Regional Service Planning (RSP)

Produced by the Texas Department of Transportation's Public Transportation Division

(PDF version )

Funding Application Process Begins: Letters Due March 14

To be eligible for anticipated new funding, agencies that intend to continue serving as the lead agency for regional transportation coordination during FY 2009 (September 1, 2008 through August 31, 2009) must send a letter to the Public Transportation Division (PTN) expressing this commitment no later than March 14, 2008. This is the first step in the application process for anticipated continuation funding. Lead agencies must attach to this letter a brief overview of priorities and planned action for this new funding period as indicated in the funding announcement letter and instructions . After receiving the letters, PTN will provide a funding application packet to those respondents in late March with applications due later this spring. Funding should be available September 1. Contact Steve Wright at swright@dot.state.tx.us for additional information. FYI, PTN expects the availability of up to $60,000 per planning region to support regional transportation coordination planning activities during FY 2009.

Register Now for July 23-24 Workshops: Building Partnerships/Moving Forward

Lead agency staff and their invited partners can now make guest room reservations at the Omni Austin Hotel at Southpark where several workshops and other sessions will be held. This event will focus on regional transportation coordination and feature workshops and other sessions on partnership development, coordinated planning, marketing, public involvement, using technology to enhance coordination, and other topics.

Staff from agencies that intend to continue serving as lead agency must attend. Each lead agency may designate four people to attend. These may include lead agency staff, regional coordination steering committee members, or other key partners. In addition, lead agencies will be asked to invite representatives from urban transit providers, rural transit providers and metropolitan transit authorities who are from their respective planning regions. TxDOT public transportation coordinators also will participate in these sessions. Attendance at this event will be limited. Travel for lead agency staff and their invited partners may be reimbursable with current planning funds. Information on conference registration and the event agenda will be forthcoming.

Plans for Regional Forums Take Shape

Most lead agencies have settled on a date for their respective regional forum to discuss coordination among transportation and health and human service agencies (see schedule ) and many have already identified venues and begun the invitation process. Lead agency staff who have not yet participated in a conference call to discuss these upcoming forums will be contacted by PTN staff to schedule a call. PTN staff will review forum details and preparation activities and answer questions during this call.

In addition, PTN will send materials including preparation guidelines and lists of possible persons for each lead agency to invite. This will include lists of local and regional contacts from the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), the Department of Aging an Disability Services (DADS), and the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) that have been provided to us by the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). These lists are for lead agency consideration only. PTN expects lead agencies will know of other people who should be invited, so lead agencies should not feel limited by these lists. The final invitation list will be up to each lead agency. However, each lead agency will be allowed to invite only a limited number of persons to keep the day's activities manageable and assure effective group dynamics as the day's events will be professionally facilitated and include considerable small-group activities.

These forums will be professionally facilitated and provide an opportunity for community- and regional-level public transportation providers, planners, and health and human service representatives to meet face-to-face to discuss ways to match transportation resources with health and human service needs. These will be all-day events. Contact Steve Wright at swright@dot.state.tx.us for additional information.

Upcoming Transit Conferences

This is just a reminder that the 2008 Texas Transit Conference & Expo is scheduled for April 11-15, 2008 in Waco. If you’re interested in attending, please go to TTA’s website for additional information on how to register.

Also this spring in Texas, on May 3-7, the 2008 Bus and Paratransit Conference and International Bus Roadeo will be held in Austin. This conference is sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). For more information, please visit their website.