00:00:00,140	S4:
I can hear you loud and clear.

00:00:01,860	S5:
Oh, great.

00:00:02,860	S2:
Excellent.

00:00:04,180	S6:
I can hear you now, too. Rachel.

00:00:06,220	S5:
Okay.

00:00:07,220	S2:
Um. Well, happy. Happy that, uh, DMA was able to help us through that. Um, we have a quorum, so? So I think we'll get started. Um.

00:00:22,180	S2:
Uh. Well, good morning, everyone. Welcome to the, uh, July 17th meeting of the Bismarck Mandan MPO Technical Advisory Committee meeting. Uh, we will start with roll call.

00:00:37,380	S7:
Daniel. Darren.

00:00:41,400	S4:
Present.

00:00:43,200	S7:
Dan Schriock.

00:00:44,800	S3:
Yes. Here.

00:00:46,400	S7:
Deidre Hughes.

00:00:47,200	S5:
Here.

00:00:48,120	S7:
Gabe Schell here. John Saiki here. Andrew. Stromme here. Justin.

00:00:52,840	S5:
Frost here.

00:00:54,600	S7:
Nick Nustad. Mitch Flanagan. Natalie Pierce. Dean Schloss. Here. Wayne Zacher. Here and.

00:01:06,520	S2:
Here. We have a quorum. Uh, first item on the agenda is review and possible approval of the minutes.

00:01:18,360	What are the wishes of the board? S8:
This is Gabe. I'd move to approve.

00:01:20,280	S2:
Thank you. Gabe, there's a first.

00:01:25,240	Is there a second? S9:
I'll second.

00:01:26,080	S2:
Thanks, Justin. Roll call.

00:01:29,640	S7:
Daniel Nairn.

00:01:32,480	S10:
Yes.

00:01:33,440	S7:
Dan Schriock. Yes. Deidre Hughes.

00:01:36,120	S5:
Yes.

00:01:36,600	S7:
Gabe Schell. Yes. John Saiki. Yes. Andrew Stromme. Yes. Justin. Rosset. Yes. Natalie Pierce. Yes. Dean Schloss. Yes. Wayne Zacher. Yes. Lucas. Jeske.

00:01:46,310	S5:
Yes.

00:01:46,870	S2:
Minutes are approved. Item two on the agenda is a jurisdictional payments for task 204 to remind the board. Task 204 is the task within the Unified Planning Work Program, which denotes transportation planning, transportation plans and studies, and data acquisitions. With the 2020 census, populations have changed um, which impact the amount of local match that is recommended from each of the local partners. Uh, exhibit A in the packet, and I apologize. I don't have that up. Maybe I can share it on the Elmo.

00:02:59,570	S11:
Sorry to be going old school. I'll get the, uh, the packet up as well. Um, uh, but.

00:03:09,370	S2:
Uh, so you can see here in the table. Uh, the 2020 census breakout, uh, Bismarck's share was 12%, Mandan 4%, Burleigh County 3%. And then Lincoln and Morton each shared 0.5%. And this is on projects where all five jurisdictions were participating and the split was divided by population. Um, there are occasionally studies where a split is divided by land base, and in that case a different calculation would be used specific for those those projects and programs. But with regards to the population based breakout. The 2020 census adjusts those numbers very, very slightly. Bismarck is 11.9, Mandan 3.9, Burleigh County 2.9, Lincoln 0.7 and Morton County 0.6. So staff is not necessarily recommending that we we change because these numbers are so similar. It would make sense or could make sense for us to retain the whole number that we have indicated from the 2010 census. And although I wasn't here when these numbers were adopted, I believe through talking with other staff members that the the rounding did occur in 2010 as well. So if we're interested in rounding, we could revert back to 2010 numbers. But with that in mind, I will leave this with the board to discuss on how you would like to recommend those splits to be shared amongst the jurisdictions, and I can take any questions that you might have.

00:05:01,900	S2:
Yes, Justin.

00:05:03,740	S9:
So would it be fair to say, I guess, what the round of that would be a touch or a little bit administratively easier for you to use those whole numbers, and the 0.9 and the 0.7 and the 0.6 is or is that are you indifferent to that? As MPL staff.

00:05:20,260	S2:
We, I use an Excel spreadsheet to determine the cost shares. And so it I could work with either of these uh, whatever attack and Attacking policy. Board preferred.

00:05:40,880	S8:
Rachel, I feel comfortable with just using the same rounded numbers. I think even though it might, my Excel might be doing the work. When we start splitting pennies by a fraction of a percentage at some point, that's just overkill for what we're trying to get out of the concept. So I guess with that I would move to approve using the rounded numbers. So really maintaining the 2010 cost sharing.

00:06:03,720	S5:
Very good.

00:06:04,960	S2:
There is a first. Is there a second second. Thank you Natalie. We'll take roll call.

00:06:11,480	S7:
Daniel Nairn.

00:06:12,720	S10:
Yes.

