DELAWARE-MUNCIE METROPOLITAN PLAN COMMISSION

Policy Statement

Regarding Private Sector Participation

In the Transportation Planning Process

Overview. The Delaware-Muncie Metropolitan Plan Commission (DMMPC), the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Muncie Indiana Urbanized Area is charged with administering a comprehensive transportation planning process. In conjunction with this role, it is the responsibility of the DMMPC to assure that there is private sector participation in this process, especially as it relates to the provision of public transportation. This assurance can best be successful if there is an established policy. The following is a modest yet effective method of meeting the requirements of the initial UMTA, now Federal Transit Administration (FTA), guidelines for private sector participation as outlined in the Federal Register of January 24, 1986.

Statement of Initiatives: The primary initiative of this process as it regards the DMMPC is the dissemination of information. The DMMPC will therefore strive to educate, or keep aware, the private sector through the following two main activities:

-assuring private sector representation and participation on the Technical Advisory Committee and any DMMPC citizen participation mechanism or committee, and -providing information to the public on the Plan Commission’s web pages.

The second major initiative will be the input solicitation process. This process will be comprised of the following:

-encouragement and promotion of an ideas exchange between private sector participants and the DMMPC staff, and -active solicitation and promotion of opportunities for private sector participants to compete for service provisions if qualified and/or capable, and -active encouragement and solicitation of comments and opinions on the transportation planning process and planning activities, specifically as they relate to the provision of public transportation.

The third major initiative will be achieved by the successful completion of the first two initiatives on an ongoing basis. However, a mechanism needs to be in place by which problems can be solved. The activity will allow for expeditious, yet effective and fair, resolution of complaints or charges associated with the total process. It will also aid in assuring that the ongoing planning process has input from the private sector. The initiative will be as follows:

-creation of a review mechanism of any policy deemed uncompetitive or unfair to the private sector, and -allowance for the monitoring of the total process to assure that the proper mix of actors are invited to participate when necessary.