NORTHERN PUEBLOS REGIONAL PLANNING ORGANIZATION

 

BYLAWS

 

 

I.                    NAME AND STATUS

 

The name of the association is the Northern Pueblos Regional Planning Organization (NPRPO).  It has been established by the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) and is administered by the North Central New Mexico Economic Development District (NCNMEDD) in order to develop a cooperative, coordinated, comprehensive, and continuous planning process for regional multi-modal transportation project programming under State and Federal policies and regulations.

 

II.                 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

A.    Purpose

1.          To promote the implementation of a safe, convenient, and efficient transportation network within the planning area of Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, and Taos Counties in the North Central Region of New Mexico.

2.          To be a forum for promoting highway safety, protecting environmental quality, preserving cultural resources and assessing residential and commercial development impacts on the regional transportation infrastructure.

3.          To elicit proposed informed recommendations for multimodal transportation and enhancement projects from local, municipal, county, tribal governments and recognized Land Grants as political subdivisions within the region.

4.          To submit these projects to the New Mexico Department of Transportation after rating and ranking them.

5.          To follow the federal laws, rules and regulations stipulated in the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act:  A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)

B.     Objectives

1.          Establish and administer policy for the initial submission of proposed federally funded State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) projects.

2.          Establish criteria and a system for the review, rating and ranking of proposed transportation funding projects.

3.          Establish criteria for annual review of existing programmed projected for re-prioritizing based on urgency of need, project readiness and availability of funding.  Each entity shall submit no more than 3 (three) projects to the Regional Transportation Improvement Program Recommendation (RTIPR) per fiscal year.

4.          Determine the viability of and prioritize transportation projects from a regional perspective and include those projects in a Regional Transportation Improvement Program Recommendation (RTIPR).

5.          Provide assistance for the coordinated development of transportation facilities among local, municipal, county, tribal governments, and recognized Land Grants as political subdivisions in the planning area.

6.          Promote the membership and voting criteria of the Northern Pueblos Regional Planning Organization.

7.          Provide a regional forum for public involvement in the statewide planning process.

8.          Provide for the collection of data encouraged by the SAFETEA-LU and ensuing Federal Legislation.

9.          Inform entities of NMDOT sponsored projects that may impact the NPRPO regional transportation network.

 

10.      Provide training related to transportation/transit needs on a regular basis.

 

III.               MEMBERSHIP

 

A.    NPRPO Entities:

1.          Representative Entity:  Upon annual elections of officers, each entity of the NPRPO shall appoint in writing one voting member and an alternate from each local, municipal, county and tribal government, and recognized land grant as a political subdivision within the boundaries of the NPRPO.  A voting member shall be an employee, elected official, or appointed official of a recognized local government or land grant.

 

2.          Geographic Composition:  The NPRPO represents the County of Los Alamos, County of Rio Arriba, City of Espanola, Village of Chama, County of Santa Fe, County of Taos, Town of Taos, Village of Taos Ski Valley, Village of Questa, Town of Red River, the eight northern pueblos of Tesuque, Pojoaque, Nambe, San Ildefonso, Santa Clara, Ohkay Owingeh, Picuris, Taos, and the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and recognized Land Grants as a political Subdivision.  The Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is the one municipal entity that is and ex-officio member.

 

B.     Advisory:  Non-voting members from State and Federal offices including but not limited to New Mexico Department of Transportation, the State Transportation Commission, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transportation Authority, NM Passenger Transportation Authority, the New Mexico Department of Economic Development, New Mexico State Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, the Santa Fe Metropolitan Planning Organization, the New Mexico Office of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Affairs and other State and Federal agencies having a responsibility for transportation.

 

C.    Ex-Officio Members:  Representatives from State government, Federal government and the Director of the North Central New Mexico Economic Development District.  Examples of ex-officio members would be the Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Transportation, Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Economic Development, Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration, Secretary of the State of Land Office, Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, Director of the North Central Regional Transit District, and the Secretary of Tourism.  Ex-officio members do not vote.

 

IV.              OFFICERS

 

A.    OFFICERS:  The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be elected by the voting entity of the NPRPO to serve for a one (1) year period thru July 1-June 30 fiscal year.  Elections shall take place one (1) month prior to the end of the fiscal year.

B.     REMOVAL: The Officers may be removed by annual election, resignation or by member governments (i.e. when the Officer no longer represents their entity).

C.    SPECIAL ELECTION:  If an officer resigns or otherwise leaves office, the NPRPO may conduct a special election at its earliest convenience to replace the vacant office.