00:06:13,360	S7:
Dan Schriock.

00:06:14,560	S10:
Yes.

00:06:15,000	S7:
Deidre Hughes.

00:06:15,720	S5:
Yes.

00:06:16,240	S7:
Gabe Schell. Yes. John Saiki. Yes. Andrew. Stromme. Yes. Justin. Frozen. Yes. Natalie Pierce. Yes. Dean Schloss. Yes. Wayne Zacher. Yes. Chair. Lucas. Jeske.

00:06:27,560	S2:
Yes. Motion is approved. Item three on the agenda is the arrived 2050 forecast arrived 2050 MTP update. Um, Jason. Hello. I thought Scott was going to be giving the update. Um, or I misunderstood Scott. But, uh, Jason, since since you're here, I will let you get started.

00:06:48,980	S12:
Yeah. Good morning. Can everybody hear me? Okay.

00:06:52,620	S2:
Yes. We can.

00:06:53,740	S12:
Okay, great. Yeah. So, um, quick progress update. I know Luke on the on the 2050 forecast side, Luke shared some, um, updated allocation, uh, with the with a lot of the group, I believe it was a couple weeks ago. We were looking for comments on that. I believe by the end of the day tomorrow. So if you have a chance to get those comments, um, to Luke and Scott, that would be great. Um, on the MTP side, um, you know, I had our first, uh, steering committee meeting, um, June 29th. Um, we're working through getting, uh, the, uh, the first steps of the MTP going, uh, talking with our household survey firm, uh, etc.. Uh, we've been engaging with them to get kind of the survey questions drawn up. Um, looking at the how much of the 2014 survey. So, um, ten years ago, did a survey thought it'd be really interesting to see how community perceptions have changed over time. And so, you know, revisiting that ten years later, which of those questions do we want to change up a little bit? Which ones have a lot of merit to kind of look at, you know, ten years later? Um, and then we're starting to also begin planning for the, our first open house, um, engagement milestone, uh, shooting for probably, um, October, November somewhere, somewhere in that range. Um, and, uh, yeah. And those are the highlights for, uh, what's been going on this month. I'll open it up for any questions.

00:08:25,050	S5:
Yeah. Okay.

00:08:28,030	S2:
Thanks, Jason. Are there any questions for for Jason?

00:08:37,030	S2:
I don't see any questions. Thanks a lot. Jason. Have a great.

00:08:39,670	S13:
Day, everyone.

00:08:40,590	S12:
Yeah.

00:08:40,870	S3:
You too.

00:08:44,470	S2:
Item four on the agenda is the 2022 Transit Development Plan Update with Bill Trow. Welcome, Bill.

00:08:53,150	S12:
Good morning.

