transportation; data
collection; planning
DPA |
Committee on Transportation |
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Committee on Appropriations |
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Caucus and COW |
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Third Read |
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As Passed the House |
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HB 2660 contains seven major provisions pertaining to
transportation planning and programming by state and local entities.
Current Status
HB 2660 was amended in the Transportation Committee to limit performance based planning to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). Specifies that ADOT will cooperate with local, regional, and tribal agencies in carrying out certain provisions of the bill. Limits the ADOT 20-year plan to the State Highway System and removes references to “regionally significant modes of transportation.” Eliminates all penalty provisions relating to withholding distribution of transportation funds.
History
The Governor’s Vision 21 Transportation Task Force has recommended several transportation process reforms based on the Task Force’s review, studies and findings regarding the current system of transportation planning and programming. HB 2660 contains the following seven major process reforms:
1.
Establish a 20-Year
Multi-modal Transportation Plan. Current
statute only requires ADOT to develop a 20-Year Highway Construction Plan. This recommendation envisions a 20-year plan
that eventually will cover all regionally significant transportation facilities
and services.
2.
Standardize the collecting
and reporting of transportation data. According
to the Task-Force findings, the long-range plans developed by the Arizona
Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the metropolitan planning organizations
(e.g. MAG and PAG) contain significant differences and are not comparable for
state-wide planning purposes.
3.
Require all jurisdictions to
use performance based planning and programming.
According to Task Force findings, this is probably the most significant
reform because it is intended to minimize the politics behind transportation
planning and decision-making. New
federal computer models are now available which enable transportation officials
to model potential impacts of different transportation solutions (e.g. adding
new lane capacity versus expanded transit service in a corridor). The Task Force found that by using this new
technology, all transportation agencies could utilize standard criteria for
evaluating and selecting transportation projects or services. ADOT has hired a nationally recognized
consultant to help incorporate performance based planning and programming into
the development of the 20-year transportation plan.
4.
Maintain transportation
system needs data. This recommendation is a
subset
of the proposed mandate to collect and report
transportation data in a standardized manner. This recommendation requires all
jurisdictions to annually report basic (standardized) transportation needs data
to ADOT. The Department currently has a
Data Center that has the capability to store and compile this information.
5.
Establish transportation
system performance measures. This recommendation is
a subset of the mandate to use performance based
planning and programming. The State Transportation Board (Board) in
consultation with regional, tribal and local planning entities, would be
required to adopt standard criteria or methods to measure the impact of
transportation projects and services.
The Task-Force findings indicate that most jurisdictions are not
consistently measuring how well our transportation system or regionally
significant projects or service perform in solving an identified problem (e.g.,
congestion or safety).
6.
Establish comprehensive
financial management. This Task-Force
recommendation recognizes the success of the MAG Life Cycle Program that was
implemented in 1991 to closely track ½-cent Valley freeway revenues to
expenditures. This management tool
would apply to the major transportation projects or services contained in the
state’s long-range transportation plan.
7. Audit the uses of dedicated transportation monies. Currently, there is no formal process for periodically reviewing how cities and counties spend their HURF dollars. This legislation adds the reporting of this information to the annual financial audits that the cities, towns and counties must conduct each year under current law.
New
Responsibilities for the State Transportation Board (Board)
1.
Develop and adopt a Statewide Transportation Policy Statement by
January 1, 2003, which will provide guidance in establishing a comprehensive,
balanced statewide highway system. The
Statement shall include performance expectations and ensure that the future
transportation system facilitates, rather than directs, future development in
the state. (Section 28-304 and 28-306).
2.
Adopt a long- range transportation plan by July 1, 2004, while
considering local, regional, and tribal transportation goals (Section 28-307).
3.
Adopt uniform transportation planning practices and performance based
processes for the state highway system on or before July 1, 2003 (Sections
28-502 and 28-503).
4.
Adopt
transportation system performance measures and factors and data collection
standards for use by the department and the board, on or before July 1, 2003
(Sections 28-504 and 28-505).
