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March 5, 2025

March 5, 2025

TRANSPORTATION ASSET MANAGEMENT COUNCIL (TAMC) MEETING

March 5, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.

MEETING MINUTES

Members Present

  • Ryan Buck, Michigan Transportation Planning Association (MTPA) - Chair
  • Art Green, Michigan Department of Transportation
  • Bill McEntee, County Road Association (CRA) – Vice-Chair
  • Kelly Jones, Michigan Association of Counties (MAC)
  • Eric Mullen, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)
  • Rob Surber, Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB)/Center for Shared Solutions (CSS)
  • Jennifer Tubbs, Michigan Townships Association (MTA)

Members Absent

  • James Snell, Michigan Association of Regions (MAR)

Others Present

  • Robert Slattery, Michigan Municipal League (MML) (Virtual)
  • Tim Colling, MTU (Virtual)
  • Eric Costa, MDOT (Virtual)
  • Cheryl Granger, CSS (Virtual)
  • Ben Harris, DTMB (Virtual)
  • Nathan Hamilton, MIC (Virtual)
  • Dave Jennett, MDOT (Virtual)
  • Emilee Madison, MIC (Virtual)
  • Kristen Myers, Hubbell, Roth, and Clark (HRC)
  • Brad Sharlow, MDOT
  • Mike Toth, MDOT (Virtual)
  • Conor Warren, MDOT
  • Mark Worden, CRA
  • Isaac Harter, MDOT
  1. Call to Order
    1. The meeting was called to order at 1:00pm
  2. Changes or Additions to the Agenda
    1. None
  3. Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items
    1. Jack Hoffman, Rapid board member for the City of Grand Rapids, spoke about Governor Whitmer’s press release on February 10, 2025 that stated she believes effective transportation funding reform depends on recognizing the principle that companies that operate heavy trucks on Michigan’s roads “should pay their fair share to do business in Michigan and rebuild roads proportionally to the damage they cause.” Mr. Hoffman believes the TAMC is mandated by Act 51 to advise MIC and the Michigan Transportation Commission about funding strategies as he feels a part of the TAMC’s asset management duties include pricing and revenue generation.
  4. Consent Agenda
    1. J. Tubbs made a motion to approve items on the consent agenda and E. Mullen seconded the motion.
    2. The motion was approved by all members present.
  5. Culvert Data Collection Program
    1. Last month, the Bridge Committee was asked to review the list of requests for funding Culvert Data Collection to allocate an additional $36,000 and recommend agencies for funding. B. Sharlow reviewed the Bridge Committee’s recommendations to fund the City of East Lansing (TriCounty) for $6,000, City of Flushing (GLS Region V) for $16,000, and Cass County (SWMPC) for $12,100 for a total of $34,100. E. Mullen made the motion to approve the allocation of $34,100 to fund Culvert Data Collection in the City of East Lansing, the City of Flushing, and Cass County, and K. Jones seconded the motion.
    2. The motion was approved by all members present.
  6. Conference Discussion
    1. The ACE Committee discussed alternatives to an in-person TAMC conference in 2025, due to time constraints. The Committee recommends holding a virtual conference or educational session this year. We will be having a joint conference with MIC in 2026. J. Tubbs wanted clarification on whether the TAMC will no longer have stand-alone conferences. R. Surber clarified that it is difficult to get a large enough venue this year in the shortened timeframe, and the Committee feels we shouldn’t throw something together at the last minute. The TAMC will go back to an in-person conference in 2027. B. Sharlow stated that the reason the TAMC doesn’t have adequate time in 2025 to plan an in-person conference is due to membership changes on the TAMC and quorum issues with some meetings in 2024. E. Mullen made a motion to seek out virtual options for 2025 and begin planning for an in-person conference in 2027. B. McEntee seconded the motion.
    2. The motion was approved by all members present.
  7. 2024 TAMC Annual Roads and Bridges Report
    1. K. Myers gave a brief overview of the draft report and reminded the Council that it is still a work in progress, S. Plumer is still waiting for data from MDOT, and several sections have been flagged to indicate they haven’t been updated yet. S. Plumer will need all comments by March 12. B. McEntee provided comments on chart data consistency and edits needed in the list of names for the group photo. J. Tubbs believes the TAMC is going backwards in the report and that instead of adding new stories, the document should concentrate on data and show that the roads are getting better at the beginning of the report. She would like to see the booklet smaller, have consistency in graphics, and not branch out too far. A. Green believes the new stories in the draft are nice and will bolster enthusiasm. After discussion, the consensus is to move the data sections to the beginning of the document, move the award winners, agency spotlights, and TAMC members/group photo to the end of the document. A comment was made to make sure if blended data is used, it needs to be noted as such. A final draft will be available at the April TAMC meeting.
  8. Presentations
    1. Eric Costa, MDOT, gave a presentation on 2024 PASER collection. In 2024, 108,441 lane miles were collected, compared to 87,276 lane miles that were collected in 2023. In terms of 2023/2024 merged PASER collection, a total of 150,066 lane miles were collected, compared to 128,700 lane miles in the 2022/2023 merged collection, which is an increase of 16.6%. For paved Federal Aid System roads, significant increases in pavement investment were made in the last 8 years to raise good pavement by 10%, reduce fair pavement ratings by 3%, and reduce poor pavement ratings by 7%. In terms of Non-Federal Aid collection, 28,000 new lane miles were collected in 2024, over the previous three collection cycles (2021, 2022, 2023).
  9. Committee Updates
    1. ACE Committee
      1. Rob Surber is the new Chair of the Committee; Kelly Jones is the new Vice-Chair. The Committee is working on a new onboarding process for future council members, to ensure continuity. They’ve also been discussing the 2025 conference options.
    2. Data Committee
      1. The Committee has been trying to get caught up on 2025 data and has been working on E. Costa’s presentation.
    3. Bridge Committee
      1. The Committee reviewed the requests for funding for Culvert Data Collection and provided a recommendation to the Council.
  10. Public Comments
    1. Nathan Hamilton provided a MIC update. They have new members. They have posted RFPs for a lead asset management trainer, and a trainer for elected officials. They are continuing to hold asset management workshops across the state. Jack Hoffman had additional comments about the 2024 TAMC Annual Roads and Bridges report. He believes is rooted in science in engineering, but he believes it doesn’t get discussed for political reasons. He also doesn’t believe roads are getting better in contrast to E. Costa’s presentation.
  11. Member Comments
    1. B. Sharlow introduced Isaac Hunter, a new staff member at MDOT who will complete his degree in Planning from MSU in May. He also reported that 6 members in his department (including him) are going through PASER training. Lastly, MDOT is getting many requests for raw data, and has advised those interested they need to follow the FOIA policy. B. McEntee gave a brief report about the CRA. There are two counties that have had difficulty getting their MPO’s to submit their TAMPs. K. Myers will follow up with S. Plumer to find out more. E. Mullen reported that MDOT is working on a protocol to withhold funds if agencies do not submit their TAMPs. R. Surber reported that in lieu of a state conference, members should consider attending the national conference in Chicago this year.
  12. Adjournment
    1. The meeting was adjourned by consensus at 2:36pm.