Hillsborough TPO Special Meeting Discusses Regional MPO Draft Deliverables – September 1, 2026

The Hillsborough County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) held a special meeting on September 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in Tampa, Florida, primarily to review and discuss a draft package of legal, start-up, and informational documents for merging the three Tampa Bay area Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) into a single regional MPO. Chair Andrew Ross led the meeting, which included a status report from staff, board discussion, and an executive director’s report. No formal action was taken; the board provided feedback to guide staff ahead of an October 2, 2026, Tampa Bay Transportation Management Area (TMA) meeting.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes – May 5, 2026: The board unanimously approved the minutes from the May 5, 2026, special meeting. Motion by Commissioner Cohen, seconded by Commissioner Myers.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public signed up to speak.

Discussion Items

• State Representative Letter: Sarah Caper, TPO Assistant Executive Director, read a letter from State Representative Michael Owen (District 70) dated August 31, 2026. The letter expressed strong support for the MPO merger, stated a preference for local government consensus, but warned that if the four principal governments (Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties and the City of Tampa) cannot agree before the upcoming legislative session, he would file legislation to move the merger forward with terms determined through the legislative process.
• Draft Deliverables Presentation: Ms. Caper presented the full draft package of 10 documents, divided into three categories: (1) legal documents – a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and an Interlocal Agreement (ILA); (2) start-up documents – Bylaws, Organizational Chart and Staff Roles, Estimated Startup and Operational Funding & Costs, and Personnel Policies and Rules; and (3) informational technical memos. The proposed regional MPO would have 25 board seats: 2 off-the-top seats for Tampa International Airport and Port Tampa Bay, 10 for Hillsborough County (5 BOCC seats, 3 City of Tampa seats, 1 rotating seat for Plant City and Temple Terrace, 1 for TIA), 5 for Pasco County, and 8 for Pinellas County. The ILA includes a majority provision requiring approval of the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) by both a simple majority of the full board and a majority of each county’s delegation present. This provision is currently not allowed under state law, which requires only a simple majority. Staff estimated a one-time FDOT startup subsidy of $2.5 million, a $5.5 million capital float, and $2 million per year in local funding based on 55 cents per capita for cities above 10,000 population plus port/airport contributions based on operations (port: ~$144,000/year, airport: ~$124,000/year). The proposed staffing level is 37 full-time equivalent positions, with total personnel costs of $6.8 million/year (salaries $4.7 million, benefits $2.1 million) under employment-at-will policies.
• Board Member Feedback and Concerns:
  • Apportionment and Representation: Commissioner Cohen supported the apportionment but asked to clarify that Tampa’s three seats should be two city council members and one mayoral appointment, with the mayor’s appointment being a council member. He suggested a 2-year rotation for the Plant City/Temple Terrace seat instead of a 1-year term. Mayor Kilton agreed with 2 years but noted Plant City’s strong-mayor form of government means the mayor is appointed annually; he asked that the non-voting city still have a seat at the table. Councilmember Clendenin objected to the “threatening” letter from Rep. Owen and argued the apportionment creates a suburban/rural supermajority that underrepresents urban Tampa and St. Petersburg, calling it a loss of local control. Councilmember Hurtak supported the majority-of-each-county provision for the LRTP but suggested that only Pinellas and Hillsborough counties initially have that power, possibly with a reevaluation as Pasco’s population grows.
  • Voting Majority Provision: Chair Ross proposed an alternative: if the TIP or LRTP fails because one county does not achieve a majority, a two-thirds supermajority (16 of 25) of the full board could override that block. He noted that state law currently requires only a simple majority, but the language could be changed by the legislature to allow more stringent local voting rules. Commissioner Cohen agreed that the majority provision protects both Pasco and Tampa. Several members opposed the current statutory simple majority, fearing that without a supermajority or county-majority requirement, Tampa and Pinellas would be outvoted.
  • Membership Costs and Funding: Chair Ross strongly opposed the proposed per-capita membership fees ($15,000 for Temple Terrace, $2,200 for Plant City, $211,000 for Tampa, $5,910 for unincorporated Hillsborough County), stating Temple Terrace would not pay to join a regional MPO when it already receives services for free. He suggested the state should fund the merger if it wants it. Councilmember Clendenin called any cost increase “negligent” and asked for a full comparison of existing MPO costs versus the proposal. Councilmember Hurtak noted that Amendment 3 could cut property tax revenue, making the new costs unaffordable. Commissioner Cohen offered that counties could host the MPO to reduce costs. Board member Klug (Port Tampa Bay) noted his contributions would be based on TEUs and expected to grow significantly; he and board member Stephens (Airport) questioned the contribution formula (operations vs. passengers) and asked for a negotiated flat rate. They also noted that port and airport representatives are excluded from the executive committee and officers’ roles, despite their substantial contributions.
  • Staff and Transition: Board member Slater praised the organizational chart for avoiding silos but suggested reflecting urban/suburban/rural needs. He emphasized the need to retain talented staff during the transition. Secretary Hall (FDOT) described a seamless transfer model used in the Hernando-Citrus merger.
  • Future of the Merger: Several members expressed skepticism that the cost, voting, and representation issues could be resolved before the legislative session. Chair Ross noted that fundamental changes to board composition would require reopening multi-year negotiations.

Key Outcomes

• Feedback Collected: The board directed staff to document all concerns and suggestions for the October 2 TMA meeting. Two specific follow-up items were requested: (1) a fair-share funding report from FDOT showing the distribution of federal funds among the three current MPOs, and (2) a comparison of actual personnel costs (salaries and benefits) from the last Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) for all three MPOs versus the proposed $6.8 million/year, to be presented at the September 9 regular meeting.
• No Formal Action: The meeting was informational; no motions were made regarding the merger package. The board provided direction informally.
• Executive Director’s Report: Dr. Johnny Wong announced that the next regular TPO meeting is September 9, 2026. He would attend the Pasco County MPO meeting later that day to discuss the merger. On September 17, he and the Planning Commission executive director will present at Tampa City Council regarding stadium area planning (Plan A activities). He proposed canceling the November 4 regular meeting (day after election) pending no urgent items; a formal request will be made at the September 9 meeting.
• New Business: Councilmember Hurtak informed the board of her breast cancer diagnosis and first chemotherapy treatment. She requested permission to attend future meetings virtually as needed, which was affirmed by the chair as consistent with state law and health-related accommodations. No objection was raised.