MATS
Policy Committee Minutes
August
6, 2014
A meeting of the MATS Policy Committee
was held on August 6, 2014 at the Bibb Co.
Engineering Annex. There were ten voting
members present, thereby establishing a
quorum. The minutes of the previous meeting
and the agenda were both introduced and
approved. Under Committee Reports, James
Webb stated that he did not have a formal
report but the CAC had a special called
meeting last month to discuss the revisions
to the MATS by-laws. Subsequently, Jim
Thomas stated that at the previous TCC
meeting, the draft TIP Update had been
approved and the MATS by-laws had been
discussed. In addition, he stated a
subcommittee would be appointed to review a
proposed bikeway system and the TIP project
descriptions could not be revised to include
more noise barriers along I-75. Under Public
Input, Lindsay Holliday stated there was a
problem with speeding in the construction
zone on Forest Hill and there is improper
speed enforcement. Subsequently, the current
design for Forest Hill Rd. would only
increase the traffic speed on this roadway.
In regards to the TIP Update, he commented
that the community at large has not endorsed
the I-16/I-75 projects and the design is
inappropriate. Furthermore, there should be
traffic calming on Forest Hill Rd. as well
as design changes including restriping and
roundabouts. In addition, there should be a
joint use of runways between the Macon
Airport and Robins AFB to promote cost
savings. Finally, there should be a bikeway
network to promote connectivity and bikeway
projects should not be removed from the TIP.
Michael Ryan also stated that the proposed
MATS By-Laws and MOU will result in the CAC
being turned over to political interests and
this will not be representative of the
community.
The first item on the agenda was the
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
Jim Thomas discussed the amendments to the
TIP for FY 2014-17. The first revision to
the current TIP was an administrative
modification for the Sardis Church Rd.
extension which had been moved up to FY
2015. Mayor Reichert stated that this
project had been delayed due to utility
relocation issues but Georgia Power had
agreed to help cover the cost for this
project. He also stated this project would
improve connectivity and provide better
access to the airport. James Webb inquired
if a cost/benefit analysis had been done for
this project. Tom McQueen stated that an
analysis had not been done and the priority
for projects is listed in the LRTP. The next
revision to the current TIP was an amendment
to add a new transit maintenance facility
for FY 2015. The funding for the purchase of
the site and the renovations for the transit
facility were presented. Subsequently, a
motion was made to approve the revisions to
the current TIP which was approved by the
Policy Committee except for James Webb who
opposed it.
Jim Thomas also discussed the TIP
Update for FY 2015-18 and stated that the
appendix had been revised to include all the
projects in the LRTP. He also presented the
major revisions to the road projects. He
reviewed the Jeffersonville Rd. projects
which had been moved back in terms of the
future construction date. Also discussed
were Phase I and Phase II of the I-16/I-75
interchange project which were new items
that were included in the TIP update. In
regards to the Jeffersonville Rd. projects,
Jack Reed of Georgia D.O.T. stated the
project delay had been caused by issues
regarding the right of way purchase and soft
costs. Al Tillman had some concerns in
regards to the delay for the Jeffersonville
Rd. projects since they were originally part
of the SPLOST in 1994. Mayor Reichert stated
there have been changes in cost figures and
contract agreements with GDOT that have
caused the project delays. In addition,
David Fortson stated there were
environmental issues involved that have also
resulted in delays. After some discussion, a
motion was made by Craig Ross and seconded
by Al Tillman to adopt the draft TIP that
was approved by the Policy Committee members
except for James Webb who opposed the
motion. James Webb also commented that the
CAC did not approve the draft TIP Update
because it did not make sense to push the
Jeffersonville Rd. projects back while
moving the Sardis Church Rd. extension up.
The Mayor then stated that this process is
dependent on which projects are ready for
construction. Subsequently, Mallory Jones
inquired about how projects are approved to
be in the TIP. Jim Thomas stated that this
is done through the MATS process which the
Policy Committee is a part of. In addition,
there will be a public review period for the
TIP Update in which comments can be made
regarding the document.
The next item discussed on the agenda
was the MATS By-Laws. Jim Thomas presented
the new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
and revisions to the by-laws for each of the
MATS Committees. The membership and the
proxy requirements for the Policy Committee
were reviewed. James Webb remarked that the
Macon-Bibb Commissioners on the Policy
Committee should include the heads of the
various committees as stated in the original
by-laws. Mayor Reichert replied that the
Macon-Bibb Commission has a new committee
structure but the committees were currently
represented on the MATS Policy Committee. Al
Tilman also stated that the CAC should be
given a list of the new committees and the
Policy Committee isn’t large enough to
accommodate all the committee heads. After
further discussion, a motion was made by
James Webb and seconded by Daylon Martin to
revise the proposed by-laws to include the
heads of the various committees as members.
Subsequently, the motion was voted on by the
Policy members but the motion failed to
pass. Daylon Martin then inquired how the
Macon Bibb Commissioners were appointed to
the Policy Committee to which Al Tillman
responded that the current administration
was responsible for the appointments.
Mallory Jones then added that the by-laws
should not dictate to each county how their
membership is appointed.
The amended MATS By-Laws for the TCC
were also reviewed. For the membership of
the TCC, a motion was made by James Webb and
seconded by Daylon Martin to include the CAC
Chairman as a voting member. However, the
motion failed to pass when it was voted on.
The revisions to the CAC by-laws were also
discussed and it was stated there would be a
total of 21 positions and 12 of these
members would be appointed by government
bodies. James Webb had some concerns about
the 12 appointed members because they may
not have any interest in transportation
issues. He stated that the CAC should be
more inclusive and contain more neighborhood
organizations. In addition, the CAC should
be able to communicate with the community in
a better manner and become an effective
organization. Subsequently, he then stated
that the CAC should come up with a revised
set of by-laws with the input of the Policy
Committee. David Fortson then stated that he
had some concerns about the term limits in
the CAC by-laws because the wording was
unclear and would still allow for someone to
serve in perpetuity. Mayor Reichert stated
that the Policy Committee would not vote on
the by-laws until the next meeting.
The project status report was presented
by Jack Reed from Georgia D.O.T. Mr. Reed
gave an update on the road projects. In
particular, he stated that the construction
date for the Sardis Church Rd. extension had
been moved up to FY 2015. Also, for the
Jeffersonville Rd. projects, a notice to
proceed with the right-of-way acquisition
had been issued. Lindsay Holliday asked
about the delay on the Ocmulgee Heritage
Trail project. Jack Reed replied there were
some utility issues involved in this
project. In addition, Mayor Reichert also
commented the railroad wanted an
indemnification agreement before the project
could proceed.
Under Old Business, it was stated that
the Bikeway system and Noise Barriers on
I-75 had already been discussed. However,
James Webb asked about the status of the
reevaluation of the lower section of the
Forest Hill Rd. project. It was stated that
a preliminary report was being circulated at
Georgia D.O.T. and Tom Underwood would check
on this matter. Being no further business to
discuss, the meeting was adjourned.
