HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-23-22 Public Comment - R. Zimmer - Your Obligations to County & School District plus Work Plan CommentsFrom:Ralph Zimmer
To:Agenda
Cc:Marilee Brown
Subject:Your Obligations to County & School District plus Work Plan Comments
Date:Wednesday, March 23, 2022 7:28:51 AM
Attachments:PTS Responsibilit adopted 21-11-10.docx
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Wednesday, March 23, 2022
To ALL Members of Transportation Super Board (BOTH Voting and Non-Voting), Mayor
Cyndy Andrus, Deputy Mayor Terry Cuningham, Jeff Mihelic, Taylor Lonsdale, MikeMesick
Friends,
During the public comment period at your last meeting, I promised to send you the
documents describing the commitments the City has made to have your Board continue theactivities of the former Bozeman Area Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee. I will share
that info with you in a moment and then I will suggest to you how that commitment needs tobe translated into the work plan that you will be considering at your meeting later today.
In the mid-1970's, the Bozeman City Commission, the Gallatin County Commission, and
the Bozeman School District jointly signed an Inter-Local agreement creating PTS whose areaof operation extended beyond the Bozeman city limits out into the County. Thus when the
City wanted to create the City's Transportation Board, all three governments had to legallyagree to terminate PTS.
As part of that transition process, the Bozeman City Commission adopted a resolution
reading in part "..all duties, obligations, andfunctions established in the Inter-Local Agreement will be assumed by the City of
Bozeman's Transportation Board." The City obviously provided that language to the Countyand the School District and they added it as well.
Note two things. First, note that the City agreed your Board will carry on all of PTS's
functions, duties, etc. Second, note the City agreed to perform those activities not only withinthe city limits but outside in the county.
No former member of PTS was appointed to your Board so let me share with you a
document describing PTS's activities. That document is attached to this email.
Transportation Board Work Plan
PTS's former Vice Chairperson, Marilee Brown, and I have conspired on the below
comments. We are suggesting only the most needed changes to Focus Areas 2 & 3 of yourdraft work plan
Focus Area 2
1. Change wording: Formulate criteria and advise on prioritization of Capital Bike,Pedestrian and Road projects. (Resolution 5326, PTS Termination Agreements, Historic
Activities, Duties, and responsibilities of PTS)
3. Routine Work (add to Focus Area 2 just like there is in parking Focus Area 1) complaint reviews and interfacing with other government bodies. (Resolution 5326, PTS
Termination Agreements, Historic Activities, Duties, and responsibilities of PTS, Interlocalagreement of 1977 and 1976).
a. Serve as a sounding board and facilitator to address citizen concerns or suggestions
according to geographical or other engineering constraints.
b. Work with governing bodies to mutually solve problems of pedestrian-traffic safetyand coordinate solutions to pedestrian-traffic safety.
4. SAFETY PLAN Update, obtain funding and implement the Bozeman Community
Transportation Safety Plan including input on changing City and State Statutes. Supportpolicies for the education and outreach to citizens of Bozeman on community transportation
issues. Note - this item is not covered by other Boards. (Resolution 5326 sec. 2.4, PTSTermination Agreements, Historic Activities, Duties, and responsibilities of PTS)
5. DESIGN STANDARDS Advocate for design, construction and traffic calming
standards in all Focus areas. Encourage the development of physical facilities and servicesnecessary to establish the safe, efficient, and convenient mobility of non-motorized/vehicular
traffic. (Resolution 5326, PTS Termination Agreements, Historic Activities, Duties, andResponsibilities of PTS, Inter-local agreement of 1977 and 1976)
6. MPO Planning.
7. Assist City and County in making their websites easier for citizens to make
transportation-related suggestions, requests, and complaints.
Focus Area 3
Make it clear that Multi modal includes Traffic.
Capitol Improvement Plan should include: match funding, new categories of capital
funding and prioritizing capital projects (see Historic Activities, Duties and Responsibilitiesof PTS)
Note. One method of determining project priorities is to identify different criteriadeserving consideration, assign each prospective project points in each category, sum
those scores for each project, and prioritize those projects based on those sums. However, traditionally there is another step. Engineering judgement, administrative
judgement, or similar "adjustment" to the results is typical and sometimes necessary(for example, when there are restrictions on the use of some of the available funds), It
is this last step that is the most critical in the determination of project priorities. Basedon our experience, we would urge the Transportation Board to insist on being directly
involved in that final step.
Ralph W. Zimmer (former PTS Chairperson) Marilee Brown (former PTS Vice Chairperson)
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