Draft Memorandum for the Record

Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization

Administration and Finance (A&F) Committee Meeting Minutes

December 18, 2024, Meeting

9:30 AM–9:50 AM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform

Brian Kane, Chair, representing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Advisory Board

Decisions

The A&F Committee agreed to the following:

• Approve the minutes of the meeting of May 30, 2024

Meeting Agenda

1.    Introductions

See attendance on page 5.

2.    Public Comments

Harry Mattison, City of Boston Resident, commented on the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2025 Goals and Second Quarter Updates Memo, which describes a branding exercise and website update that the MPO plans to carry out in SFY 2025. Each effort is expected to use about $100,000. H. Mattison stated that while he appreciates efforts to increase public outreach and participation, $200,000 is a lot of money to spend on outreach and participation. H. Mattison stated that there are many organizations conducting outreach and participation that spend less money on their efforts, and there are advocates and staff at other organizations that would be happy to speak with MPO staff about achieving those goals and suggested using the $200,000 to improve transportation in Massachusetts and the Boston Region instead.

3.    Action Item: Approval of May 30, 2024, Meeting Minutes

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    May 30, 2024, Meeting Minutes (pdf) (html)

Vote

A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of May 30, 2024, was made by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) (Eric Bourassa) and seconded by the City of Boston (Jen Rowe). The motion carried. The following member abstained: Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) (Chris Klem).

4.    SFY 2025 Operating Budget Update: Quarter One—Hiral Gandhi, Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    SFY 2025 Goals and Second Quarter Updates Memo (pdf) (html)

Hiral Gandhi, MPO Staff, presented an update on the MPO’s SFY 2025 Operating Budget through Quarter One, which includes July, August, and September of 2024.

H. Gandhi presented the approved operating budget for SFY 2025, including $8,870,600 in revenue with the following breakdown:

·         MPO: 71 percent

·         MassDOT: 7 percent

·         MBTA: 7 percent

·         Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A): 15 percent

H. Gandhi stated that SFY 2025 expenses were projected to be $8,870,600, with the following breakdown:

·         Administrative Expenses: 45 percent

·         Direct Labor: 38 percent

·         Direct Costs: 17 percent

H. Gandhi provided an overview of Quarter One operating performance by month, which can be found in Table 1.

Table 1
SFY 2025 Operating Budget by Month

SFY 2025	July 2024	August 2024	September 2024	Total through Quarter One
Revenue	$597,010	$589,670	$779,080	$1,965,760
Expenses	$621,690	$571,260	$767,800	$1,960,750
Surplus/Deficit	$24,680	$18,410	$11,280	$5,010
Overhead	130.45%	113.56%	116.38%	119.94%

SFY = State Fiscal Year.

 

H. Gandhi stated that July’s overhead rate is typical for the time of year due to many contracts renewing and MPO staff members using paid time off. H. Gandhi stated that there was a shift to a lower surplus in August, and the trend continued in September. H. Gandhi stated that a surplus of $5,010 and an overhead rate of 119.94 percent is close to a balanced budget.

H. Gandhi presented SFY 2025 revenue and expenses through Quarter One, which can be found in Tables 2 and 3.

Table 2
SFY 2025 Revenue Through Quarter One

Funding Source	Projected Revenue	Actual Revenue	Percentage of Actual to Projected Revenue
MPO and MD-Directed PL	$1,610,000	$1,511,900	94%
MassDOT SPR	$104,000	$67,000	64%
MassDOT Other	$42,000	$89,000	212%
MBTA	$142,000	$126,750	89%
Other	$320,000	$171,110	53%
Total	$2,218,000	$1,965,760	89%

MassDOT = Massachusetts Department of Transportation. MBTA = Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. MD-Directed PL = MassDOT-directed planning funds. MPO = Metropolitan Planning Organization. SPR = State Planning and Research. SFY = State Fiscal Year.

 

Table 3
SFY 2025 Expenses Through Quarter One

Expense Source	Projected Expenses	Actual Expenses	Percentage of Actual to Projected Expenses
Administrative Expenses	$1,008,000	$948,962	94%
Direct Labor	$838,000	$791,247	94%
Direct Cost	$373,000	$220,541	59%
Total	$2,219,000	$1,960,750	88%

SFY = State Fiscal Year.

 

Discussion

B. Kane stated that a $5,000 surplus is preferable to a $5,000 deficit, and congratulated MPO staff on their efforts to manage the revenue and expenses in alignment with the budget. B. Kane stated that the A&F Committee meetings are helpful and allow MPO board members to hear that the MPO is on track with its operating budget.

Chris Klem, MassDOT, asked for clarification on the changes in the overhead rate between July 2024 and September 2024.

H. Gandhi responded that the MPO has a projected overhead rate for SFY 2025, which is 120.3 percent, and that does not change between months. H. Gandhi stated that the actual revenue and expenses do change and can be lower or higher than the projected revenue or expenses, which changes the overhead rate.

5.    Members’ Items

There were none.

6.     Adjourn

A motion to adjourn was made by the Regional Transportation Advisory Council (Lenard Diggins) and seconded by the City of Boston (Jen Rowe). The motion carried.

 

Attendance

Members	Representatives and Alternates
City of Boston	Jennifer Rowe
Massachusetts Department of Transportation	Chris Klem
MBTA Advisory Board	Brian Kane
Metropolitan Area Planning Council	Eric Bourassa
MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of Framingham)	Dennis Giombetti
Regional Transportation Advisory Council	Lenard Diggins

 

Other Attendees	Affiliation
Benjamin Coulombe	MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA)
Tyler Terrasi	MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA)
Rana Al-Jammal	Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Harry Mattison	City of Boston Resident

 

MPO Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff
Annette Demchur
Hiral Gandhi
Lauren Magee
Ronan Buggle