00:08:54,830	S14:
That what I wanted to cover this morning, um, was essentially two parts of the plan that we're currently working on, uh, that are the least that are the focus of the plan that we're working on now. Um, and I've got a couple of slides here that I would like to share in that. Um, so the things that I wanted to talk about a little bit were two parts. One is one element of the TDP that we are working on is asking the question and assessing and evaluating the question of whether or not there should be a change in the organizational structure of of business in transit, or essentially how transit in the region and transit decisions in the region are made. And as part of this, we had a workshop that was that included members of the transit board and members of the key departments of the City of Bismarck, commissioners commissioner from the city of Bismarck. And there was also conversation with the Commissioner for Mandan that that has transportation or the transit system in their portfolio. And really, the gist of this conversation goes all the way back to the beginning of the of the scope that we have for the transit development plan was is answering the question, is there a need to really to change the current structure, and if so, what what might that that concept look like into the future? And that was really the, the concept and the, the elements that we had looked at. So just to kind of all I want to do right now this morning is kind of touch on those various alternatives that we are looking at, because there was not really a determination of, yep, we need to make some change and this is the way we want to go, so that as we work our way through the final steps of the transfer development plan, we will be documenting the range of alternatives. But then those go forward steps that still need to be done. Um, as as work on this question essentially continues that, you know, one of the primary concerns that there is today is that it's just. There are a lot of people in a lot of different departments that kind of touch transit within the region, whether or not it's it's planning, whether or not it's the final decision making, whether or not it's accounting, whether or not it's legal, whether or not it's HR, that there are a lot of different departments, primarily at the city of Bismarck, that touch transit. And the question is, is, is are there more efficient ways of going about a lot of those decisions? Are there more cost effective ways of going about the decision making and the operations or transit that that the graphic here on the left side essentially shows the organizational structure that we have today. The idea that the City Commission commissions work with the transit board. The transit board then hires an executive director and a limited amount of staff. But then there is also the relationship with the contractor that provides fixed route and paratransit service. And the idea here of that that I have this colored for the contractor comes into play because some of the concepts that we had looked at. Um, we're also asked the question of, well, would it be better to, to essentially bring transit operations in-house to one of the jurisdictions within the region? Um, as we look through that question from a cost standpoint, um, the conclusion was, is that it's unlikely that, um, bringing all of the services in-house, which would bring, you know, all of the drivers would bring mechanics, would bring um, dispatchers and the various other personnel that that operate transit within the region, inside or in-house to likely the city of Bismarck. Um, in all likelihood, it's that would not result in a in a cost savings. Um, and, you know, it adds a whole lot of, of additional responsibility and day to day management. So I think one of the key things in the conversation that we did have was that the idea of continuing with a contractor to essentially provide the day to day elements of the service is the way to go. We had also looked at the idea of, and here's the whole idea of, of bringing service in-house, whether or not it might be a new department, whether or not within an existing department. And here the key element was the conversation of what what how did the how did the roles and responsibilities of the transit board change? Um, in all likelihood, in this kind of a of a setup, they become more advisory than anything else. Um, relative to where they're at today. Um, and we had the conversation within each of these as a potential way to go. Um, we also had in that conversation, uh, had talked about the idea of developing an authority. Um, so essentially there would whereas today there is that direct line of connection between the commission and the city of Bismarck. Um, and transit decisions within authority that that board would be, um, essentially offset, separate, have more responsibilities of doing all of the aspects or controlling all of the aspects of transit within the region, in all likelihood. Still continuing along with with a contractor to provide the services. Um, in that that uh, the here that the transit board would then be responsible for, for budgeting, for determining the level of service for, um, essentially developing any, any in administering grants and those kinds of things. And they would have, you know, a substantially greater level of of authority. And in that conversation that we had was also we had talked about, well, how does that board then become, uh, come to come in, come to play, whether or not it's an elected board, whether or not it's an appointed board. For the most part, transit boards around the country are essentially appointed by the jurisdiction or the. Well, I guess essentially the jurisdiction that still has control over the entire service area that we've also, in the last couple of years, completed a very similar study over in Fargo. Um, and there, uh, the decision was that they would continue to look at the idea of a transit authority. Uh, there it gets a little bit more complicated because you have Fargo-Moorhead. When you're bringing together two different states here, we would still have that kind of two jurisdiction jurisdictional area conversation, but at least they're both within the within the same state. So we are continuing to to reach out to Fargo to see exactly where they are at, because whether or not you created an authority in Fargo or you created an authority in Moorhead or in Bismarck and Mandan, there would need to be action by the state legislature. And then the discussion here also was was the whole idea of, well, where do you still get those services that are essentially purchased from the city? In legal, in finance, in HR. Is it logical and cost effective to bring those under the the as employees of the authority, or is it still cost effective and and appropriate to have those purchased from the city of Bismarck. Those conversations, I think, need to continue as the concept is, is continue to be reviewed. Um, again, there wasn't really a consensus in that conversation of where to go. Um, I think other than it shouldn't be a department of the city or under one of the existing departments at the city. Um, I'm going to stop for a second there and see if there are any questions, um, pertaining to the organizational structure or, um, Deidre or others that were present, if you want to add anything.

00:17:48,520	S2:
Any questions or comments for Bill?

00:17:51,240	S8:
Bill, this is Gabe Schell. Can you maybe just summarize that summary? Again, I couldn't tell if you said should or should not be. And so I just want to make sure I understood that the key takeaway of that last sentence of what you okay.

00:18:00,920	S14:
The the that that the you mean relative to the becoming a city department?

00:18:05,440	S8:
Yep.

00:18:05,720	S14:
Yep. that it should not.

00:18:08,430	S8:
Thank you.

00:18:09,830	S14:
Yep.

00:18:11,550	S8:
So either status quo or a identified independent board, or kind of the two options that have the most traction to them. Yes. Okay. Thank you.

00:18:24,510	S3:
Okay.

