Regional Council Activity Report
December 22, 1998
Executive Director’s Report
Just days after the MAG Regional Council unanimously approved a motion calling for the Arizona Department of Transportation to meet with MAG to develop a funding level which meets the needs of this region, an agreement has been reached. The plan we presented during a joint meeting of the MAG Regional Council and the State Transportation Board December 17th will provide $483 million in additional transportation funding for the MAG region. It also commits MAG and ADOT to a cooperative effort to speed up construction of the Regional Freeway System, with completion by 2007.
The accord marks a new era of cooperation between the region and the state. It comes after weeks of negotiations between MAG and ADOT over the distribution of additional funds Arizona will receive under TEA-21. Staff members will now get down to the business of identifying specific projects that can be completed under the plan.
Arizona Governor Jane D. Hull complimented MAG and ADOT for their willingness to work together in arriving at the joint agreement, saying, “I can not imagine a better holiday present for Arizona than the news our freeway system will be finished seven years sooner than planned.”
Meanwhile, the dialogue also continues on the federal level
with the Census Advisory Committee. I went to Washington, D.C.
for the Committee meeting in early December and we are finalizing
our report on recommendations for Census 2000. We will meet again
in January to put the finishing touches on the report, and in
February we will meet with Secretary of Commerce William M. Daley.
Among the recommendations will be to ask the Census Bureau to
develop a plan to account for the thousands of new housing units
which will be built between the time the cities provide their
local updates to the Bureau (occurring this year) and the time
the Census is undertaken in April of 2000. Other issues addressed
include the use of statistical sampling in the year 2000 census.
MAG is also pleased to announce the hosting of its first “Building
Codes Stakeholders” meeting. Held December 15th, the meeting
brought building codes officials, elected leaders and industry
representatives to the same table. Discussions centered on how
best to obtain uniformity and consistency in building codes among
municipalities.
MAG is additionally proud of its involvement as host of the Government Finance Officers Association Exam October 23rd. MAG hosted the first two parts of a five-part exam to promote professionalism in municipal finance and management. The test drew the second highest level of attendance of any city in the nation. Among those taking (and passing!) the exam was MAG Fiscal Services Manager Art Rullo.
Transportation Funding Estimate
On December 3rd, before the above agreement was reached, the Arizona
Department of Transportation had released a tentative funding
estimate before a meeting of the State Transportation Board. That
proposal fell about $200 million short of what the region had
asked for in its draft proposal.
During its December 9th meeting, the MAG Regional Council unanimously
passed a motion calling for the ADOT director to meet with MAG
staff to look for ways to develop a funding level which would
meet the needs of this region. The Council also called for a joint
meeting between the MAG Regional Council, the PAG Regional Council
and the State Transportation Board, to resolve differences in
how the increased transportation funding is spent. The Council
further supported a recommendation that the Federal Highway Administration
be included in the dialogue. As stated above, the action resulted
in a meeting which was held at MAG December 17th, with outstanding
success.
For more information, contact Eric
Anderson, MAG Freeway Program Manager, 470-1107.
Hundreds Provide Input Through Improved Public Outreach
Under a new, more proactive approach to receive input on its transportation
plans and programs, focus groups were conducted with citizens
throughout the region to obtain Early Phase Input for development
of the Transportation Improvement Program and Long Range Transportation
Plan.
Transportation stakeholders were also contacted for their input.
This enhanced process has enabled MAG to receive transportation
programming input from more than 400 Valley citizens. WestGroup
Research, which conducted the focus groups, provided an analysis
of its research. WestGroup found that citizens characterized the
transportation system as fraught with slow-moving traffic, “dangerous”
drivers, and as being “outdated” and “clumsy.”
They also expressed a belief that using transit or carpools can
be faster, and that improvement needs to come through a combined
use of widespread mass transit, better/more freeways, use of telecommuting
and better planning. The groups reported that the process helped
them define the transportation problem. Among the conclusions
of the groups were that the public at large needs to be made aware
of the magnitude of the transportation problem, that different
districts have different needs, and that a “one size fits
all” plan will not be well received at the local levels.
For more information, contact John
Farry, MAG Transportation Planning Program Manager, 254-6300.
How Should It Be Spent? Council Approves Draft Guidelines
In July, the Regional Council agreed that the MAG programming
process could be improved by using established guidelines in the
selection of transportation projects. Relying on input from stakeholders
to identify funding parameters, MAG developed draft funding guidelines.
