Committee members reviewed an updated memorandum of agreement on Nov. 20 that clarifies how INDOT grant funding will be applied to traffic-count operations, data analysis and related services.

Tim Sureshine, an area planning commissioner, summarized the MOA’s financial terms and administrative steps. He said the INDOT grant program can provide "80% of the funding that pays for these traffic counts, the equipment that take the traffic counts, our staff time, any other work we might do," and described the MOA as a modernization of an older agreement. He cautioned that the MOA also "caps how much money you will pay us," and that the board can direct the organization to perform additional work "as far as the budget will allow." The MOA has been approved on the MPO’s end; local signatures from the mayor and county commissioners are pending.

The MOA’s practical effect: it formalizes which tasks the regional office can perform under grant funding (traffic counts, basic crash-data analysis and limited application support) while setting a spending ceiling. Staff said higher-cost services could require separate arrangements or exceed the MOA budget.

Next steps: staff asked the committee to sign the MOA and said the only firm deadline is the end of the fiscal year to ensure funds are available. Members were encouraged to identify specific locations or data needs so staff can prioritize work under the capped budget.

Votes or formal approvals were not taken on the MOA during the meeting; staff said the document was circulating for signatures and will become official once signed by the county commissioners and the policy board chair.