Arizona Department
of Transportation -Transportation Planning Division Duties (TPD)
Uniform
Transportation Planning and Practices {28-501}
The
TPD is required to develop uniform transportation planning and practices for
use by ADOT when planning transportation system improvements in the long-range
plan.
The
TPD is required to consult with local, regional, and tribal transportation
agencies to develop performance based planning and programming processes, and
procedures and criteria to be used by ADOT.
The performance based process standards are contained in the bill, and
upon completion by TPD, are to be approved by the Board.
The
performance based planning and programming process shall be utilized by the
Department and the Board to evaluate the current performance of the
transportation system and to prioritize changes to the system and determine
future allocations of state and federal financial resources among ADOT’s major
program categories..
The
performance based planning and programming process shall be used to monitor and
evaluate transportation planning decisions in the department’s five-year plan
and for evaluating and prioritizing proposed changes to the plan and program.
Performance Measures, Data
Collection and Reporting {28-504 & 28-505}
The
TPD shall develop standardized system performance measures, appropriate units
of measurement and processes for reporting the measurements (in
consultation). The goal of the
measurements are to determine the transportation system’s effectiveness in
moving people, goods and services in relation to transportation system
costs.
In
addition, the Division must develop data collection and reporting methodologies
in consultation with local, regional and tribal transportation agencies.
The bill delineates the types of data to be collected.
Transportation
System Performance Factors and Weights {28-505}
TPD
is required to develop transportation system performance factors and factor
weights. The performance factors and
weights are to be used to evaluate potential transportation projects, select
transportation projects for inclusion in the “Five Year Transportation
Facilities Construction Program” and the “Long-Range Statewide Multi-Modal
Transportation Plan” and allocate state and federal funds for these projects.
Long-range Statewide
Multi-modal Transportation Plan (Plan) {28-506}
TPD
is required to develop a Plan under the Board’s direction anticipating critical
statewide transportation needs for the next twenty years using performance
based planing practices adopted by the Board.
In addition, the Plan shall reflect local and county land use plans and
consider information developed as a result of federally mandated planning
processes.
Comprehensive
Financial Management System {28-335}
Requires the Department to establish a comprehensive financial management system that includes separate certifications of future estimated revenues and system costs. All state and regional transportation agencies are to assist ADOT in preparing the certifications. If reliable information cannot be found, ADOT may develop estimates of revenues or costs of components of the system.
Beginning in FY 03-04 a city, town or county must utilize a certified public accountant to determine if HURF monies were used solely for transportation purposes (Section 9-481).
Expands the duties of the director of ADOT to include assisting regional transportation planning agencies, councils of government and tribal governments in achieving an integrated and efficient regional transportation system (28-363).
States
that on December 31 of each year the chief financial officer of each political
subdivision shall certify whether the political subdivision complied with the
planning and reporting requirements set forth by in this act (28-6548).
The
STB shall consider the recommendations and priorities identified by the
Governor’s Vision 21 Task Force in the development and adoption of the initial
Plan.
If
ADOT cannot obtain specific information and estimates, it may use reasonable
estimates in developing the Plan.
ADOT
is required to develop a timetable for implementing the transportation planning
improvements delineated in the bill including estimated start-up and ongoing
costs.
The
STB is to monitor the progress made by the department in improving
transportation planning and practices.
The STB is to report progress made to the Governor, legislature and
Transportation Committee Chairpersons by January 1, 2004.
HB 2660 was amended in the
Transportation Committee as follows:
·
Limits
performance based planning to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
·
Specifies
that ADOT, in cooperation with local, regional and tribal agencies is to
develop and maintain a geographically oriented database of the existing and
planned components of the statewide transportation system.
·
Specifies
that ADOT, in cooperation with local, regional and tribal agencies is to
prepare for presentation to the State Transportation Board standards and
guidelines delineating standardized data and information that recognize the
differences in local and regional circumstances.
·
Limits
the ADOT 20-year plan to the State Highway System and removes references to
“regionally significant modes of transportation.”
·
Eliminates
all penalty provisions relating to withholding distribution of transportation
funds.
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DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------
45th Legislature
Second Regular Session 5 March 26, 2002
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DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------