TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM
DATE: April 11, 2024
TO: Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Association
FROM: Tegin Teich, Executive Director
RE: UPWP Recommended Budget Revisions
This memo contains Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) staff recommendations for modifications to the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2024 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) budget, forming Amendment Two to the FFY 2024 UPWP. Each year, staff perform a thorough assessment of the spending patterns in the first two quarters of the FFY to propose a slate of UPWP budget adjustments for the third and fourth quarters. The proposed budget adjustments, shown in Table 1, have a net zero impact on the UPWP budget.
The approved UPWP budget for FFY 2024, approved in July of 2023, represented MPO staff’s best understanding at the time of how 3C funds should be allocated to meet the needs of the region from October 2023 to September 2024. This adjustment allows MPO staff to recommend a transfer of funds between line items based on a determination of evolving needs.
There are two primary reasons why budget adjustments are needed during the fiscal year. The first is due to staff attrition and the time it takes to recruit and train new staff. When staff resign from the MPO, there is a gap before a replacement is hired. While we use and reallocate staff capacity as fluidly as possible to meet project needs, staffing gaps can result in lower expenditures than expected on certain UPWP line items.
In addition, project or line-item needs may evolve after the UPWP is developed. Initial budget estimates for each project within 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, however, needs or expectations may shift. 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 and board members. After a discussion, we hope that you will agree with these recommended modifications. We request that you then vote to waive the 21-day public comment period and endorse Amendment Two to the FFY 2024 UPWP on April 18, 2024.
Table 1
Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2024 UPWP Proposed Budget Adjustments
|
Project Number |
Project |
UPWP Programmed FFY 2024 Budget |
Proposed Change |
Proposed New Budget |
Comments |
|
8124 |
Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) |
$266,500 |
($160,500) |
$106,000 |
Decreased due to staff vacancy |
|
4124 |
Regional Transit Service Planning Technical Support |
$64,000 |
($23,500) |
$40,500 |
Decreased due to lack of ongoing, scoped projects |
|
8924 |
Transit Working Group |
$33,000 |
($10,500) |
$22,500 |
Decreased based on staff capacity |
|
2124 |
Congestion Management Process (CMP) |
$144,000 |
($30,500) |
$113,500 |
Decreased due to staff departure |
|
9524 |
Professional Development |
$95,500 |
($10,000) |
$85,500 |
Decreased due to more staff time on projects and less on professional development |
|
9124 |
Support to the MPO and its Committees |
$505,086 |
($44,900) |
$460,186 |
Decreased due to staff vacancy |
|
5024 |
Data Program |
$590,000 |
($22,000) |
$568,000 |
Decreased due to staff departure |
|
8524 |
Transportation Equity Program |
$210,000 |
($7,000) |
$203,000 |
Decreased due to change in staff assignment |
|
2824 |
Multimodal Mobility Infrastructure Program |
$336,000 |
($4,000) |
$332,000 |
Decrease includes completion of 13807 and TIP Before and After Studies carry over study and Roadway Pricing from FFY 2023 |
|
9724 |
MPO General Editorial |
$227,000 |
$3,000 |
$230,000 |
Increase due to later arrival of Vision Zero work scheduled |
|
9224 |
MPO General Graphics |
$305,000 |
$4,500 |
$309,500 |
Increase due to later arrival of Vision Zero work scheduled |
|
2424 |
Community Transportation Technical Assistance |
$65,700 |
$1,300 |
$67,000 |
Increase accounts for technical assistance projects that will expend full budget by end of the year |
|
6024 |
Computer Resource Management |
$330,000 |
$15,500 |
$345,500 |
Increase accounts for a Web Admin role for 3 months |
|
2224 |
Freight Planning Support |
$111,500 |
$7,500 |
$119,000 |
Increased due to completion of carried-over study (13808) from FFY 2023 |
|
8324 |
Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) |
$122,500 |
$9,500 |
$132,000 |
Increased due to greater number of amendments and inclusion of more staff in UPWP development |
|
7124 |
Regional Model Enhancement |
$762,500 |
$74,500 |
$837,000 |
Increased to account for new positions and planned manager hire |
|
8224 |
Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) |
$286,000 |
$35,000 |
$321,000 |
Increased due to work on developing design pilot and the new TIP committee |
|
9624 |
Public Engagement Program |
$296,000 |
$42,000 |
$338,000 |
Increased due to the hiring of another public engagement staffer to support additional engagement for the LRTP and with transportation equity communities and organizations. |
|
2524 |
Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program |
$129,400 |
$22,600 |
$152,000 |
Increased to account for finishing work on carry over FFY 2023 discrete study (Count Update 13803) |
|
8824 |
Performance-Based Planning and Programming |
$140,000 |
$39,500 |
$179,500 |
Increased due to change in staff assigned to the dashboard work |
|
8724 |
Climate Resilience Program |
$76,000 |
$38,000 |
$114,000 |
Increased to account for co-op July through December 2023 |
|
8424 |
Air Quality Conformity Determinations and Support |
$35,000 |
$20,000 |
$55,000 |
Increased to account for expanding the Air Quality program beyond conformity |
|
Total |
|
$5.10M |
$312,400.00 |
$5.10M |
|
|
CIVIL RIGHTS NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC Welcome. Bem Vinda. Bienvenido. Akeyi. 欢迎. 歡迎
You are invited to participate in our transportation planning process, free from discrimination. The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is committed to nondiscrimination in all activities and complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency). Related federal and state nondiscrimination laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, disability, and additional protected characteristics.
For additional information or to file a civil rights complaint, visit HYPERLINK "http://"www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination.
To request this information in a different language or format, please contact:
Boston Region MPO Title IV Specialist 10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150 Boston, MA 02116 Phone: 857.702.3700 Email: civilrights@ctps.org
For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the state MassRelay service, www.mass.gov/massrelay. Please allow at least five business days for your request to be fulfilled.
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