By Andy Sevilla.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) cautioned CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) that its funding plan for local projects might not be in compliance with the federal agency’s regulations, officials said Monday.
If the federal rules are not met, then the federal money cannot be used to fund road projects anywhere in the six-county region.
Local government representatives in CAMPO were gearing up to push local projects forward for financing assistance, before the federal warning came in last week. Now, officials worry three months worth of work might lead to nowhere.
“The FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) is concerned about allocation by percentage or by population,” CAMPO Interim Director Joe Cantalupo said, adding that FHWA advised money for local projects should not be allocated by population, but should instead have a review process against a set criteria, or a more “traditional call for projects.”
Hays County was preparing to distribute a $5.68 million allocation the planning board had provided for local projects within its boundaries. That figure included a $1.38 million baseline amount provided to the third most populous county amongst the group’s members – Bastrop, Burnett, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties.
“We, CAMPO staff, will work with [FHWA and TxDOT] to sketch a process out that reflects the board’s intent to allocate money, or to distribute money to local governments, recognizing the fact that they all have different level of needs,” Cantalupo said.
Before FHWA’s warning, CAMPO set up a funding mechanism for the $104 million it identified as available funding for 2014 through 2018.
The planning group’s policy board, chaired by Hays County Commissioner Will Conley, set aside $8.3 million to provide each county with a baseline allocation, and the remaining $95.5 million to be split 50/50 for regional transportation projects and road projects in local jurisdictions.
The local portion, $47.77 million, was allocated based on population numbers, with Travis County by far taking the largest chunk of the local money pot.
“Incidentally, this process has been done similarly in the past. In fact, that was the basis for this current process – (it) was 2011. It wasn’t arbitrary,” said Bastrop County Commissioner Clara Beckett, who serves on CAMPO’s policy board and on the group’s finance subcommittee, which recommended the funding mechanism now in question.
Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell questioned whether the local portion would stay the same. His city stands to benefit greatly from the local allocation funding mechanism, as Travis County would have received close to $30 million, based on its population.
“That was an important compromise and a controversial one … and I think that would be disruptive to undo that part,” Leffingwell said. “But, just merely going back and seeing how you reallocate local projects among various jurisdictions, obviously we have to do that and I think that’s appropriate.”
Cantalupo assured CAMPO’s policy board that staff would quickly develop a local project funding criteria. One option is having every county list one priority project.
“We’re going to … redefine the process, and define it hopefully in a way where the board gets to do what it would like to do, which is make sure that the distribution of funds is fair to local governments,” Cantalupo said.
CAMPO is on the hunt for a new leader as the former director, Maureen McCoy, abruptly resigned last month. She is now serving as a senior adviser until her retirement this summer. Cantalupo, who previously served as director for the board, was hired as interim director at the board’s February meeting.
Austin Councilman Chris Riley insisted that the planning organization’s new director be well versed with federal transportation requirements to avoid doubts and redesigns of processes the CAMPO board approves under the guardianship of staff.
“This is a major distribution of funds that we’re talking about, and we really ought to be able to rely on our staff to provide guidance about the federal requirements applicable to those funds,” he said.
CAMPO will discuss criteria for the allocation of the $47.77 million available for road projects in local jurisdictions at its April meeting.
“I think it can be done and can be done fairly quickly,” Cantalupo said.
