent of the premium is employer paid. This line item represents CTPS’s portion of the premium.
CTPS provides a 50 percent reimbursement for annual tuition costs, as much as $1,500 per person per year.
To ensure the success of a nationwide search for prospective candidates, CTPS provides full reimbursement to prospective candidates for travel expenses related to interviews. CTPS also reimburses newly hired employees who move from out of state to the Boston region for 50 percent of the cost of moving their personal effects and those of their immediate family; the maximum reimbursement is $2,000.
The training line item covers the cost of in-state training programs on software use, application, and development, as well as the enhancement of project management and communication skills.
The MAPC/CTPS personnel policy allows an employee to receive reimbursement for public transit commuting expenditures; the maximum reimbursement is $225 per month. The amount budgeted for SFY 2023 is more than previous years because of the anticipated return of the full staff to the office following the COVID-19 pandemic.
This category includes all general office, computer, and graphics supplies.
The equipment budget includes the purchase of general office, graphics, and IT equipment; the cost of leasing a postage meter and computer equipment; maintenance contracts for computer equipment and annual licenses for software packages; and purchases, repairs, and maintenance of office furniture, cubicles, and non-computer equipment.
Charges related to the lease of office space, storage space, renovation of work areas, and physical plant maintenance are included in this line item. Rent for the year at 10 Park Plaza, Boston, is anticipated to be $316,000. CTPS is awaiting a draft lease agreement from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to determine future space plans for the agency. The storage unit, located in the basement of 10 Park Plaza, Boston, is managed by The Wilder Group.
The postage line item covers general office postage.
In accordance with the MAPC Recruitment Policy, CTPS uses the following outlets for job ads: professional nationwide journals, metropolitan Boston minority publications, area academic institution career sites, www.governmentjobs.com, and other distribution channels deemed appropriate for the position.
CTPS uses Windstream to furnish its internet service and a voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) telephone system. This line item funds the service, equipment lease, and usage.
This line item accounts for the occasional need for the services of lawyers or other professionals.
This line item covers the cost of hiring temporary staffing that may be needed.
The cost of registration fees for local in-state meetings and conferences and meeting-related expenses are included in this line item. Conference topics include pedestrian, bicycle, roadway, and transit planning, as well as software and data issues.
CTPS reimburses the cost of annual memberships in organizations or associations related to professional disciplines; each staff member may be reimbursed as much as $250. This benefit is contingent upon the approval of the Executive Director and annual budgetary appropriation.
CTPS subscribes to publications that support efforts by the staff to remain knowledgeable about the state of the practice and other timely news events. The State House News Service, Passenger Transport, and the Boston Globe are a few examples.
This line item includes manuals and other technical instruction publications that provide staff with reference materials.
The cost of leasing and maintaining the agency’s copiers is covered by this line item. CTPS will be entering into year three of a four-year lease on two copiers on July 1, 2022.
Professional printing services are used for the publication of various documents, laminating large presentation boards, production of informational booklets, and printing of various reports, as necessary.
The indirect travel line item covers the reimbursement of travel costs incurred by staff when the travel is related to an administrative expense.
MAPC and CTPS are sharing the cost of a financial management system. The total cost of $307,000 includes the purchase of hardware, the software license, implementation, and an annual maintenance fee. MAPC has agreed to a cost sharing arrangement that amortizes the purchase over 10 years and equally shares the annual license/maintenance cost. SFY 2023 marks year eight of this arrangement with its associated cost of $40,000. An additional $10,000 is budgeted in this line item to cover unanticipated costs.
MAPC will receive payment of at least $180,000, but not more than 6.5 percent of the CTPS payroll in SFY 2023, for providing CTPS with administrative services specified in the Fiduciary Agent Agreement. This figure will not be firm until the SFY 2023 Annual Audit has been completed.
