MPO members could lose vote on transportation projects without required training

The Metropolitan Planning Organization oversees the city’s transportation planning and funding.

Members of the MPO are required to get a certain amount of training before approving projects but some are concerned several of the members aren’t getting the training required in time to make those important decisions.

“There’s a lot of complexities in transportation planning,” County Commissioner Vince Perez said.

Perez, once chair of the board, is now on the transportation policy board for the MPO.

The board overlooks any transportation projects in the region and the funding behind it.

“When federal funding comes in you want to be sure that it’s being spent to a project that has been properly vetted and properly planned out and has been approved by the board as a whole as being regionally significant,” Perez said.

Because the topic is so complex, last year, Perez initiated a policy that would require members to at least five hours of transportation related training a year and it would have to been done within the first three months of becoming a member.

“I felt it would make for stronger board members, it would require board members be more engaged in the planning process and be more informed about the laws,” Perez said.

After the first year of the policy, members of the board were given a little more time, 120 days to complete training within the calendar year.

But ABC-7 obtained a copy of the list of members that had not reached their five hours of training.

Out of 43 members on the MPO board, 18 of them including Perez haven’t met the required training — nearly half.

Members who have not completed their training cannot vote at the next meeting.

“I decided to attend a conference that’s coming up on Monday and Tuesday which go far above the requirements,” Perez told ABC-7.

Perez told ABC-7 there are plenty of ways for members to get easy access to training online and locally.

ABC-7 asked Perez if residents should be concerned about projects falling behind because of lack of training.

“I’m confident that members recognize the importance of serving on the MPO and will fulfill their obligation,” Perez said.

Perez told ABC-7 to this day, they have not missed any votes because of lack of training.

MPO members will have their next meeting in March.