Technical Memorandum

DATE:   July 21, 2022

TO:         Unified Planning Work Program Committee

FROM:   Tegin Teich, Executive Director

RE: Recommended Revisions to the Unified Planning Work Program (FFY 2022)

The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) is a one-year budget and planning document that lists the research projects, technical assistance, and other activities that the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) staff will undertake over the next federal fiscal year (FFY). Each year, staff perform a thorough assessment of the spending patterns in the first three quarters of the FFY as well as fourth-quarter needs to propose a slate of UPWP budget adjustments for the final quarter. This memo contains MPO staff recommendations for those adjustments, forming Amendment Two to the FFY 2022 UPWP. The adjustments, shown in Table 1, have a net zero impact on the UPWP budget.

The approved UPWP budget for FFY 2022, approved in August of 2021, represented MPO staff’s best understanding at the time of how 3C funds should be allocated to best meet the needs of the region from October 2021 through September 2022. Throughout the federal fiscal year, MPO staff track spending on 3C line items and report quarterly to the UPWP Committee using a Schedule of Operations. UPWP Committee members have the opportunity to discuss the Schedule of Operations with staff at their scheduled meetings. The third-quarter assessment allows MPO staff to determine where funds are most needed and recommend a transfer of funds between line items, having a net zero impact on the UPWP budget. Because the Federal Highway Administration now requires an amendment to the UPWP for any adjustment totaling more than 10 percent of an individual budget line, MPO staff is submitting an amendment containing these adjustments.

There are two primary reasons why adjustments are needed in the fourth quarter to most effectively use the funding available to the MPO. The first relates to staff attrition and the time it takes to recruit and train new staff. When staff resign from Central Transportation Planning Staff, there may be a gap before a new person is hired in their place. While we use and reallocate staff capacity as fluidly as possible to meet project needs, staffing gaps can result in lower expenditures than initially expected on certain UPWP line items.

In addition to staffing gaps, project or line-item needs may evolve after the UPWP is developed. Initial budget estimates for each project that is included in the UPWP are developed in the spring, approximately six months before work commences. This allows the UPWP to be approved in the summer, in advance of the start of the FFY. Once work is in progress, needs or expectations may shift, and MPO staff adapt to such changes. This can affect how much staff time or effort is needed for one project or line item versus another.

Thank you for your time in reviewing these recommended adjustments. MPO staff would be happy to discuss and answer any questions from UPWP committee members. After a discussion, we hope that you will agree with these recommended adjustments. We request you then vote to approve Amendment Two to the FFY 2022 UPWP and recommend that the MPO vote to release it for a 21-day public comment period.

Table 1
FFY 2022 UPWP Proposed Budget Adjustments

FFY = Federal Fiscal Year. LRTP = Long-Range Transportation Plan. MPO = Metropolitan Planning Organization. TIP = Transportation Improvement Program. TDM23 = Travel Demand Model 2023. TE = Transportation Equity.

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
857.702.3700 (voice)
617.570.9193 (TTY)