Central Transportation Planning Staff SFY 2023 Requested Operating Budget
| Column | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Line | Item | Approved SFY 2022 Budget | Projected SFY 2022 Budget | Requested Budget for SFY 2023 | Requested SFY 2023 vs. Projected SFY 2022 | Requested SFY 2023 vs. Approved SFY 2022 |
| 1 | Annual Direct Salaries | $3,137,500 | $2,727,121 | $3,100,000 | 14% | -1% |
| 2 | Other Direct Expenses | $144,600 | $102,200 | $130,500 | 28% | -10% |
| 3 | Computing/IT Equipment | $57,500 | $57,500 | $60,000 | 4% | 4% |
| 4 | Consultants | $25,000 | $23,600 | $0 | -100% | -100% |
| 5 | Travel and Transportation | $15,000 | $3,000 | $25,000 | 733% | 67% |
| 6 | Translations and Interpretations | $23,000 | $9,000 | $15,000 | 67% | -35% |
| 7 | AMPO Membership Dues | $9,100 | $9,100 | $22,000 | 142% | -- |
| 8 | Other | $15,000 | $0 | $8,500 | -- | -43% |
| 9 | Annual Indirect Expenses | $3,422,550 | $3,271,815 | $3,699,500 | 13% | 8% |
| 10 | Indirect Timesheet Costs | $2,048,500 | $2,065,000 | $2,115,000 | 2% | 3% |
| 11 | Fringe Benefits | $940,500 | $925,000 | $970,000 | 5% | 3% |
| 12 | Administrative Salaries | $1,108,000 | $1,140,000 | $1,145,000 | 0% | 3% |
| 13 | Employee Insurance | $251,000 | $219,500 | $251,500 | 15% | 0% |
| 14 | Medical | $140,000 | $130,000 | $143,000 | 10% | 2% |
| 15 | Workers' Compensation | $6,500 | $6,500 | $6,500 | 0% | 0% |
| 16 | Unemployment | $10,000 | $0 | $5,000 | -- | -50% |
| 17 | Medicare/FICA | $72,500 | $65,000 | $75,000 | 15% | 3% |
| 18 | Medical Security Trust | $10,000 | $6,000 | $10,000 | 67% | 0% |
| 19 | Short-term Disability | $12,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 | 0% | 0% |
| 20 | Employee Benefits and Other | $98,000 | $43,000 | $146,000 | 240% | 49% |
| 21 | Tuition Assistance | $3,000 | $0 | $3,000 | -- | 0% |
| 22 | Recruitment | $5,000 | $4,000 | $8,000 | 100% | 60% |
| 23 | Training and Professional Development | $30,000 | $29,000 | $50,000 | 72% | 67% |
| 24 | Transit Subsidy | $60,000 | $10,000 | $85,000 | 750% | 42% |
| 25 | Supplies | $24,500 | $10,500 | $25,000 | 138% | 2% |
| 26 | General Office | $8,000 | $1,000 | $8,000 | 700% | 0% |
| 27 | Data Processing/Computing | $15,000 | $9,500 | $15,000 | 58% | 0% |
| 28 | Design and Graphics | $1,500 | $0 | $2,000 | -- | 33% |
| 29 | Equipment (Buy, Lease, Maintenance) | $228,300 | $217,115 | $366,800 | 69% | 61% |
| 30 | General and Graphics Equipment | $5,000 | $1,000 | $5,000 | 400% | 0% |
| 31 | Information Technology (IT) Equipment | $19,500 | $25,315 | $35,000 | 38% | 79% |
| 32 | General Equipment Lease | $800 | $800 | $800 | 0% | 0% |
| 33 | General Equipment Maintenance | $500 | $0 | $500 | -- | 0% |
| 34 | Annual IT-related Contracts | $202,000 | $190,000 | $325,000 | 71% | 61% |
| 35 | IT-related Equipment Repairs | $500 | $0 | $500 | -- | 0% |
Central Transportation Planning Staff SFY 2023 Requested Operating Budget
| Column | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Line | Item | Approved SFY 2022 Budget | Projected SFY 2022 Budget | Requested Budget for SFY 2023 | Requested SFY 2023 vs. Projected SFY 2022 | Requested SFY 2023 vs. Approved SFY 2022 |
| 36 | Premises | $331,500 | $321,000 | $324,000 | 1% | -2% |
| 37 | Office Maintenance and Repair | $5,000 | $6,000 | $8,000 | 33% | 60% |
| 38 | Office Rent and Storage | $326,500 | $315,000 | $316,000 | 0% | -3% |
| 39 | Communications | $59,000 | $38,400 | $65,700 | 71% | 11% |
| 40 | Postage | $500 | $0 | $500 | -- | 0% |
| 41 | Advertising/Job Posting | $7,000 | $6,000 | $10,200 | 70% | 46% |
| 42 | Internet and Telephone | $51,500 | $32,400 | $55,000 | 70% | 7% |
| 43 | Professional Services | $26,000 | $15,000 | $13,000 | -13% | -50% |
