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MPO staff recommends targeted expansion, not countywide; council asks for more research on ETJ and funding impacts
Summary
Staff told the Laredo‑Webb County MPO policy committee on Nov. 19 that expanding the MPO boundary requires strong justification to the governor, could dilute urban formula funds, and may change rural funding eligibility; staff recommended targeted expansions near areas expected to urbanize rather than countywide expansion and will research options.
MPO staff presented the process, rationale and consequences of expanding the Laredo‑Webb County Metropolitan Planning Organization boundary at the Nov. 19 policy committee meeting and recommended against expanding countywide without clear justification.
MPO Director Fonda Nive explained federal and state minimums for MPO boundaries and said any expansion must be justified to the governor under the Texas Administrative Code. "I would not recommend to expand to the entire county," she said, while urging the committee to consider targeted additions in areas showing near‑term household growth.
Staff flagged tradeoffs: expanding the MPO boundary does not automatically increase the MPO's share of statewide funds and could spread the same pot of formula funds over a larger geographic area. Nive discussed TxDOT funding categories and explained that some rural funding (Category 4 rural) is project‑specific and may be harder to access once an area is designated urban in the MPO boundary. She said Category 7 discretionary funds in the Laredo district amount to roughly $80 million across a 10‑year period and Category 2 funding is "a little bit under $100 million," noting that eligibility and program rules differ by category.
Committee members expressed concern about diluting funds available for existing urban needs. One member said: "We have enormous problems on I‑35, on Loop 255 and on Highway 83... for us to be thinking about expansion, I just think it does a disservice to the people of Laredo because we're not addressing the concerns that we have right now." Another member asked how an area that petitions to be excluded from the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) could still affect MPO planning and funding.
The city attorney (unidentified) clarified the legal context: state legislation (referred to in the meeting as Senate Bill 2031) gives landowners the right to petition to be excluded from a city's ETJ; that petition process is separate from the MPO boundary decision, which the committee must justify and submit to the governor for approval.
Staff recommended a data‑driven, holistic approach: identify areas expected to urbanize within a 20‑year horizon, prepare documentation (draft maps, justification, letters of support and board resolutions) and coordinate with TxDOT on potential funding impacts before any formal request is sent to the governor. The committee did not take a final vote to change the boundary; instead members directed staff to do additional research and return with recommendations.
What happens next: MPO staff will analyze projected household growth, model vehicle‑miles‑traveled impacts for candidate areas, consult TxDOT about funding implications and bring options back to the policy committee for further action.
