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Lubbock MPO to review bylaws after TxDOT compliance request
Summary
Lubbock MPO staff told the policy committee that TxDOT has asked multiple MPOs to review bylaws for compliance with state and federal rules; staff proposed a 3-month minimum review process with public hearings and possible subcommittee work.
Kristin Lucero, speaking for MPO staff, told the Transportation Policy Committee that TxDOT has begun requesting metropolitan planning organizations across Texas to review and update their bylaws to ensure compliance with the Texas Administrative Code and relevant federal regulations, including 23 CFR. She said at least six MPOs statewide have faced similar reviews and cited Waco and El Paso as prior examples.
Lucero said the Lubbock MPO’s bylaws were last revised when the MPO gained Transportation Management Area (TMA) status and that staff had updated the MPO’s title but not always the board composition or detailed requirements. The fix will require a multi-step process: staff or a subcommittee will draft changes, present them to the policy committee, hold a public hearing, and then return for a final vote. Under the MPO’s current rules any initial bylaw change cannot be acted on at the first presentation, making the minimum process roughly three months.
Committee members raised questions about mandated board composition, including the requirement that TMAs include elected officials, a TxDOT representative and at least one transit representative. Lucero noted that boundary adjustments that added outlying communities could require invitations or other representation mechanisms for those jurisdictions. Chair (S2) introduced Blair Johnson, an interim Amarillo district engineer, who told the committee that districts that have recently undergone the review found the process manageable.
Lucero said staff will prepare proposed edits and circulate them to committee members by email, and that the committee can choose a staff-only review, a subcommittee, or a staff-subcommittee hybrid before bringing amendments forward for public comment and final action.
The committee did not vote on bylaw language; Lucero said she would circulate the current bylaws and a proposed timeline to members ahead of the next policy meeting.
