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MPO staff flags federal funding uncertainty for UPWP as NMDOT signals Vision Zero timeline
Summary
MPO staff told the Doña Ana governing board May 13 that the FY2027–28 Unified Planning Work Program must be adopted in June but is built on provisional FY2026 numbers because federal reauthorization remains unresolved; staff also summarized NMDOT’s preference to use a slope-to-zero (2050) approach for safety targets.
MPO staff on May 13 told the Doña Ana County governing board that the next Unified Planning Work Program (FY2027–28 UPWP) must be adopted in June but remains constrained by uncertainty around federal transportation reauthorization. Andrew Ray, speaking for MPO staff, said the draft largely carries forward existing tasks with one notable addition — planning support for a proposed High Mesa road corridor from Las Cruces Industrial Innovation Park toward Santa Teresa — but cautioned that the financial numbers are provisional.
"The giant elephant in the room is that we have no idea what our funding level is going to be," Andrew Ray said, noting the current transportation bill expires Sept. 30 and that the MPO programmed FY27–28 on FY2026 numbers at NMDOT’s direction. He said staff expects to amend the UPWP once federal allocations are finalized and that BPAC and TAC will review the draft before returning it for board action in June.
On safety-performance targets, Ray summarized a recent NMDOT workshop that presented four options: (a) set targets to zero annually (an aspirational "Vision Zero" reporting approach), (b) project a downward slope to zero by 2050 (NMDOT’s stated intention for FY2027 targets), (c) balance data with federal requirements (closer to historical practice), and (d) an incremental fixed-percentage annual reduction (discussed at 2%/year). Ray said federal officials prefer targets be data-driven rather than purely aspirational and that NMDOT plans to implement scenario B for the 2027 targets while acknowledging states and MPOs retain some discretion.
Context and implications: Adopting UPWP and safety targets governs MPO work priorities and performance reporting; if federal funding is constrained by a continuing resolution or delayed reauthorization, the MPO may need to amend budgets and timing for planned activities. Ray advised caution in committing funds until federal figures are known.
Other administrative items: Ray briefed the board on the bylaws revision process, noting BPAC and ATAC had no substantive comments on the draft and that the only late addition prohibits proxies from participating in executive-director evaluations; the bylaws will proceed through BPAC and TAC reviews before return to the governing board for final action on June 10.
Next steps: MPO staff will present the UPWP for action in June, circulate quarterly financial reports with an added budget-to-actuals column as requested, and await NMDOT’s formal targets to guide safety-performance conversations.
