Miami-Dade wants $125 mil more from surtax and People's Transportation bond

The Citizens Independent Transportation Trust will have a special meeting Thursday afternoon to consider giving $125 million in additional funds from the county transportation surtax funds and People’s Transportation Plan bond program to Miami-Dade’s Department of Transit and Public Works for ongoing architectural and engineering projects. But there are few details.

Several questions asked by the CITT staff came back with “pending” on Wednesday. Unanswered.

“Of the $125.4M being requested, how much is estimated to be charged to PTP,” the CITT staff posed. Because, typically, a project list and estimated costs are provided for each contract and/or supplementals. Not this time. “Pending,” was the response from DTPW.

“Where are these additional funds identified in the approved Capital Budget?” Answer: “Pending.” Staff requested the capital project numbers associated with each contract — “so we may verify funding in the 5-Year Plan and Capital Budget. Typically, that information is included in all items/Mayor’s memo, however it’s been left out on this item.” Answer: “Pending.”

County staff was also unable to provide a breakdown for each of the 10 contracts that will be expanded. The supplemental agreements are for:

Aecom Technical Services (Contracts No. CIP215-DTPW19-DE(1) and No. CIP215-DTPW19-DE(6))
BCC Engineering (Contract No. CIP215-DTPS19-DE(2))
Cha Consulting, Inc. (Contract No. E19-DTPW-01)
Gannett Fleming, Inc (Contract No. CIP215-DTPW19-DE(5))
HNTB Corporation (Contract No. CIP215-DTPW19-DE(4))
Kimley-Horn and Associates (Contract No. CIP215-DTPW19-DE(3))
Parsons Transportation (Contract No. CIP142-1-TPW16-PE1(1))
WSP USA, Inc (Contract No. CIP142-TR15-PE1)
Zyscovich LLC (Contract No. CIP215-DTPW19-DE(7))

It’s the second supplemental agreement for Cha Consulting, HTNB Corporation and Parsons Transportation and the fourth supplemental agreement for WSP USA, which is where former Transit Director Alice Bravo worked for two years after leaving the county and before starting her own consulting firm in May of last year.

Coming back to the CITT for more money isn’t new. This is a request for more contract capacity for funds that have already been committed. But it is a very large amount with no real details and in a big hurry. Sources say the special meeting was scheduled because several projects are running on fumes, including the Northeast corridor, a central cog in the countywide system, and one which is very important to Commission Chairman Oliver Gilbert because it runs through his district.

“We were approached by the department of Transit and Public Works with a request for a special meeting. The urgency seem to be related to a timetable for the Northeast corridor portion, a critical project of the SMART plan,” said CITT Executive Director Javier Betancourt.

Other projects that would avoid delays if the county commissioners approve the allocation of funds include MetroRail station improvements, the South Dade Trail, the infrastructure renewal program and transit oriented developments.

“Unfortunately, we only received the item the day before the meeting, which does not allow for a lot of review and analysis,” Betancourt said. “I suspect there will be a lot of questions.”

It’s not the first time the administration brings something to the commission or a committee in a rush because they forgot what time it was. This is becoming a habit.

There’s also the very real possibility that the administration will try to sneak a new project in there. “As per current procedure, any new project not included in the 5-Year PTP Plan seeking surtax funds will be presented to the CITT for consideration and recommendation,” part of the explanation goes.

What’s worse is that the meeting will not be available to be watched online or on the county TV channel because commission chambers are in the middle of renovations. Instead, the meeting, which begins at 5 p.m., will be held in a large conference room on the 10th floor.

CITT, PTP funds, transit

Miami-Dade wants $125 mil more from surtax and People’s Transportation bond added by Ladra on January 3, 2024
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