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Ark-Tex Council Of Governments

Northeast Texas Rural Planning Organization, Northeast Texas Economic Development District and Ark-Tex Council of Governments Executive Committee Meeting

APRIL 25, 2019

The North East Texas Rural Planning Organization (NETRPO), North East Texas Economic Development District (NETEDD) and Executive Committee of the Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) will meet starting at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, April 25, 2019, at the Titus County Extension Office, 1708 Industrial Road, Mt. Pleasant.

Item 1. Call to order.

Item 2. Invocation.

Item 3. Self-introductions.

Rural Planning Organization (RPO) Agenda Items

Item 4. Review and reaffirm the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among ATCOG, ETCOG, and DETCOG (See page 3; to be presented by Executive Director Chris Brown).

Item 5. Review and consider amendment of Bylaws to the Northeast East Texas Rural Planning Organization (NETRPO). (See page 13; to be presented by Executive Director Chris Brown.)

Item 6. Discussion of the TxDOT Texas Transportation Plan (TTP) 2050 Process (See page 17; to be presented by Executive Director Chris Brown) It concludes all RPO agenda items. North East Texas Economic Development District (NETEDD) Committee Agenda Items

Item 7. Approve the minutes as submitted of the North East Texas Economic Development District (NETEDD) Committee Meeting held Thursday, October 26, 2017, in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. (See page 22)

Item 8. Discussion of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). (Handouts provided at a meeting; to be presented by Executive Director Chris Brown) It concludes all NETEDD agenda items. Executive Committee Agenda Items

Item 9. Approve the minutes as submitted of the Ark-Tex Council of Governments Executive Committee meeting held Thursday, January 31, 2019, in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. (See page 24)

Item 10. Review and comment on an Environmental Assessment to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for proposed Air Quality Permit Renewal by TXI Operations, LP., to authorize the continued operation of an existing concrete batch plant and construction of a second permanent concrete batch plant in New Boston, Bowie County, Texas. (See page 27; to be presented by staff member Paul Prange)

Item 11. Review and consider approval of the appointment of one new member to the Area Agency on Aging Regional Advisory Council. (See page 29; to be presented by staff member Amber Thurston)

Item 12. Review and consider approval of the Ark-Tex Council of Governments Information Security Policy and the Information Technology Acceptable Use Policy. (See page 30; to be presented by staff member Mary Beth Rudel)

Item 13. Review and consider authorizing the Executive Director, as the ATCOG Authorized Official, to apply an application to the Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division, for a grant to provide Regional Law Enforcement Training in the Ark-Tex Region for FY2020 and FY2021. (See page 41; to be presented by staff member Patricia Haley)

Item 14. Review applications and approve priorities/recommendations established by the Regional Criminal
Justice Advisory Committee (RCJAC) concerning projects submitted to the Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division, for funding consideration. (See page 43; to be presented by a staff member Patricia Haley)

Item 15. Review and consider approval to establish a new depository account with Guaranty Bank and Trust for Ark-Tex Urban Transit, Inc. (ATUT) use and adding the President of the Board, Treasurer, Executive Director, and Deputy Director to the signatory cards. (See page 51; to be presented by Executive Director Chris Brown)

Item 16. Review and consider the amendment of Bylaws to the Northeast Texas Rural Planning Organization (NETRPO). (See page 13; to be presented by Executive Director Chris Brown)

Item 17. Executive Director Report (For information only; see page 54; to be presented by Executive Director Chris Brown)
• Indirect Finance Reports
• Committee Meeting Minutes
• CSEC Newsletter Recognition

Announcements

The Red River Valley Association (RRVA) Regional Water Resource Conference will be on Thursday, May 23, at the Holiday Inn Texarkana Arkansas Convention Center, 5200 Convention Plaza Dr. (See page 63) The next Executive Committee Meeting will be held Thursday, May 30, 2019, at 10:00 a.m., at the Titus County
Extension Office in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.

Under the Texas Open Meeting Act, Government Code Chapter 551 possibly considered are one or more of the above items in an executive session closed to the public. It includes but not limited to consultation with attorney according to Texas Government Code Section 551.071 and Section 551.074 arising out of the attorney’s ethical duty to advise ATCOG concerning legal issues arising from an agenda item. Any decision held on such matter will be taken or conducted in open session following the conclusion of the executive session.

Persons with disabilities who plan to attend this meeting and who may need auxiliary aids or services are requested to contact Administration at 903-832-8636 two (2) workdays before the meeting so you can make appropriate arrangements.

All agendas are sent electronically and available at wwwatcog.org. Should any Board Member need a copy printed and available at the meeting, please call 903/255.3555 or email athurston@atcog.org.

BRIEFING PAPER – ACTION ITEM ITEMS 4 &5:

Review and reaffirm the MOU among ATCOG, ETCOG, and DETCOG from January 2011.