These guidelines, developed by staff, were approved by the Transportation
Review Committee on December 4th, 1998. The parameters for regional
commitments include Regionalism, Multimodalism, Air Quality, Congestion
and Human Services. After some minor amendments, the Regional
Council unanimously adopted the guidelines.
For more information, contact Terry
Johnson, MAG Transportation Manager, 254-6300.
Council Accepts MAG Financial, Audit Reports
MAG Fiscal Services Director Art Rullo presented an update of
management’s efforts to institute a Corrective Action Plan
for the audit approved by the Council on June 30, 1997. The public
accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP has completed the
audit of MAG’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report and
Single Audit for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1998. The Single
Audit report indicated that there were no questioned costs, and
provided two procedural findings aimed at improving MAG’s
financial management. Both findings will be addressed in FY 1999.
Although a Comprehensive Annual Financial Report was not scheduled
until next year, MAG chose to conduct this highest-level financial
report as part of its commitment to improving the agency’s
financial reporting. The Council accepted the findings.
Other Items
Efforts continue at the community level on the Valley Vision 2025
project. There are 31 citizen-based collaborative groups around
the Valley who are working to engage residents in visioning discussions
and other issue-oriented activities. Much of the input is being
collected through a “Valley Vision 2025 Survey,” which
contains 18 thought-provoking questions covering nine issue areas.
The survey can also be taken on-line through the Valley Vision
Web site, thanks to a unique partnership with the Electronic Village
Coalition. The Coalition is an association of public and private
organizations whose mission is “to facilitate the creation
of collaborative projects that will enhance access to local community
communication and information resources...” The partnership
also enables MAG to host live, on-line discussions about visioning
efforts. Additionally, MAG has developed a “Valley Vision
Hotline,” which provides information about the effort, meeting
times and locations, details on how citizens can get involved,
and an opportunity for callers to record comments about their
vision for the future.
For more information, contact Margot
Cordova, Valley Vision 2025 Program Manager, 254-6300, or the
Valley Vision Hotline at 452-5080.
Deadlines for Projects Rapidly Approaching
Applications for projects utilizing MAG federal funds must be
submitted to MAG by December 24th. All other projects to be included
in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) must be received
by January 25th.
For more information, contact Paul
Ward, Transportation Programming Manager, 254-6300.
Council Accepts TIP Amendments
The Regional Council took action on eight amendments to the FY
1999-2003 MAG Transportation Improvement Program. Four were minor
amendments and were accepted. Four others are considered “major”
amendments and involve projects submitted by Maricopa County in
the Desert Hills region of New River. Because the projects were
submitted out of cycle, the Transportation Review Committee asked
that they undergo a regional emissions analysis, followed by a
public hearing, prior to the amendment being approved. The Regional
Council approved the recommendations.
For more information, contact Paul
Ward, 254-6300.
Population Updates Approved
The Regional Council accepted the recommendation of the MAG Population
and Technical Advisory Committee to approve the Municipality Resident
Population Updates. The Updates were prepared using data supplied
by MAG member agencies.
Regional Council Retreat Agenda Set
The Regional Council Retreat has been scheduled for January 8th
at the Buttes in Tempe. The agenda will include a review of the
past year’s accomplishments, a presentation, review and discussion
of a MAG public communications plan, a discussion of member agency
relationships, a presentation and discussion of committee structure
revisions, a review and discussion of a revenue diversification
effort, and discussion of work program priorities for 1999-2000.
For more information, contact James
M. Bourey, Executive Director, 254-6300.
Conference Seeks Mobility Solutions for Seniors
The year 1999 has been declared the “International Year of
Older Persons” by the United Nations, and the month of May
is “Older Americans Month” in the United States. In
keeping with that spirit, MAG will co-sponsor, along with the
Arizona Safety Management System Committee, a Mobility Solutions
for Seniors Conference on May 21st, 1999. Among the topics to
be discussed will be alternative transportation; education and
awareness; licensing and testing; and vehicles and insurance.
Registrants are expected to include decision makers in Arizona,
New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Southern California and Texas.
For more information, contact Sarath
Joshua, Intelligent Transportation System Manager, 254-6300.
Next Regional Council Meeting
The next Regional Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, January
20th, at 5:00 p.m. Agenda items will include discussion and possible
action on the Short Range Transit Plan, prepared and updated annually
by the Regional Public Transportation Authority for MAG. The plan
includes an overview of the performance and operating characteristics
of the public transit services provided in Maricopa County. The
plan is intended to serve as a guide for municipalities to develop
and enhance transit services.
For more information, contact Scott
Miller of the Regional Public Transportation Authority, 262-7242.