Concerns over representation on regional transportation board remain
The fight over control of an important regional transportation planning group is over, but the problems that started it are still lingering.
The Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) was the subject of a very public dispute over representation on the Transportation Policy Board (TPB). A vote by smaller incorporated communities would have diluted the influence of the City of El Paso.
The MPO handles projects paid for with federal funding. It’s members include leaders, and sometimes staff, from all cities in El Paso County as well as leaders in Southern New Mexico. Once ready to go, plans can be placed on 3-year, 10-year or 20-year plans to completion.
Vinton Mayor and TPB Chair Madeleine Praino led a push to reduce the number of voting representatives from 30 to 15, or one per member. The move would have reduced the City of El Paso’s votes from eight to one. El Paso city council members were very concerned and complained of being disenfranchised.
The change was formally voted down at the last MPO meeting after the city learned of Federal Highway Administration guidelines that allow the largest municipality in the MPO to override major changes.
That move still leaves the issues of the continuous expansion of the board. Some feel the board is too large and acknowledged quorum has not been met in the past. Others say the size of the board sometimes prevents it from taking decisive action on crucial projects.
Some, like Precinct 3 County Commissioner Vince Perez, hope there could be a chance to re-visit how to deal with the size of the board. Perez also sits on the TPB.
There will be a new chair elected next month, and that person could try tackling the issue. Perez says it’s important to get the MPO working more efficiently because of the importance it holds over transportation projects affecting the entire region.
“It doesn’t matter whether you live in a small town on the far east part of the county, a small town in the far west, or if you’re in the major municipality such as the city or county, every project that is built should benefit the region as a whole,” Perez said.
