DRCOG committee backs recommendation to seek MPO boundary expansion to include Clear Creek, Gilpin counties
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Summary
The DRCOG Technical Advisory Committee voted to recommend that the regional Transportation Policy Committee and board seek gubernatorial review to expand the MPO boundary to add Clear Creek and Gilpin counties, making them eligible for certain TIP subregional calls though not increasing overall funding. (Jacob Rieger led the presentation.)
Jacob Rieger, DRCOG’s division director for transportation planning and operations, told the Technical Advisory Committee that staff recommends initiating the formal process to expand the metropolitan planning organization boundary to include Clear Creek and Gilpin counties.
Rieger said federal law requires MPOs to review boundaries after each decennial census and that both counties are already DRCOG members in other program areas. He said the change would make those counties eligible for subregional TIP project calls they previously could not enter and would better coordinate transportation planning across adjacent geographies. “They’re already members of DRCOG. They’re already in our state‑defined transportation planning region,” Rieger said, noting the change would strengthen coordination rather than materially alter funding flows.
Committee members asked about direct fiscal impacts. Rieger said inclusion would not create new funding; historic TIP formulas (population, employment, vehicle miles traveled) could shift a small amount to the newly included counties but would be ‘‘a rounding error’’ for the rest of the region. He added that urbanized‑area designations that govern certain federal programs (such as FTA 5310 urbanized area allocations) would not automatically change as a result of the MPO boundary expansion.
Members also asked how long staff had coordinated with the two counties; Rieger said coordination and outreach had taken roughly a year, with presentations to county commissions and local councils. He outlined next steps if the board and RTC approve: DRCOG would prepare required documentation for the governor’s office and CDOT and, upon gubernatorial agreement, federal agencies would be notified and DRCOG would update planning agreements and maps.
The committee voted to recommend the boundary change to the RTC and board; staff will prepare documentation for the governor and CDOT to initiate the federal approval process.
