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Chair hears Agency of Transportation briefing on Policy, Planning and Research budget
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Summary
Acting Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee heard a presentation from Dave Pelletier of the Agency of Transportation on the Policy, Planning and Research budget for state fiscal 2027, emphasizing that about 80% of the program is federally funded and that much of the money is passed through to MPOs and regional planning commissions.
Acting Chair of the Senate Transportation Committee on March 25 heard a presentation from Dave Pelletier, planning manager at the Agency of Transportation, on the agency's Policy, Planning and Research budget for state fiscal year 2027.
Pelletier told the committee the program is "largely federal funded" — about 80% — and explained that a significant portion of the funds are passed through to Metropolitan Planning Organizations and regional planning commissions to support planning staff and consultant work. "The MPO portion is, significant. It's about $5,000,000 or so," he said, describing the amount as an approximate apportionment that flows through the agency from the Federal Highway Administration.
Why it matters: committee members pushed on how those pass-through dollars are used and whether local communities have sufficient voice as the state scales back capital project programming. Pelletier said the agency relies on a network of regional planning commissions (RPCs) and planning coordinators to collect local context and that Transportation Planning Initiative (TPI) grants support that work and public outreach.
Committee members asked the presenter how MPO grants are applied. Pelletier said the grants pay for planning staff and consultant time included in an MPO's Unified Planning Work Program — operations and studies, not direct construction of capital projects. When asked about Act 250-related reviews, Pelletier described the agency's development review group as the office that analyzes transportation impacts and makes recommendations; he emphasized the district environmental commission ultimately decides conditions or fees for applicants under the Act 250 framework.
Several senators pressed whether developers have ever been required to support transit or transit operations as a condition of permit approvals. Pelletier said at least one district had imposed transit-support conditions in the past, but decision authority rests with the district commission and the agency serves as a statutory party that can recommend conditions.
On organizational changes, Pelletier said the planning team has been moved into the highway division to align planning with asset management, and that the reorganization has reduced some state-funded positions through planned retirements that were built into the budget. He named two upcoming retirements that have been incorporated into planning: Michelle (retiring this spring) and Amy Bell, the bureau director, who is also expected to retire this spring. Pelletier said Patrick Murphy will serve as the agency's state policy coordinator going forward and that Christina Broussard will lead the intermodal division (rail, aviation and public transit).
A committee member raised concerns they had heard "rumors" the reorganization aimed to cut staff involved in climate-related work; Pelletier rejected that characterization in the hearing, saying the move seeks closer alignment between planning and project development and asset management.
The committee did not take any votes during the presentation. Members requested additional detail on MPO grant apportionments and on whether the agency could increase local engagement in project prioritization; Pelletier and committee members agreed to follow up with deeper presentations on sequencing and prioritization.
The chair closed the session after questions and the committee went off the live stream.
