Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Beam Furr
Department: County Commission
Information
Requested Action
title
MOTION TO DISCUSS ways of resolving potential conflict of interest concerns relating to certain agreements between the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization and municipalities. (Commissioner Furr)
body
Why Action is Necessary
Motion is required to allow for Board discussion.
What Action Accomplishes
Permits the above-referenced discussion.
Is this Action Goal Related
No
Previous Action Taken
Summary Explanation/Background
As part of its relationship with the County, the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization ("MPO") is tasked with prioritizing municipalities' applications for Transportation Surtax funding for construction projects. Broward County has learned that the MPO also has agreements with various municipalities to provide assistance with transportation project planning and the development of grant applications, which might involve municipal applications for surtax funding. An example of the language determined by staff to be problematic is attached as Exhibit 1.
In an effort to limit potential conflicts of interest, the template being finalized for surtax-funded, project-specific agreements between Broward County and municipalities prohibits a municipality from, among other things, contracting "for the performance of any project management, public education, data-related services, transportation or transit planning, grant management or surtax oversight, or any other transportation planning services" with any entity that has any role or responsibility in the review, approval, or ranking of Surtax-Funded Projects." As multiple municipalities have contracts with the MPO to provide some of these itemized services, municipalities that are parties to such contracts could not enter into a project-specific funding agreement with the County without being in breach of the conflict language.
Th...
Click here for full text