As Gainesville and Alachua County develop, governments spend millions on transportation infrastructure to help citizens get from point A to B to Z. 

A crucial part in prioritizing projects and getting federal dollars to cover costs is the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization (MTPO). The organization is federally mandated in order to receive grants for projects, and the MTPO must meet certain planning and study requirements set by the Federal Transit Administration.  

The MTPO helps direct millions in federal and local dollars, and the organization is also in the middle of two major changes.  

But before that, who is the MTPO?  

The organization is controlled by the MTPO Board. The board includes the entire five-member Alachua County Board of County Commissioners and the entire seven-member Gainesville City Commission.   

So, the MTPO is a joint city and county organization created to fulfill federal obligations and get federal dollars. Across Florida, there are 26 other MTPOs used to plan transit networks in urban areas.  

Now for the ongoing changes.  

First, the Gainesville Metropolitan Area surpassed a federal population threshold in the 2020 census, automatically placing the MTPO within a new classification called a Transportation Management Area (TMA).  

With the new designation comes more federal funding and more reporting that the MTPO must handle.  

Second, the MTPO Board decided to stop hiring contractors to perform all the required work and will soon have an executive director and its own staff to run the organization. 

Alison Moss, Transportation Planning Manager for Alachua County, said the MTPO Board previously contracted the required federal reporting through the Regional Planning Council, but around the time the organization was upgraded to a TMA, she said the board wanted more direct attention.  

So, the board moved toward hiring an executive director who would hire three or four staff to run the MTPO and advise the board members.  

The major duties of the organization are creating a long-range transportation plan with a 20-year horizon, a transportation improvement plan that examines the upcoming years and a unified planning work program created every six months—essentially long-, mid- and short-term plans. 

In mid-July, the board interviewed Benito Perez and voted unanimously to select him as the executive director. Perez was the sole interviewee out of 16 applicants. Two other candidates were considered but withdrew before the interview stage. 

Moss said the MTPO Board will consider an employment contract on Aug. 4, and Perez will join soon thereafter.  

Alachua County will handle the human resources and other overhead for the MTPO staff—though funding for the organization comes from the federal government. 

When the organization was upgraded to a TMA, Moss said the board also decided to expand the geographic boundaries of the MTPO to include the entire county. The board also decided to add three member positions to the board. 

Instead of just city and county commissioners, the new positions will include a Gainesville Regional Airport representative, a School Board of Alachua County representative and a rural representative from one of the smaller cities.  

The board will also have nonvoting members from the University of Florida and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).  

“Like a convening agency, they’re very uniquely qualified to bring together city, county, UF, FDOT, airport, school, like all these organizations, together to make decisions,” Moss said.  

She said having dedicated staff could be more transparent with citizens and engage on issues to gather feedback, making the organization’s work more prominent.  

Recently, Moss said the MTPO prioritized extending Archer Road’s four lanes further toward the urban boundary. Another project involves adding multi-use paths along University Avenue near NW 43rd Street. Both projects require coordination with FDOT.  

Moss said the MTPO prioritizes and plans, but the actual funds and construction run through whatever agency is responsible for the roadway, whether state, county or city. After becoming a TMA, she said the organization gained some autonomy and will have federal funds that it can expend itself on projects.   

The interlocal agreement to expand the board membership is making the rounds through stakeholders. The School Board of Alachua County is the next step and will take up the item at its July 31 meeting. Then UF and FDOT will need to sign off.