Image courtesy of: Streetsblog LA
On September 12, 2017, the Metro Policy Advisory Council (PAC) came together for their first meeting following August’s recess. As promised in July, the PAC has developed a 12-month workplan outlining key milestones and topics to be discussed each month. Most of the time together was spent discussing the Measure M Administrative Procedures for the Multi-Year Subregional Program (MSP). As a refresher, the MSP is a 10-billion dollar pot of transportation funds that will be apportioned to each of the nine COGs/subregions. As Investing in Place explained at their COG forum – this is the first time that these subregions will have such a large source of discretionary funds to meet the region’s transportation goals. A key role of the PAC is to ensure that projects that come out of the MSP are derived from community need and input, and prioritize communities that have been critically underserved.
During the second half of the meeting, the policy advisory council split into three small groups to discuss specific concerns related to the development of the MSP. The three groups were:
Community Engagement;
Performance Metrics; and
MSP Nexus / Mobility Matrices
Takeaways from Group 1 included concerns about the amount of public engagement that is needed for the different subregions, as each COG vary in size and staff capacity. Takeaways from Group 2 included concerns about the amount of leeway that should be given to subregions in adhering to performance metrics and should different programs face different performance metrics within different categories. Discussion in Group 3 reached consensus that the Mobility Matrices process that COGs previously underwent should not limit the possibilities for new projects to emerge and get funded through the MSPs.
Next Steps
The next PAC meeting is October 3, at 1:30pm in SCAG’s headquarters downtown. Discussion will continue around the MSP Admin Procedures priority sub-topics, as well as an update on the 5-Year fund estimates for the MSP. Related to the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), the council will discuss a draft public participation plan and identify priority discussion areas for the LRTP.
Any questions or concerns? Feel free to leave a comment on this post!