00:18:25,270	S14:
The other very important element that we are working on also is and I think I had reported this earlier, or I guess I know I have reported this earlier, is the idea that there remains a gap between the annual revenue that is generated from the various sources of fares of federal grants of state, um, matching dollars and local funds relative to what it costs to provide the service, the transit service today within Bismarck and Mandan. Um, that um that that that also we are tasked in. This update of the transit development plan is to identify and investigate and and come to some conclusions as to how to go about closing that gap. Um, and then in the conversations that are current today, we have essentially divided that that discussion into an immediate term and looking at some options in the immediate term, um, in supporting what we're calling is or what would be defined as the non Ada services that are provided in the region today, but then also looking to the long term to identify alternatives, that is that close the gap that we are seeing today, that is along the lines of about 1,000,003 on an annual basis. And maybe reiterating what the graphic over here on the right side is that it takes about $4 million of cash on hand to operate Bismarck and Transit over the course of a year. And presently there is right at that minimum of about $4 million available. But as we have that gap between what the revenue is and what the expenditures are, we are spending down that that operating that operating cash balance. And the expectation is that by 2026 that those that the cash balance will be exhausted, so that between now and then, we need to figure out a way of resolving the alternative and that for the situation. And we had looked at opportunities or options for reducing service. Um, I think as I presented last time, is that none of those options are good. All of those options leave people that are currently using transit, whether or not it's fixed route, whether or not it's it's paratransit, whether or not it's not an Ada demand response service that's available that that somebody is left out and not provided transportation to work, to medical, to just those things that that provide a quality of life service. So the the focus here is, is looking for alternate methodologies, alternate sources of closing the gap. So talking just a little bit about that, um, that short term that we have are looking at, at what we're calling is the, the non Ada service that Ada paratransit is essentially that complimentary service for those folks that can't ride fixed route service. Um, to give them another opportunity that is more curb to curb, more door to door. And that service is really defined as operating only in those same hours as fixed route. And what this graphic is showing you in the green are the hours over the course of the various periods of the year and the ridership in each of those periods of what is non EA. So that service that's operating early in the morning, the service that's operating late in the evening, the service that's operated on Sunday, the service that's operated on six holidays when there isn't a fixed route service that that each of these periods fall into that category of non Ada service. Um, so the idea here is that that over the course of the last several years, the transit board has requested some adjustments, reductions in these periods. But each time there is the request the response is no, we should continue to provide service in those periods. But with that decision, there isn't really. Also, the accompanying well, here is additional funding to essentially support that decision. And the idea now is that we are looking for funding to support that decision that presently in transit does receive a what is a FTA? Section 5310 grant to operate some of that service. And essentially it's the evening service uh, during the weekday. Um, so from after 7 p.m. to the midnight, is that that there is a grant to provide some of the cost of that service? The grant covers the operating contract and fuel. That is about 80% or more Of the the cost of that service. But then that that boat is not covered in the grant or some of those administrative costs that go along with just providing that service in those those periods, which include insurance and building costs, maintenance, the wear and tear on vehicles, those kinds of things are not covered under that grant. Um, and that the purpose of the current request is, is to try to recoup those costs that are associated with each of those non Ada periods and the administrative costs associated with that with with operating service, in those periods that are total cost of operations were estimated to be about $428,000.

00:24:56,870	Um, for the 2022 2023 period that we collect about $37,338 S14:
in fares. So the net operating costs in that period, it's about 390 or 391,000. The grant covers about 120,000, and that leaves the balance of about 270,000, which is the ASP that we've had to the city commission or the concept of the dollar amount we had discussed, and that the result of that conversation was that we need to do a little bit more work. Uh, principally the the uh, City Commission had had stated that, well, it's not just the city of Bismarck or residents of the city of Bismarck that used the service in those periods. We should also be looking to Mandan, looking to Lincoln, um, to help fund those that that increment of that service, and that's work that is ongoing at this point in time. Um, to, to again help close up that gap. Um, that uh, but then also. Looking more long term, we are looking at additional alternatives that could be and what was really discussed a lot, I think, at the workshop with uh, the commissioner and members of the transit board and city staff was well, the options that are really available to us. Are there still room in the property tax levy in both Bismarck and Mandan? That is an option. But then there may be more appropriate or palatable options of looking for a sales tax increase. And the the result of that conversation was that there probably isn't much appetite locally for any kind of a property tax mill levy adjustment, but there may be a little bit more of an appetite or or looking for a sales tax increase when particularly I think when you look at at at with a sales tax, there's opportunities, I'll say, for those folks that are that come from outside region to do their shopping or whatever in Bismarck and Mandan that, that the, you know, the local jurisdictions are getting a little bit of help from outside the region to, to help close that gap. So these are these are kind of the the primary things that we are working on presently with the TDP. We do have a public meeting in our final public meeting that is scheduled for next Tuesday. Um, the first meeting will be at the Mandan Public Library at noon. The second one will be at the Bismarck Veterans Library from 430 to 6 p.m.. And with that, I think I am ready to take any questions that you may have regarding the conversation.

00:28:06,020	S2:
Thanks so much, Bill. Are there questions from the board for Bill on the TDP or the financial request?

00:28:13,420	S15:
Uh, Bill, this is Natalie. I was wondering, so you're talking about the budget shortfall, but then you're talking about the paratransit. Was the assessment basically that the, um, extended hours paratransit, that that's what is the cause of the budget shortfall, or is that just one portion of it?

00:28:29,940	S14:
That's just one portion that, you know, in the slide I was showing that. Okay. So if our gap is about 1,000,003 and the um, well, really we have not gone through a process of saying this is the is the particular reason that there is a shortfall, because there isn't one aspect of the system necessarily that causes the the shortfall. It's just that the the level of service that's being provided is, is more than we're investing the dollar. And I don't think any of us that are doing the analysis really want to get in and start pointing the finger of this is the the situation that is causing now when we're looking at the after hours for the non Ada service, is that is a portion of the service that's provided that is not necessarily um, uh, funded or not necessarily, um, appropriate to be funded with uh, federal grants that fund either fixed route or Complimentary Ada paratransit service. So that's why we're focusing, at least in the short term, on an additional request for that portion of the service.

