Senate Bill 13-14-16
| Bill ID: | 13-14-16 |
| Name: | Proposal to Establish a Sustainable Transportation Funding Model Task Force |
| Proposed: | 12/10/2013 |
| Sponsor: | Matthew Popkin & Josh Ratner |
| Proposal: | The University of Maryland Department of Transportation Services (DOTS) is a self-support unit that currently operates under an unsustainable funding model. This is not much of a fault of their own, but rather campus goals and current funding practices that simply cannot support long-term planning and growth given the current funding system. DOTS presently receives funding from the following major sources: mandatory student fees (undergraduate and graduate), parking permits (students, staff, and faculty), and parking violations (students, staff, faculty, and visitors). These revenue sources provide money for daily operations as well as the robust Shuttle-UM services offered across the campus, off-campus, and in the evenings. Over the coming years, the University is planning to reduce parking on campus. The reduction comes from a number of sources, including the Facilities Master Plan, Climate Action Plan, and additional capital projects. The Facilities Master Plan and Climate Action Plan also intend to expand and encourage ridership via public transportation, including, but not limited to, bus services, carpooling, vanpooling, metro, and biking. There is an inherent contradiction between how DOTS generates revenue and the goals that the campus seeks to attain. As parking spaces and permits are decreased, revenue decreases from that major funding source, decreasing the funding available for providing for and growing Shuttle-UM ridership, which is at an all-time high, increasing rapidly, and will continue to increase as more students, staff, and faculty need to access public transportation to cut down on personal vehicle use. This contradiction is exacerbated by the fact that DOTS does not receive financial compensation for lost parking spaces and lots due to construction and new buildings. The University's Facilities Master Plan 2011-2030 update reinforces the goal of sustainable transportation, promoting development and growth of a campus bicycle infrastructure, "high quality Shuttle-UM" system, and use of other transportation modes other than personal vehicles, all while systematically reducing personal vehicle use on campus (See pages 45-46 of the Facilities Master Plan). The Transportation Subcommittee, which worked specifically on the transportation component on the Facilities Master Plan, discussed the funding model to some extent, but realized that it was a larger topic than the committee could handle in the time it was given to report to the Facilities Master Plan Steering Committee. In fact, funding bus routes was discussed during a Campus Transportation Advisory Council (CTAC) meeting in September 2012. Due to substantial increases in student ridership at the University of Maryland at Shady Grove, three park and rides (Bowie, Burtonsville, and Laurel) that primarily serve faculty and staff were set to be cancelled due to costs and demand at Shady Grove. This is one example of an inability to accommodate and service all areas that would ideally need to be serviced in order to adequately reduce the use of personal vehicles. Furthermore, an external review of DOTS was recently completed and should be taken into consideration. In this review, 9 budget-related recommendations were put forth to consider, many of which are minor improvements. However, the first recommendation stated that DOTS could benefit from "more closely [tying] budgeting to goals and initiatives." There is a strong and relatively urgent need to reshape the long-term funding model to support Shuttle-UM and additional modes of transportation without the reliance upon revenues primarily from parking permits and violations or a substantial increase of student fees. Students cannot continue to keep picking up the tab to cover additional transportation funding, something to which University has committed itself for good reason. This proposal recommends the University Senate convene a specific committee, council, or task force to be charged with reviewing DOTS' existing funding model and its alignment with the goals of DOTS and the University. Given the complex nature and history of transportation funding, forming a committee, council, or task force would be the next step in adequately addressing this difficult issue. There have been other committees recently that have discussed long-term funding matters, including, but not limited to, the Facilities Master Plan Transportation Subcommittee, Campus Transportation Advisory Council (CTAC), and University Sustainability Council (USC). Unfortunately, in none of these committees was a serious effort made to evaluate and discuss spent on scrutinizing the funding model for DOTS and transportation funding at the University. The Transportation Subcommittee no longer is functioning and both the USC and CTAC are tasked with many projects and policy reviews each year. In none of the aforementioned bodies would this be appropriate to fully consider. University Senate committees currently functioning have neither the capacity nor expertise to be able to sufficiently and effectively address such a substantial campus issue. This is not a new concept, as the University Senate has convened task forces recently to evaluate sexual harassment policies and procedures, open access issues, non-tenure track faculty issues, and general education revisions. It is therefore necessary that the University Senate create a body tasked specifically to address this substantial issue, per Article 1.1 of the Plan of Organization, which states: "Subject to the authority of the Board of Regents, the Chancellor, and the President, the Senate shall consider any matter of concern including, but not limited to, educational budgetary and personnel matters; campus-community matters; long range plans; facilities; and faculty, staff, and student affairs." Funding public transportation has never been easy, and with increasing awareness, concern, and demand for sustainable transportation, innovation and re-evaluation of previous transportation financial models may be required. The Senate should create a task force specifically to address the aforementioned topics with the necessary expertise to evaluate and review the DOTS business model. The sole charge of the body should be to address this topic. The task force should report back to the University Senate with specific actionable items that can be implemented upon approval by the University Senate. The following composition is suggested for baseline membership: 1. Vice President for Administration & Finance 2. Vice President of Student Affairs 3. Department of Transportation Services 4. Office of Sustainability 5. Student Government Association 6. Graduate Student Government 7. Faculty in financing, management, and/or business 8. External Professional Consultants (contingent on funding) 9. Campus Transportation Advisory Council Chair |
| Active? | No |
| Related Bills: |
Status
| Status: | Completed |
| Completed On: | 02/18/2014 |
History
| Status: | Complete |
| Reviewer: | Senate Executive Committee (SEC) |
| Received: | 2014-01-17 |
| Decision Date: | 2014-02-18 |
| Decision: | The SEC discussed the proposal and decided not to charge a committee with its review. |
| Actions: | On January 25, 2014, the SEC voted to discuss the proposal at the February 4, 2014 President's Breakfast. On February 18, 2014, the SEC reviewed the discussion from the President's Breakfast and voted to table the proposal. |
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