Review and consider amendment of Bylaws to the Northeast Texas Rural Planning Organization

(NETRPO).
BACKGROUND:

On July 30, 2018, the following representatives met to discuss a Tri-Regional Transportation Coalition Working Group:

ARK-TEX COG
Judge Brian Lee, Titus County
Judge Robert Newsome, Hopkins County
Chris Brown, Executive Director

ETCOG
Judge Robert Johnston, Anderson County
Judge AJ Mason, Camp County
David Cleveland, Executive Director

DETCOG
Judge Mark Allen, Jasper County
Mr. Jim Jeffers, Nacogdoches City Manager
Lonnie Hunt, Executive Director

DISCUSSION:
You can find the ETCOG meeting summary below. The Next Steps that resulted from the discussion are as follows:
Working Group members identified the following next steps concerning the Tri-Regional Transportation Coalition:

• Ask each of the three participating regions that comprise the Coalition (ATCOG, ETCOG, and DETCOG) to reaffirm the Joint MOU, sending the message “We are all in.”

• Notify each of the affected TxDOT Districts included within Coalition Boundaries that the Coalition has been initiated.

• Ask the respective RPOs in each region to add “Transportation” to their names. Specifically, this means changing the name of each “Rural Planning Organization” to Rural Transportation Planning Organization”. This change will help us to communicate the purpose of the RTPO better.

• Ask the policy boards of each participating RPO to authorize the Working Group to pursue grant and other funding for the Transportation Planner (shared position).

• Ask the policy boards of each participating RPO to allow the Working Group to begin work on a possible Statewide Rural Transportation Coalition.

RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends approval.

Meeting Participants:

ARK-TEX COG
Judge Brian Lee, Titus County
Judge Robert Newsome, Hopkins County
Chris Brown, Executive Director

ETCOG
Judge Robert Johnston, Anderson County
Judge AJ Mason, Camp County
David Cleveland, Executive Director

DETCOG
Judge Mark Allen, Jasper County
Mr. Jim Jeffers, Nacogdoches City Manager
Lonnie Hunt, Executive Director

Summary

After introductions, a review of the historical background of how the three regions signed a Joint MOU to form the thirty-five county Tri-Regional Transportation Coalition was provided. The Joint MOU sets forth several enumerated tasks. These tasks were discussed. One of the core tasks of the Joint MOU is to coordinate the actions of the Coalition so that prioritized transportation planning and advocacy can be achieved for all 35-counties. The primary benefit of the Coalition is the strategic use and application of the combined influence of all the elected officials from the member counties to secure funding from various funding sources for those transportation projects deemed to be critical by Coalition members.

The committee unanimously agreed that there was a need for the member counties to work collaboratively together through the framework provided within the Joint MOU to accomplish this
“advocacy” purpose as set forth above.

The critical immediate need identified by Working Group members involves securing funding for one Transportation Planner position to be shared by the three participating regions. The first task to
complete for the planner is to help the ARK-TEX and DETCOG Regions “catch up” to ETCOG concerning the “Call for Projects” process. The “Call for Projects” process is the method that is used to identify, rank and prioritize transportation projects within each region. When each region has completed its Call for Projects process, each regions list of ranked and prioritized projects will be reviewed by the Coalition to identify which projects from each region the coalition wants to adopt as its focus to secure funding to complete. The group noted that it was critical that we use the coalition for its intended purpose of supporting each other’s projects.

The group also discussed working with TXDOT, NADO, and NARC to secure funding for the Transportation Planner position. In addition, TARC was mentioned as a resource to begin future planning for a possible Statewide Rural Transportation Coalition. (The Statewide Rural Transportation Coalition is viewed as a long-term objective.) Finally, Working Group members discussed the appropriate use of the Transit Summit 6 and our upcoming legislative receptions (in 2019) to visit with key legislators, as necessary about the need for the Coalition and the Transportation Planner.

Next Steps

Working Group members identified the following next steps concerning the Tri-Regional Transportation.

Coalition:
• Ask each of the three participating regions that comprise the Coalition (Ark-TEX, ETCOG, and DETCOG) to reaffirm the Joint MOU, sending the message “we are all in.”
• Notify each of the affected TXDOT Districts included within Coalition Boundaries that the Coalition has been initiated.
• Ask the respective RPO’s in each region to add “Transportation” to their names. Specifically, this means changing the name of each “Rural Planning Organization” to Rural Transportation Planning Organization.” This change will help us to communicate the purpose of the RTPO better.
• Ask the policy boards of each participating RPO to authorize the Working Group to pursue grant
and other funding for the Transportation Planner (shared position).
• Ask the policy boards of each participating RPO to allow the Working Group to begin work on a possible Statewide Rural Transportation Coalition.