00:29:55,310	S15:
And then, um, I guess I didn't see anything. I know when we've talked in previous years, these plans and, you know, there were plans to try to have campaigns to increase ridership and that kind of thing. I didn't know in terms of the, you know, economics of it, if your input is higher ridership, if that still doesn't even get you, you know what I mean to your balanced budget or if that was looked at.

00:30:17,870	S14:
Yeah, that that, you know, you're kind of we're kind of in a catch 22 relative to trying to increase ridership, to increase ridership. We need to provide a service that is more convenient essentially than we're providing today. But to enhance the level of convenience, we need more money. So our focus Initially, our initial focus at this point in time is closing the existing gap, because, I mean, it is a very significant gap. And we we believe that we have to close that gap first, because within the next three years, the system is going to essentially be insolvent. And at that point in time, you know, there needs to be some very drastic decision that made at that point in time. So first we close the gap. Then we look for ways to enhance the service, to improve the the convenience that then is going to result or could then result in more ridership. But understanding that, you know that that the fares don't cover the incremental cost and any additional ridership that we get through expansion of the system is, you know, it's going to result in the need to increase the subsidy. Thanks. But there's where we bring the argument of folks that are riding transit. You know, they're not just riding around town, that they're going to work. They're going to medical medical visits. All of those things generate utility within the community and essentially provide a net benefit to the community of having that service. So that's where, you know, things get to be very, you know, tricky to a certain extent in that you reduce service, you reduce the utility that people get from that service. Fewer people use it to go to work, and maybe fewer people decide they can't go to work in Bismarck and Mandan because they can't get there on a on a consistent basis. So it you know, there's a whole lot of moving parts that we need to be addressing.

00:32:38,700	S15:
Thanks, Bill.

00:32:41,540	S2:
Yes, Bill. Another question from Gabe.

00:32:44,420	S8:
Yeah. Bill, this is Gabe Schell. Just regarding that last public input meeting, a lot of times when we have public meetings, whether it's a transit plan or an MPO plan or city Bismarck plan or a Dot plan, whatever it might be, it's always difficult to get the right stakeholders in the group. So you have the stakeholder set that you know about. And in this situation, I have no doubt that it will be well attended by those that are using transit and those that are using that service and have a vested interest in the results of this thing. But then when you start, you know, saying that there's an issue that we need to raise taxes or do something along that line, all of a sudden it's an entirely different stakeholder group that doesn't have the same background of the knowledge of what you've learned and the conversation that you've had this entire time with the community of the stakeholders that you knew about. So it's like kind of at the end here, we're capturing some new stakeholders that we haven't visited with, and really, we won't be visiting until almost the plan is done and the decision is made to raise a property tax or do a sales tax or do a thing, whatever that thing ends up being. Can you speak to how, in the limited time that we still have the plan as an active thing, we can use that time wisely to set ourselves up for that next stage of that conversation that has to take place.

00:33:51,880	S14:
Yeah, I think that, uh, you know, last week at the, uh, Bismarck City Commission meeting that, um, you know, an entirely different audience than we traditionally have been getting at public meetings for transit in Bismarck and Mandan. Um, got to, I think, get a, a crash course in the situation that there is. And I think going forward, our our plan is to work closely with the city commissioners, work closely with, uh, the, the city departments to make sure that that the information about transit, about the the budget issues that are going on. Kind of get more distributed within that, that those groups that traditionally haven't really come to a transit public meeting, you know, understanding that the transit use population or the portion of the entire table within the region that is made on transit is relatively small. I think a lot of people just don't really think about the aspects that there is of, of the need for the costs associated with transit in the region. So I think the idea again, that that we're probably going to be a little bit more present at at commission meetings and make presentations there, talk a little bit more with commissioners, talk more with with staff. And I would also the information that we We will be presenting next week at the public meeting. I gotta believe that there's going to be a little bit more interest from the local newspapers, the local TV and radio stations that will allow us to have access to maybe a little bit different audience than we have traditionally.

00:35:52,530	S8:
Thank you. And one maybe follow up, maybe this is my own not understanding of where all these pieces are, but do we have a website for this? Or where are these documents so that those that may have missed that particular meeting or that commission update, whatever it might be, can kind of gather that information as a resource hub of all this great information, because really has been excellent information this entire time. But I'm just sitting in a very privileged seat to be able to hear it as it's coming in.

00:36:21,170	But how does someone get caught up to speed on where we're at in this process? S14:
So the bulk of the information we've been using the transit website as the repository. Um, understanding that that that should be the location where, you know, a person can go to to get everything that they they need to understand about transit service within the region. I believe that there are also links to that to that information on the MPO website. Rachel, please correct me if I'm wrong.

00:36:49,470	S2:
I would. Steven is saying yes.

00:36:52,990	S14:
But I'm wrong.