| 44 | Professional Services | $25,000 | $15,000 | $10,000 | -33% | -60% |
| 45 | Temporary Help | $1,000 | $0 | $3,000 | -- | 200% |
| 46 | Meetings and Conferences | $3,000 | $50 | $3,000 | 5900% | 0% |
| 47 | In-State Meetings and Conferences | $3,000 | $50 | $3,000 | 5900% | 0% |
| 48 | Professional Fees | $8,250 | $6,650 | $8,500 | 28% | 3% |
| 49 | Memberships | $3,000 | $2,500 | $3,000 | 20% | 0% |
| 50 | Subscriptions | $5,000 | $4,000 | $5,000 | 25% | 0% |
| 51 | Publications | $250 | $150 | $500 | 233% | 100% |
| 52 | Reproduction | $11,000 | $10,000 | $11,000 | 10% | 0% |
| 53 | Photocopy | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | 0% | 0% |
| 54 | Printing (external vendor) | $1,000 | $0 | $1,000 | -- | 0% |
| 55 | Travel and Transportation | $3,500 | $2,000 | $10,000 | -- | 186% |
| 56 | Travel | $3,500 | $2,000 | $10,000 | -- | 186% |
| 57 | Courier | $0 | $0 | $0 | -- | |
| 58 | Other Costs | $40,000 | $36,600 | $50,000 | 37% | 25% |
| 59 | Financial Management System and Misc. | $40,000 | $36,600 | $50,000 | 37% | 25% |
| 60 | Other Overhead | $290,000 | $287,000 | $310,000 | 8% | 7% |
| 61 | Fiduciary Agent Fee - MAPC | $290,000 | $287,000 | $310,000 | 8% | 7% |
| 62 | Total Annual Costs | $6,704,650 | $6,101,136 | $6,930,000 | 14% | 3% |
| 63 | Overhead Rate | 109.09% | 119.97% | 119.34% |
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) operates its programs, services, and activities in compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related statutes and regulations. Title VI prohibits discrimination in federally assisted programs and requires that no person in the United States of America shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency), be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives federal assistance. Related federal nondiscrimination laws administered by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, or both, prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, and disability. The Boston Region MPO considers these protected populations in its Title VI Programs, consistent with federal interpretation and administration. In addition, the Boston Region MPO provides meaningful access to its programs, services, and activities to individuals with limited English proficiency, in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation policy and guidance on federal Executive Order 13166.
The Boston Region MPO also complies with the Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law, M.G.L. c 272 sections 92a, 98, 98a, which prohibits making any distinction, discrimination, or restriction in admission to, or treatment in a place of public accommodation based on race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or ancestry. Likewise, the Boston Region MPO complies with the Governor's Executive Order 526, section 4, which requires that all programs, activities, and services provided, performed, licensed, chartered, funded, regulated, or contracted for by the state shall be conducted without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, disability, veteran's status (including Vietnam-era veterans), or background.
A complaint form and additional information can be obtained by contacting the MPO or at http://www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination.
To request this information in a different language or in an accessible format, please contact
Title VI Specialist
Boston Region MPO
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116
civilrights@ctps.org
By Telephone:
857.702.3702 (voice)
For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the state MassRelay service:
For more information, including numbers for Spanish speakers, visit https://www.mass.gov/massrelay