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MPO official outlines revised 10‑year program, warns of past overprogramming
Summary
Michael Menon, executive director of the Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization, briefed the Starr County Commissioners Court on the MPO's 10‑year fiscally constrained plan, project‑readiness reporting and steps to avoid a repeat of roughly $102 million in overprogramming.
Michael Menon, executive director of the Rio Grande Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization, told the Starr County Commissioners Court that the MPO completed a 30‑day public comment period and has revised its long‑range planning and 10‑year program to be fiscally constrained.
"Within that 10 year plan, on an annual basis, we receive about $32,500,000," Menon said, describing the federal and state funds the MPO programs for the three‑county region that includes Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron counties. He said the MPO also reviewed prior programming and found roughly $102 million that had been overprogrammed across multiple years and has taken steps to correct course.
Menon said the MPO now requires a project request form, a project schedule and a financial summary from sponsoring agencies and will issue a quarterly project‑readiness report to the policy board so members and state and federal partners can track where projects sit in the development process. He warned of the MPO’s exposure under a so‑called 200% TAC rule: "if we exceed the 200% rule the state can dip in to the pot of money," he said, describing a mechanism that can reallocate funds to other priorities if the MPO’s programmed projects exceed state thresholds.
Menon described the MPO's major planning documents — the Unified Planning Work Program, the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (20‑year horizon), the Transportation Improvement Program (the first four years), and a congestion management process tied to Clean Air Act compliance — and said the MPO will pursue both a category‑7 call for roadway needs and TASA funding for sidewalks, trails and bicycle projects in an upcoming call for projects expected in January or February.
He also outlined a planned interlocal agreement with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute to model traffic and freight movement at the region’s ports of entry, including scenario testing for closures or congestion, and said the MPO wants the policy board to present unified regional priorities to the Texas Transportation Commission.
Menon closed by inviting county staff to submit project requests during the next call for projects and by offering to host a policy‑board tour in the region to help elected officials see projects in other jurisdictions.
The presentation drew no formal action; commissioners thanked Menon and moved to subsequent agenda items.