00:36:53,870	S5:
No, no. Stevenson. Yes, they they are there. He manages the webpages for us.

00:36:59,190	S14:
Okay.

00:37:00,990	S3:
Sorry.

00:37:02,470	S14:
Um, and and I think you know it, I think for the, the meeting next week, particularly the one um, at the, at at the, the Bismarck Veterans library that we should go through and record that presentation and have that link then, um, connected to the website to give people a, you know, not only access to the slides, but access to the. Explanation of the information that's being presented. And and I think that that will help a lot of people get a little bit more of a, of a background.

00:37:46,170	S8:
Okay. Thank you very much.

00:37:48,290	S2:
Thanks, Bill. Any other questions or comments from the board for Bill? Um, well, I from an MPO staff standpoint, I would like to extend a thank you to Deidre and her staff and Bill and his team for these extra efforts that they've taken to evaluate the cost of the after hours service and also to approach the city commissions for requests, um, for possible additional funds during this study. This type of activity is not typical in a TDP, at least not for Bitterman and Po TPS. Um, and it wasn't initially scoped, but it it as the study rolled out, it was a very timely discussion and there has been extra effort from the study team and from transit's team to ensure that these conversations are held in the public realm. So from the MPO staff, thank you very much for everyone involved in that. I think it will go a very, very long ways to helping us have a plan that we can use in the future and that is recognized by the local jurisdictions as something that we need to kind of keep in the forefront after the study ends to to go back to it and make sure that we're implementing some of its recommendations.

00:39:12,200	S2:
And with that bill, thank you very much.

00:39:14,160	S5:
And okay. Thank you.

00:39:15,920	S2:
We'll be chatting soon and I'll see you next week.

00:39:18,920	S3:
Okay.

00:39:19,760	S2:
Great.

00:39:20,280	S5:
Thank you.

00:39:22,320	S11:
Um.

00:39:24,520	S2:
Uh, Item five on the agenda is an update on the 2023 Ortho Contours project with Myles Strain.

00:39:37,660	Myles, are you are you with us today? S2:
I don't see him on zoom, so I'll actually be giving that update. Uh, the Ortho Topo project is still underway. And um, the consulting group, uh, 95 West Aerial uh, has been working in the background to process the information, which is both the lidar, the the topography of our land, uh, as well as the ortho imagery. Um, the major stepping stone that we took within the last reporting period is for the selection committee to identify what type of, um, projection they preferred for the imagery because in the mapping world there are different ways, different systems to say in which the images can be displayed. And it makes very slight changes to the way that those images are interacted with in the GIS programming. So based on the feedback that we received from the GIS professionals that we work with and our steering committee, who is comprised of Morton County, City of Mandan, City of Bismarck and Burleigh County, as well as City of Lincoln, we agreed to use what we feel is the more the most accurate, um, projection system. Uh, and uh, that is, I believe, Hahn 83 from a 2011, uh, adjustment. I apologize, I had it marked on my packet here and and I have lost the page. Um, that's on page 17.

00:41:31,510	S3:
Hey, Rachel.

00:41:32,790	S2:
Hey, Miles. Hi. Welcome.

00:41:35,790	How are you doing? S3:
Uh, good. I was actually in some meeting where I could see everybody else, but everybody else couldn't see or hear me, so.

00:41:41,910	S2:
Oh, hey, I apologize that you couldn't get connected to us.

00:41:47,310	Were you able to hear my update? S3:
Yes. That was yes. And that that upgrade is actually on that. Uh, 83 2011 adjustment NAD.

00:41:53,950	S2:
Yes. Thank you. You know what, Miles? I will let you take it over and add whatever I will have missed.

00:41:59,190	S3:
Uh, yeah.

00:41:59,950	S2:
Please take.

00:42:00,350	S3:
It. Steve. Oh, you did well, uh, that's that that is what we're waiting for. To see if we can get that accuracy. Uh, it is an increased accuracy of up to a 10th. Um, uh, by going to the NAD 83, 2011, I believe the the entire MPO adjustment, uh, was, was redone. uh, several years back now. So, um, we didn't want to basically step back into time for the adjustment, which is really a 1996 adjustment. Uh, for the High accuracy network, this is actually going to be more accurate than going to the net 83 2011 adjustment. So, um, that's where we stand. We we reviewed all the lidar data. The LiDAR looks great. Uh, have all the imagery processed and ready to go. We're we're two weeks behind, I'd say right now, uh, based on just trying to get our ducks in a row, uh, know which path we wanted to go down? Um, and we were late acquiring the data because of the unusual spring that we had, uh, with all the snow there in Bismarck. Um, but now we're into the heavy lifting with the labor intensive, uh, processing and getting started on that here real soon.

00:43:12,530	S2:
Very good. Well, thanks, Miles. Are there any questions or comments on the project for miles. I don't see any questions or comments at this time. Thanks for joining us.

00:43:23,080	S3:
I thank you.

