MPO technical committee recommends FY2027–28 work program as federal planning funds shrink

The Bloomington Metropolitan Planning Organization Technical Advisory Committee voted to recommend the FY2027–28 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) after staff outlined required edits from federal and state reviewers and a smaller planning budget driven by the 2020 census.

Pat (NO staff) told the committee the UPWP final draft (Feb. 20, 2026) incorporated comments from the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration and the Indiana Department of Transportation, including replacing references to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), removing rescinded executive orders and clarifying the indirect cost endorsement letter for the work program appendices. Pat said the program shows no carryover balance for the fiscal year and that discretionary FTA planning awards must be added to the work program when selected.

The most consequential change for local planning staff is the funding reduction. Pat said the MPO’s federal planning allocation has declined from roughly $325,000 in prior years to about $298,000 for FY2027–28, a drop the staff attributed to population changes in the 2020 census that reduced the per‑capita allocation. "We rebalanced hours," Pat said, noting staff reduced billable hours for the director and another staff member and eliminated previously funded contract service agreements for county and city asset management. The UPWP retains minimum allocations for required tasks, including the 2.5% active‑transportation set‑aside.

Committee members pressed staff on how a timing change in project programming left the Downtown Curb Ramps Phase 5 project with no available funds for the year. Pat explained that an earlier trade added $1 million to the MPO’s program and that West Second Street and several other projects drew funds as expected, but because another project (Old State Road 37 South and Dilman Road) used its allocation and submissions arrived later in the fiscal year, the curb ramps project could not draw the remaining funds. Staff said quarterly coordination meetings are intended to surface these risks earlier; members asked for clearer communication among jurisdictions so projects can be reallocated before obligations are finalized.

During the public‑comment period, Eric Ost identified himself and asked whether the office would continue maintaining the crash dashboard despite tighter budgets and requested public release of the full ARIES crash dataset for Monroe County. Pat and other staff answered that INDOT controls publication of the crash data and that access is managed through INDOT (and a private contractor in the current arrangement); staff said prior public posting had been removed when it was deemed not permitted. Pat offered to follow up by email and to provide contacts for INDOT so Mr. Ost could pursue public‑record clarification.

The committee moved and seconded a recommendation that the UPWP be approved by the MPO Technical and Policy committees; after a period for public comment the chair called the voice vote and confirmed the motion carried.

The committee also received project updates on several TIP projects (including I‑69 bridge deck overlays planned for late 2026 or spring 2027 and multiple county bridge projects) and heard a county update about an interim on‑site engineer starting in March.

Next steps: staff will transmit the recommended UPWP to the Policy Committee and incorporate any follow‑up responses to public comments and outstanding federal reviewer notes.