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Washington State Transportation Commission
Roles and Responsibilities as
of July 1, 2006
(Updated
on July 28, 2006)
The Washington State
Transportation Commission’s
roles and responsibilities
have changed as a result
of legislative action taken
during the 2005 and 2006
Legislative Sessions. The
summary below outlines
the primary responsibilities
of the Commission as of
July 1, 2006. It reflects
prior statutory authority,
the new responsibilities
outlined in ESB 5513 and
ESSB 6800, and tasks assigned
to the Commission in other
legislation.
Contact: Reema
Griffith, Executive Administrator
360-705-7070
Key Facts:
- The Commission provides
a public forum for transportation
policy development and
functions. In that role,
the Commission adopts
a comprehensive and balanced
statewide transportation
plan that reflects the
priorities of government
and addresses local,
regional and statewide
needs.
- The Commission
is tasked with proposing
transportation policy
for the state and coordinating
state transportation
planning with national
transportation policy
and with local and
regional land use and
transportation plans
and programs.
- Specific
policy studies assigned
to it by the 2005 Legislature
included a comprehensive
tolling study and a
rail capacity and needs
study.
- Ongoing policy
tasks assigned by the
Legislature include:
- Proposing
transportation
priorities and a
comprehensive ten-year
investment program
- Preparing a statewide
multimodal transportation
progress report
to be submitted to
the Governor
- Setting ferry
fares and highway tolls
- Providing
oversight of the
Transportation Innovative
Partnership Program
- Conducting performance
reviews of transportation-related
agencies
- While the Commission
is no longer responsible
for the overall operations
of the Department of
Transportation (DOT),
the DOT and the Transportation
Commission retain a
strong working relationship.
- WSDOT staff support
for the Commission
will continue.
- The Secretary
and Governor are
ex officio members
of the Commission.
Responsibilities Removed
- The Commission is no
longer responsible
for the hiring and firing
of the Secretary of Transportation.
The Secretary now serves
at the pleasure of the
Governor.
- The department
is now a cabinet agency
and the Commission
is no longer responsible
for providing detailed
administrative oversight
of WSDOT and its program
delivery, including
highway classification
and the designation of
a freight and goods transportation
system.
- The Commission
no longer approves
the WSDOT biennial budget
and legislative policy
packages.
- Review and
approval of various
local grants or matching
funds, certification
of plans from public
transportation agencies
and regional transit
authorities, and receipt
of preservation data
from cities, is transferred
to either WSDOT or the
Office of Financial Management.
Current Responsibilities
in Detail Washington
Transportation Plan
Every two years, the Commission
recommends to the Legislature
a comprehensive and balanced
statewide transportation
plan, based on the transportation
policy adopted by the Governor
and the Legislature. The
plan shall reflect the
priorities of government
and address local, regional
and statewide needs, including
multimodal transportation
planning.
Accountability
The Commission is authorized
to review the performance
and outcome measures of
state and local transportation-related
agencies. Such review should
be coordinated with the
state auditor, joint legislative
audit and review committee,
the citizen advisory board,
and the Governor’s
performance review process
known as GMAP.
Fare
Setting and Toll Responsibilities
- The
Commission is
the state’s
tolling authority,
setting tolls
for the Tacoma Narrows
Bridge, the
SR 167 HOT Lanes pilot
project, and any toll
facility created by
a Transportation Benefit
District or a Regional
Transportation Investment
District.
- The Commission
reviews ferry
fares and sets the
ferry fare schedule
on an annual basis.
Ten Year Investment Program
The Commission shall develop
and recommend to the
Governor and the Legislature
a comprehensive ten-year
investment program specifying
program objectives and
performance measures
for the preservation
and improvement programs
at the Washington State
Department of Transportation.
Policy Guidance
The Commission must offer
policy guidance and make
recommendations to the
Governor and the Legislature
in key issue areas including
but not limited to:
- Transportation
finance
- Preserving,
maintaining, and
operating the statewide
transportation system.
- Transportation
infrastructure needs.
- Promoting
best practices for
adoption and use by transportation-related
agencies and programs.
- Transportation
efficiencies that
will improve service
delivery and/or coordination.
- Improved
planning and coordination
among transportation
agencies and providers.
- Use
of intelligent transportation
systems and other
technology based solutions.
Public Involvement
The Commission is required
to hold public meetings
at least quarterly at
sites around the state.
Public Policy Forum
The
Commission must provide
a forum for the development
of transportation policy
in the state.
- The Commission
may recommend to the
Secretary of Transportation,
the Governor, and the
Legislature means for
obtaining appropriate
citizen and professional
involvement in transportation
policy formulation and
matters related to the
powers and duties of
the WSDOT.
- The Commission may
hold hearings and explore
ways to improve the
mobility of the citizens
of the state.
- In addition to regular
meetings, the Commission
must convene regional
forums at a minimum of
every five years in order
to gather citizen input
on transportation.
Statewide
Multimodal Transportation
Progress Report:
- Every two
years, the Commission
must prepare the statewide
multimodal transportation
progress report.
- The report must
consider the citizen
input gathered at the
regional forums, as well
as input from state,
local, and regional jurisdictions.
- The report is due by
October 1st of every
even-numbered year, with
the first report due
to the Governor in October
2006.
- The report
must:
- Consider the citizen
input gathered
at the regional forums.
- Be developed with
the assistance
of state transportation-related
agencies
- Be developed with
the input from
state, local and
regional jurisdictions,
transportation
service providers,
and key transportation
stakeholders.
- Be considered
by the Secretary
of Transportation
and other state transportation –related
agencies in preparing
proposed agency budgets
and request legislation.
Transportation Innovative
Partnerships (TIP) Program
The Commission has the
following responsibilities
related to the TIP program:
- Solicit
concepts or proposals
for eligible public-private
partnership projects
and select potential
projects based on the
concepts or proposals.
- In consultation
with the Governor,
execute, reject or continue
negotiations on proposed
public-private partnership
projects.
- Adopt
rules to implement
and govern the TIP program.
2005-07 Studies
- The Legislature
provided $1.5 million
to the Commission for
a comprehensive study
to determine the feasibility
of administering tolls
on a specific facility
or a network of facilities.
The final report
is due in June 2006.
- $1.15
million was provided
by the Legislature
to conduct a statewide
rail capacity and needs
analysis with the final
report due December 2006.
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