00:43:26,040	S2:
Item six on the agenda is the title six Plan Update with Stephen Larson. Steven, did you want to give that presentation? Okay.

00:44:01,080	S7:
Okay.

00:44:04,040	S7:
Why is that? Why is.

00:44:05,080	S1:
That?

00:44:06,440	S11:
Because this is what we're actually seeing from.

00:44:09,640	S7:
Oh, okay.

00:44:10,360	S11:
So it is a little wonky because it's duplicate, but okay. You'll move it from here or I can move it for you.

00:44:17,180	S7:
Oh, yes. Perfect. Okay. Sorry about the technical difficulties there. Um, so the Bismarck Mandan MPO, as a recipient of federal funds, is required to have a title six and non-discrimination Ada plan in place. This program ensures that we take all necessary steps to prevent unlawful discrimination in our program services and activities, regardless of whether those programs are federally funded or not. So we do an audit, a self audit of our title six plan each year, and we completed the 2023 audit in late February. Uh, updates to our plan resulting from this audit were minor in nature. So I'll give you a brief overview of those changes. This is exhibit E in your packet. I will also note that Dot and Dot just completed an audit of our title six procedures. So there will be additional changes coming in the next few months in addition to the ones that I'm presenting for you. So first, there was a brief update that we made to the MPOs demographic information, which is early in the plan to account for changes to TAC and Policy Board membership over the past year, and we sent out demographic surveys to account for those changes. Um, the second update, which was probably the most significant, was made to our limited English proficiency or LEP plan. The LEP plan helps the MPO fulfill its responsibilities in addressing the needs of individuals with limited English proficiency, language skills per title six regulations. So we didn't make significant adjustments to the practices or policies in this plan, but new census data was available for this year's update, so this allowed us to reevaluate the populations of LEP persons that live within our regions. So to summarize the numbers which are shown in page 16 and 17 of the plan. Currently 1.52% of the population in Bismarck, Lincoln and Mandan aged five years and older speak English lesson very well, and about half of that population are now Spanish speakers, so Spanish has officially passed German as the most common language among LEP persons in our region, and German has dropped to the fourth most common language amongst LEP persons, per the most recent census data. So yeah, let me just scroll down a little bit.

00:46:49,550	S7:
Okay. So yeah, the third we updated our title six maps, which we do update every year. These maps are based on the latest program of projects for the Transportation Improvement Program. So this would be 2023 projects and then the latest available census data. So these maps show the roadway projects for funding year 2023. And then as you scroll down through the different maps, you can see those projects set against relevant minority population backdrops, which would include individuals in poverty, racial minorities, elderly persons, and LEP populations. The maps are intended to show the impact of current roadway projects on minority populations in the MPO area. And then finally we've got.

00:48:01,410	S16:
Here we go.

00:48:03,330	S7:
So on the last update of note is, of course, our new goals and accomplishments page for the 2023 fiscal year, and a couple of items to note for this year include our MPO staff's usual completion of the one hour of required title six training in February, and the MPO continued outreach efforts to disadvantaged populations, which included in this fiscal year, significant outreach to local social service agencies as part of the recently completed East Main Avenue Corridor study. And then my final note for this update is that the title six Policy Statement and Assurance is included in the plan. Update will be signed by the Policy Board Chair and included in the final document, so that we can continue to be eligible for federal funding.

00:48:54,670	Are there any questions that the board has on this update? S7:
See no questions. I will move to the next item on the agenda.

00:48:59,390	S17:
Which is.

00:49:03,510	S7:
Item seven, which is the an administrative modification to the Transportation Improvement Program that is exhibit F. This month, we completed one administrative modification to our current tip. The modifications are used for minor changes to the tip, and they do not need to be advertised or open for public comment. So this modification is a simple one. It's a project for the installation of Wrong-Way detection systems on the Bismarck Expressway McKenzie Drive interchange, and the modification simply moves the project from funding year 2024 to funding year 2023.

00:49:42,900	Are there any questions on this adjustment? S17:
All right.

00:49:47,060	S17:
Okay.

00:49:48,420	S7:
So the next item.

00:49:51,020	S17:
On the agenda can I see that agenda.

00:49:57,300	S17:
Thank you.

00:49:59,220	S7:
So I'll move on to item H which is title the National Roadway Safety strategy website story map. So this is just an informational item that we found for our boards. Um, basically, the MPO wants to make the board aware of a new resource website available through the US Department of Transportation. So the website covers Dot's National Roadway Safety strategy. It provides resources about Dot's approach to significantly reducing serious injuries and deaths on the nation's highways, roads and streets. So Dot's long term goal of reaching zero roadway fatalities aligns with ND Dot's own Vision Zero goal for North Dakota. So, one specific section of this new website I wanted to highlight for you is an interactive story map. It is available under the link that was provided in the packet. Um, and it is on you. Once you click on that link, you would go to Roadway Safety problem and the nation's roadway safety crisis. And there's a link then that would open this story map which is shown on your screen. So this is an interactive page available under that website that details various aspects of roadway safety in the US, primarily through maps that are demonstrating existing safety conditions around the nation, and that includes the Bismarck Mandan area. For example, the first map shows roadway fatality hotspots over the past five years nationwide. So if you have a few minutes, I would recommend you take the time to explore these maps. There are quite a number of maps and safety information from around the nation, and lots of information on the page that we would encourage you to check out if you have a moment. So according to USD dot data, the Bismarck Mandan area is low in fatalities and we have good safety numbers overall. But of course there are always improvements that can be made.

