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Q&A
Transparency and reporting on Streets Plan progress (Intro 1105)
2:00:01
ยท
5 min
Council Member Brooks-Powers addresses concerns about transparency and reporting on the Streets Plan progress, referencing Intro 1105. The discussion centers on the need for more frequent updates and greater transparency from DOT.
- DOT expresses concerns about community misinterpretation of project listings
- Council Member argues for the need for monthly updates to track project progress
- DOT explains challenges in providing percentage-based progress updates for projects
- Council Member emphasizes the Streets Plan as a top priority and the need for DOT to comply with the law
- The discussion highlights the tension between DOT's concerns about premature disclosure and the Council's desire for more frequent and detailed reporting
Selvena Brooks-Powers
2:00:01
Going back to intro 1105, you testified, commissioner, that you were concerned that local communities could misinterpret the progress of these projects, but I think our communities are definitely more savvy than that.
2:00:15
If a project is listed as a waiting community feedback, why would local community members feel like they are not being heard?
Margaret Forgione
2:00:23
Even having a project on a list leads a community to feel like our mind has been made up, and it's something that we plan to implement.
2:00:31
When in actuality, that that isn't the case.
2:00:34
There are so many projects we go and we start a conversation about, and we start to just say Yeah.
2:00:40
How do you, you know, how does this community feel about the conditions on so and such an avenue or street and get feedback.
2:00:48
That's really important to us to try to build the trust of the community and for our planners to really start hearing what the community feels about that street.
2:00:57
So if if there's a list that comes out every year that says all the many things that we're thinking about looking at, we enter those communities already having developed, like, a lot of ill will because they're gonna feel that we've already made up our minds.
2:01:10
So we're really reluctant to do that.
Selvena Brooks-Powers
2:01:14
I would argue that even when you don't publish it, people feel like DOT has made up their minds.
2:01:20
But, you testified that monthly updates would have limited utility due to projects being completed in the last quarter, but that's precisely why we need monthly updates.
2:01:32
We wanna track the progress of projects even before they are complete.
2:01:37
Is this data that DOT has?
Margaret Forgione
2:01:43
So we we have information on which projects we are engaging with the community about, and then that's pretty much at that point very public information where those projects are.
2:01:56
And sometimes, you know, years before anything ever happens we start engaging to have the dialogue.
2:02:03
And then we're very clear with communities if we've had a number of meetings usually about a project and a design.
2:02:09
We're very clear about, like, if it is moving into the construction phase, and we formally notify them of that as well.
2:02:17
So those are the kinds of things that we have at a given time.
Selvena Brooks-Powers
2:02:21
So so so DOT is tracking and has the information you're saying?
Margaret Forgione
2:02:26
We yes.
2:02:27
We are working on different projects with communities, and we certainly have that information.
Eric Beaton
2:02:32
If I could say, we we we track the gen the broad status.
2:02:35
Right?
2:02:36
This one's in community engagement.
2:02:38
This one is actively being implemented.
2:02:40
It isn't something that converts easily into a percentage.
2:02:42
We're 23% of the way through community outreach because the, you know, the amount that is needed is a little bit unknowable.
2:02:49
It depends how it goes.
2:02:50
So do you I I wouldn't want to say that this is we have information on, like, the percentage complete for every project that could be provided.
2:02:58
And, frankly, we're not sure how we would convert some of these things into percentages appropriate for a monthly update.
Selvena Brooks-Powers
2:03:06
Commissioner, you testified that the street's plan was negotiated to include an annual February update.
2:03:13
It was also negotiated to include many mandates, which have not been fulfilled.
2:03:18
If DOT cannot meet those mandates, then we need DOT to be more transparent about its project pipeline so that we can better understand the bottlenecks preventing these projects from being completed.
2:03:33
And as I mentioned earlier in the hearing, that's where this committee's concern lies is that it's one part of it is that DOT is not meeting the mandates, but more so the DOT is not communicating with us or being transparent as to why they're not meeting the mandates, where the bottlenecks are.
2:03:58
So we have no real line of sight.
2:04:01
We just know that we have to wait till February to be told we're not meeting our mandate.
2:04:07
And so in order to make sure that the street's plan is successful, we think having greater transparency and greater frequency would, be most helpful and useful to making sure that we're meeting these goals.
2:04:24
And I haven't heard in any of the responses today how the Department of Transportation is working to not only meet the several years now.
2:04:45
And, you know, I just wanna, on the record, emphasize that the streets plan is a top priority of this committee.
2:04:53
We fully expect the DOT to comply with the law, and we have continued to extend ourselves to work in partnership with DOT to try and iron out whatever those, challenges may be that the agency is met with to meet the goals, because the question becomes, were the goals not realistic in the first place?
2:05:18
Why DOT is not meeting the goals, which I know that commissioner Rodriguez wouldn't say that, because he was a part of one of the sponsors for it.
2:05:26
Right?
2:05:26
So help us as a committee help DOT in achieving the goals of this, this law.
2:05:35
And so I'm looking forward to having further conversation on my bill that I am looking forward to moving forward so that we can see, a better outcome from the goals established in that law.
2:05:50
And so with that being said, I do not have any more questions.
2:05:54
I thank you for your patience and your participation today.
Margaret Forgione
2:05:58
Thank you, chair.
2:05:59
We appreciate it.