 

V.                 DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

A.    Chair:  The Chair presides at all Northern Pueblos Regional Planning Organization meetings.  The Chair conducts the business of the NPRPO and establishes standing and ad hoc subcommittees to focus upon specific areas of concern.  The Chair is an ex-officio member of all standing subcommittees.  A technical subcommittee may be appointed and requested to submit a written or oral summary of subcommittee reports to the membership at NPRPO meetings.  The NPRPO Chair also submits written or oral reports to the membership, as required, and coordinates with NPRPO’s planner to prepare the Regional Transportation Improvement Program Recommendations (RTIPR), which is then submitted to the NMDOT for consideration.

 

B.     Vice Chair:  The Vice Chair presides at all meetings for which the Chair is absent and performs all duties for which the Chair is responsible.

 

VI.              DUTIES OF STANDING COMMITTEE

 

A standing committee of NPRPO includes, but is not limited to, the Northern Pueblos Regional Planning Organization (NPRPO).  The NPRPO receives transportation project applications, reviews and rates the project, and develops a RTIPR for submission to the NMDOT.

 

A. Review the Annual Work Plan for the NPRPO Transportation Planner no later than the 1st (first) quarter of the calendar year and make recommendations to NMDOT and NCNMEDD.

 

VII.            MEETINGS

 

All meetings shall be conducted according to the Open Meetings Act N.M.S.A. (10-15-1 to 10-15-4) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

 

A.    The NPRPO meets every 1st (first) Wednesday of each month throughout the year.  A quorum consists of 25% of the voting members who have been in attendance at one of the previous three regularly advertised meeting.  The NPRPO planner shall notify the public by means of newspaper, flyer, or other advertising means of the time and place of regular meetings at least 10 days in advance (special meetings 3 days in advance, and emergency meetings as much time in advance as possible).

 

B.     Procedures for Meetings.  NPRPO meetings will be conducted according to the procedures adopted by the NPRPO.  In general, the NPRPO reaches decisions by consensus of the membership.  However, when consensus is not possible and more formal parliamentary procedures are considered necessary by a majority vote of the membership, then Roberts Rules of Order will be implemented for the remainder of a particular meeting.

 

C.    Meeting attendance is recognized as a valid method for adding points to the rating score of participating entities.  An attendance roster will be maintained to document the number of meetings an entity attends.

 

VIII.         ADMINISTRATIVE AND TECHNICAL STAFF SUPPORT

 

A.    SOURCE TO PROVIDE STAFF SUPPORT:  The NCNMEDD provides a transportation planner to the NPRPO.  NCNMEDD is under contract with NMDOT to hire and supervise an administrative and technical staff position, which serves the member entities of the NPRPO.  NCNMEDD is not a voting member of the NPRPO and does not exercise policy-making authority for the NPRPO.  The contract between the NMDOT and NCNMEDD serves as the official document for defining the relationship between the NMDOT and NCNMEDD.

B.     STAFF SUPPORT DUTIES:  The NPRPO planner shall provide, but not be limited to, the following support duties:

 

1.                  Prepare and mail meeting cover letters and/or agendas 10 days to two weeks before meetings.

            2.      Preparation of written minutes for all NPRPO meetings.

3. Receipt of Project Identification Forms (PIFs).

4. Organize materials (PIFs, etc.) for committee or subcommittee meetings to review, rate, and rank roadway, enhancement and public transit projects/applicants.

5. Preparation of RTIPR for final approval of NPRPO voting entities and submission to NMDOT.

 

IX.              RECORDS OF THE NORTHERN PUEBLOS REGIONAL PLANNING ORGANIZATION

 

All records generated by the Northern Pueblos Regional Planning Organization (and any of its subcommittees), while conducting NPRPO business, are the joint property of the NMDOT and the NCNMEDD.  Upon member officer termination and or resignation, records accumulated during that tenure must be passed on the next NPRPO Chair.

 

X.                 AMENDMENT OF THE BYLAWS

 

The bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds affirmative vote of all voting members present.  Any voting member may propose amendments to the bylaws.  Amendments must be submitted in writing to the NPRPO planner in time to be distributed with the agenda of the next regular meeting of the NPRPO.

 

XI.              TITLE OF RECORDS

If the NPRPO terminates or ceases to exist and function, the title to all its assets and records will remain jointly with the NMDOT and the NCNMEDD.

 

XII.            APPROVAL

           

These bylaws shall be in effect upon approval by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at a regular meeting of the NPRPO.

 

CONFIRMATION OF NORTHERN PUEBLOS REGIONAL PLANNING ORGANIZATION APPROVAL

 

              The _______ day of   ________, 2006

 

 

            ________________________________________

            Chair, Northern Pueblos Regional Planning Organization