00:52:07,450	Are there any questions that the board may have on this? S17:
All right. Then I can stop sharing. Yeah.

00:52:14,970	S11:
Thanks, Steven.

00:52:16,570	S2:
Um, the last item on the agenda, item number nine. I'm sorry. Second to last, uh, is the population based policy board voting representation. Um, uh, essentially what staff did is we took the 2020 census numbers and evaluated, um, if there are any changes or should be any changes to the voting and the representation on our policy board, uh, by our bylaws. Um, each jurisdiction is granted a, a vote for every 15,000, 15,000 population that exists within their city. If the city does not reach 15,000, it automatically gets one vote. Um, and based on those numbers, I will share this picture.

00:53:25,790	S2:
So based on the new numbers. Um, we actually had no change in the votes for Policy board, but we will be sharing this with our policy board members tomorrow. And I wanted to also make tack aware of that. Um, so that you knew, um, for your representation, what that breakout was at the policy board level. Um, so as I said, each member gets one vote and then for every 15,000 in population, there is an additional vote given, but no jurisdiction gained enough votes to put it over the next. The next 15,000 level. So we will be retaining the same structure for the next decennial.

00:54:15,730	Any questions? S2:
Um, if not, I think we've reached a point in the meeting where we have updates on the construction projects from each jurisdiction.

00:54:34,690	Um, why don't we just go maybe from my right to left? Uh, Dean, are there any updates from the district for federal aid construction projects? S18:
Sure. Um. The expressway. They started milling again. Um, yesterday. They're going to continue milling and night paving and for the next approximately two weeks. And then we should be wrapped up with most of the asphalt work. Um, the expressway C.P.R. that starts from, uh, goes from, uh, Miriam South. They're scheduled to start that on the 24th of this month. Um, State Street, there's not really any changes. They're continuing to do the CPR and turn lane revisions and signal improvements. Nothing really major changing there. Um, they did start the Hay Creek and 19th Avenue projects. Um, Hay Creek. They're working on the approach slabs and, uh, doing some other, uh, work on that 19th street they have there, got all the class work done on half the bridge, and they're going to start their first deck overlay on Thursday. Um, down to the 19th Street retaining, uh, 19th Street. They're doing the retaining wall. They're looking at a traffic switch on July 31st. So they'll move traffic from the west lanes to the east lanes and start CPR and the work there. That's about it.

00:55:43,920	S2:
All right. Thanks, Deane. Gabe. Updates for City of Bismarck.

00:55:48,640	S8:
Yep. So the only federally funded project that we have open with significant activity occurring is on our 43rd Avenue project from last year between State Street and 26th Street. The completion date is July 25th or something along those lines. We anticipate most of that work should be wrapping up here in the immediate future, with the exception. If there's any long standing, you know, traffic signal parts or pieces that are still waiting to be delivered. So with that, I think it's a really old Deane. Deane had the rest of them there in Bismarck, but they're Dot's projects.

00:56:19,260	S2:
Gotcha. Thanks, Gabe. Justin. Updates for city of Mandan.

00:56:29,820	S9:
Chair. So we just have our one project that is receiving federal aid. Our trail project, 19th Street. And, um, they the contractor is kind of built up the embankment towards the east side, uh, over the waterway we have there that we need to cross with the trail. Uh, so that, uh, that's pretty well done. And, um, so they're working on some miscellaneous concrete and storm sewer elements that are wrapping up. And after that, I think we'll within the coming weeks here, get the rest of the trail paved from, you know, basically halfway from West Side to middle. They have paved already. So they'll take from approximately middle to the east side. Um, is what's left to, to be done within likely. Um, not too long here.

00:57:19,520	S2:
Okay, great. Thank you. Justin.

00:57:24,280	Uh, John, any updates from Morton County? S19:
We have no updates at this time.

00:57:26,400	S2:
Gotcha. Thanks, John. And Dan, I think you are going to round us out today.

00:57:35,000	Any updates from Burleigh County? S6:
Uh, we're just finishing up our final plans. We had comments due for the 66 railroad overpass. Uh, final plans are due in August, and then we're still slated to go out for bids in October.

00:57:50,590	S2:
Very good. Thanks a lot. Dan, is there any other business to be brought before the board? Uh, seeing none, I'll call us. Adjourned. Thank you for attending today.