Staff recommends the City Council hear the overview presentation and review the Draft 2024 UPWP at this Work Session. The Council is scheduled to take action on the 2024 UPWP at its August 14th meeting. For the August 14 meeting, staff will forward a recommendation requesting the City Council approve the program and instruct PCC Designee Mayor Cole to give a positive recommendation to PCC for final local approval.

The City-County Planning Division is presenting the 2024 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) for the Billings Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for City Council review and recommendation of approval to the Billings Policy Coordinating Committee (PCC). The UPWP is primarily for the purpose of programming the federal dollars that Billings receives from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for transportation planning and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for transit (MET) planning. These funds are passed through the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT). All transportation planning activities for the Billings MPO are included in the UPWP so that it represents a comprehensive document for the urban transportation planning program. This UPWP proposes planning activities for Federal Fiscal Year 2024, which runs from October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. This UPWP corresponds directly with the Planning Division’s annual work plan.

The significant changes in this year’s program include continuing to update the 2024 Bike and Pedestrian Plan, the 21st Street Feasibility Study, and a comprehensive transportation element for future neighborhood planning studies - The West End Neighborhood Plan and the Billings Heights Neighborhood Plan. The Transit section is Chapter II of the UPWP. The document is consistent with past programs in its content and format.

The Yellowstone County Board of Planning conducted a public hearing on the 2024 UPWP at its regular meeting on July 25. No public comment was received at the hearing. However, the public also has the opportunity to speak to this item at the Council Work Session, Council Regular Meeting on August 14, and Board of County Commissioner Discussion Session and Meeting, and PCC Meeting.

At this Work Session, staff recommends the City Council hear the overview presentation and review the Draft 2024 UPWP. The Council is scheduled to take action on the 2024 UPWP at its August 14th meeting and instruct PCC Designee Mayor Cole to give its recommendation to PCC for final local approval.

Approval of the 2024 UPWP allows the City to access Federal funds for transportation planning in the community. Federal and local funds are combined to provide most of the planning work done by the Planning Division for the City and the County. If the UPWP is not approved, there would be a significant loss of resources for community planning and the community's ability to manage transportation planning projects and programs would be severely limited.The breakdown of funding sources for the FY 2024 UPWP is estimated below:

• $260,000 Planning Dept. Fee Revenue (City of Billings)
• $170,000 Planning Dept. Fee Revenue (Yellowstone County)
• $595,000 Yellowstone County Planning Levy
• $1,447,790 Federal Planning (PL) Allocation
• $2,472,790 Total - Local and Federal Program Funding (UPWP)