Austin Chamber of Commerce 2006 report on CAMPO

SUMMERY:
CAMPO GOVERNANCE TASK FORCE
Recommendations for a successful
Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Beyond
2006

BACKGROUND
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
(CAMPO) Transportation Policy Board (Board) is
responsible for developing the region’s long range
transportation plan and prioritizing projects for
federal matching funds.  In July 2006, Chamber
Chairman Tim Crowley appointed the CAMPO Governance
Task Force.  He charged its members to review the
status of the CAMPO 2001 Peer Review recommendations,
seek input from former and current CAMPO Board Members
and community representatives on additional areas to
review, and develop recommendations to improve the
overall function of CAMPO. 

The Chamber wanted the recommendations to have the
support of regional leaders, some of whom will decide
whether to implement them.  To achieve this goal, the
Task Force was comprised of former CAMPO Board Members
and community leaders.  The Task Force also worked to
gather input from current CAMPO Board Members during
the process.  Immediate Past Chamber Chairman Kirk
Watson agreed to chair the Task Force.  Participating
community leaders included Daron Butler, Kent Butler,
Brandon Janes and Terry Mitchell.  In addition to Kirk
Watson, former CAMPO members on the Task Force
included Bill Burnett, Margaret Gomez, Robert Stluka
and Danny Thomas. 

The 2006 CAMPO Peer Review Update by Cambridge
Systematics and the Task Force found a lack of trust
among Board Members, Technical Advisory Staff and
CAMPO staff.  Also, there are structural and
procedural issues affecting both the CAMPO Policy
Board and its Technical Advisory Committee from
effectively discussing and developing consensus on key
regional transportation issues including effective
community engagement. 

RECOMMENDATIONS
The 2006 CAMPO Peer Review Update by Cambridge
Systematics and the Task Force both identified a lack
of trust among CAMPO Policy Board Members, Technical
Advisory Committee (TAC) members, and CAMPO staff.
Additionally, there are other structural and
procedural issues affecting both the CAMPO Policy
Board and its TAC that, individually or collectively,
are preventing the organization from effectively
discussing and developing consensus on key regional
transportation issues.

The Task Force recommendations fall into the three
categories:
· Create an effective regional transportation policy
Board
· Facilitate Board member engagement
· More effectively incorporate public input

The primary recommendation regarding the policy Board
is reducing the number of voting members from 23 to
18, including the elimination of seven state
legislators and increasing the number of elected
officials representing local governments. 

The Task Force recommended a number of strategies to
facilitate increased Board member involvement from
changing the seating arrangement in meetings so that
Board Members can look at each other during
discussions to implementing a committee structure with
responsibility for detailed review of proposals. 

A number of the recommendations related to more
effective incorporation of public input are already
being implemented at our suggestion for an upcoming
Board vote.  A key component is holding public
meetings throughout the CAMPO jurisdiction with an
ombudsman to conduct the meeting and make the report
to the Board.

SUMMARY OF CAMPO GOVERNANCE TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS

A. CREATE AN EFFECTIVE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION POLICY
BOARD

The CAMPO Board should be reduced from 23 to 18 voting
members, maintaining an appropriate balance between
the three counties currently comprising CAMPO.  The
Task Force also suggests amending the by-laws to
affirmatively state a goal of assuring as much racial
and ethnic minority representation as possible.  The
following is the Task Force’s recommended Board
composition:
16 Elected Officials
Williamson County – 4 seats: 1 Legislator, 1
Commissioners Court representative, 1 Round Rock City
Council representative, and 1 Alliance of Cities
representative.
Travis County – 10 seats: 2 Legislators, 3
Commissioners Court representatives, 4 Austin City
Council representatives, and 1 Alliance of Cities
representative.
Hays County – 2 seats: 1 Commissioners Court
representative and 1 Alliance of Cities
Representative.
2 At Large voting members: TXDOT; Capital Metro
1 Ex Officio Member: CTRMA

A member of the Legislature could be substituted for
an Alliance of Cities member and vice versa.  So, for
example, Williamson County might have 2 members of the
Legislature as part of its 4 members, but would
consequently not have an Alliance of Cities member.  A
process involving the timing of selection from
different entities would assure the balance.

The CAMPO Board should engage in facilitated, periodic
work sessions to address issues of mistrust, overall
mission, and inter-jurisdictional relationships to lay
the groundwork for consensus building in the coming
year. 

The Executive Committee should be engaged on a regular
basis to provide guidance to staff, ensure the Board
meets federal and state requirements, and make
governance recommendations (such as changes to bylaws,
reviews of Board Member requests, etc.) as necessary.



B. FACILITATE BOARD MEMBER ENGAGEMENT

Establish standing committees and require Board Member
participation to provide a mechanism to increase the
knowledge of all members and ensure engagement in the
process.  Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) members
should serve on these committees with Board Members or
have a parallel TAC committee structure that provides
information to the appropriate Board Committee.
Appointment to the committees would be made by the
Chair with advice and consent of the Executive
Committee.

New members should be required to attend a CAMPO
Orientation session within three months of assuming
their new position to ensure a base level
understanding of duties and responsibilities. 

Staff should schedule individual semi-annual meetings
with Board Members to preview the upcoming six months,
identify possible concerns about future issues, and
ensure the Members’ overall needs and expectations are
being met. 

All CAMPO meetings should be held in a facility
designed to facilitate discussion and open dialogue
among Board Members.  It should be large enough to
accommodate the Board sitting in a U shape, with
adequate seating for the audience. 

Proxies should not have voting authority.  On the
occasions that members are unable to attend a Board
Meeting, their appointing organizations should name an
alternate with similar functions or responsibilities.


The Board should establish an attendance policy.  The
appointing body of a Board Member that misses half the
meetings in a calendar year should be approached to
appoint a new representative. 


C. MORE EFFECTIVELY INCORPORATE PUBLIC INPUT

Change the public input process.  A "Hearings
Subcommittee" should be created consisting of five
members of the TAC and an ombudsman who would conduct
the meetings on behalf of the six member subcommittee.
The subcommittee should hold at least one public
meeting in each county on significant public policy
items before the Board votes on them.  The ombudsman
and the subcommittee should submit a report to the
CAMPO Board on the input that was accumulated through
this public process, and that report should be
available to the Board and to the public four weeks
prior to the vote.
 
Set criteria for adding additional counties to the
MPO.  In the year following the adoption of a Long
Range Plan, the MPO should consider expanding its
boundaries to include counties that have reached a
population of 100,000, or are working to implement
both the expansion of a transportation facility of
regional significance and Federal requirements for
inclusion in an MPO.

Regional partners should be engaged on a regular
basis.  Transportation is not an issue constrained or
solved within governmental boundaries.  Policy and
project decisions should be considered in the context
of a regional system.  CAMPO can and should facilitate
regional cooperation and collaboration with
surrounding counties and contiguous MPOs.  One medium
to facilitate regional coordination is an annual
conference with CARTPO and contiguous MPOs to discuss
super-regional issues, best practices, and lessons
learned.