The Tuscaloosa Area transportation planning process is conducted by the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The MPO is composed of four committees. The MPO committee (Policy Committee) is the official decision making body of the process.The MPO committee is served by three advisory committees: the Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC), the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC), and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee (BPC). The MPO has the ultimate authority on transportation planning matters, but the advisory committees’ work and recommendations shape all of the outputs of the transportation planning process. The activities of the committees are governed by the MPO Bylaws. The MPO Bylaws are available on the Documents page.

Metropolitan Planning Organization (Policy Committee)
The MPO (Policy Committee) serves as the official decision making body for the Tuscaloosa Area transportation planning process. In this capacity the MPO determines how federal transportation funds are spent in the study area. The MPO’s responsibilities include providing overall guidance to the planning process, review and approval of all process plans and programs, and appointing TCC and CTAC members. The MPO usually meets on the last Monday of even-numbered months.

The MPO is composed of nine members, five voting and four non-voting. The five voting members are the Mayor of Tuscaloosa, the Mayor of Northport, the Tuscaloosa County Commission Chairman, the Alabama Department of Transportation's Fifth Division Engineer, and the Executive Director of the West Alabama Planning and Development Council. The four non-voting members are a representative from the Federal Highway Administration, a representative from the Alabama Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Planning, the Chairman of the Technical Coordinating Committee, and the Chairman of the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee.

Members - Metropolitan Planning Organization (Policy Committee) (October 2005)

Voting:
Harvey Fretwell - Vice Chair - Mayor, City of Northport
Robert Lake - WARC Executive Director
Walter Maddox - Chair - Mayor, City of Tuscaloosa
W. Hardy McCollum - Chairman, Tuscaloosa County Commission
Dee Rowe - ALDOT 5th Division Engineer

Non-voting:
Mark D. Bartlett, Federal Highway Administration
Bill Herz, Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee Chairman
Robert J. Jilla, Alabama Department of Transportation
Ray Nelson, West Alabama RPO Chairman
Joe Robinson, Technical Coordinating Committee Chairman
Tim Stone, Citizens Advisory Committee Chairman

Technical Coordinating Committee
The Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) provides technical support to the MPO in producing the necessary plans and programs. The TCC reviews MPO documents, studies, reports, plans, and programs and provides the MPO with recommendations concerning these items. The TCC members review the planning process products from a technical perspective making certain that all appropriate concerns are addressed, including local planning issues, engineering details, environmental questions, and future growth, among many others. The TCC also has the ability to make alternative recommendations for any of the products.

The TCC coordinates the work of the various departments and agencies involved in the transportation planning process. All of the local governments, the State DOT, and selected other transportation interests are represented on the TCC. The TCC members share information and data that builds and improves the planning processes and products.The TCC members also work together to ensure that all of the transportation projects mesh.The TCC usually meets on the third Thursday of even-numbered months.

Members - Technical Coordinating Committee (October 2005)

Voting:
Bill Barnes - Chairman, Northport Planning Commission
Doug Behm, University of Alabama Representative
Jimmie Cain - Manager, Tuscaloosa County Parking and Transit Authority
Wayne Cameron, Airport Manager
Katherine Ennis, Director, Northport Planning Department
Bobby Hagler, County Engineer
David Kemp, ALDOT 5th Division
Drew Linn, Trucking Representative
Bill McFarland, Railroad Representative
David Norris, West Alabama Regional Commission
Emmanuel Oranika, ALDOT Bureau of Transportation Planning
Joe Robinson - Chair - Director, Tuscaloosa DOT
Farrington Snipes, Director, Tuscaloosa Co. Planning Department
William Snowden, Director, Tuscaloosa City Planning Department
Charles Swann, Northport City Engineer & Public Works Director
Maxi Thomas, Coordinator, West Alabama Highway Safety Office
Jimmy Warren, Chairman, Tuscaloosa City Planning Commission
James Woodroof, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Representative, Federal Highway Administration
Representative, Federal Transit Administration

Non-voting:
Representative, Town of Brookwood
Representative, Town of Coaling
Representative, Town of Coker
Representative, Town of Lake View
Representative, Town of Moundville
Representative, Town of Vance
Representative, Alabama Department of Public Safety (Local Office)
Representative, Northport City Police Department
Representative, Tuscaloosa City Police Department
Representative, Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office

Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee
The Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC)is made up of 24 citizens from the Tuscaloosa area. The Mayors of Tuscaloosa and Northport and the County Commission Chairman each appoint 8 members to the committee.

The CTAC was established to provide active public participation in the transportation planning process. Prior to the formation of the CTAC the MPO relied primarily on public meetings for citizen input on transportation planning issues. There are a number of problems with public meetings of this nature. The biggest drawback to the public meeting is the lack of participation.

Another shortcoming of the public meeting is the background knowledge that is required to understand the planning process. While the MPO staff tries to make the process easy to understand, transportation planning is not usually taught in school and is not widely understood. People are not familiar with the topic and therefore are not willing to participate. The CTAC provides the MPO with a standing committee of citizens who have a good knowledge of the planning process and can pass on public concerns related to transportation in a structured fashion.

The CTAC reviews MPO documents, studies, reports, plans, and programs and provides the MPO with recommendations concerning these items. The CTAC also informs the MPO of public concerns related to transportation projects and issues.A CTAC member once suggested that the committee members act as antennas in the community gathering opinions and ideas in their everyday life and passing the information on to the MPO. The CTAC usually meets on the third Tuesday of even-numbered months.

In addition to the CTAC, the MPO adopted a public participation policy in 1993. The policy is available on the Documents page. The policy describes the steps that the MPO will take to encourage public participation in the transportation planning process. The CTAC is included as one of several methods to garner public involvement.

Members - Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee (October 2005)

Tuscaloosa City:
Robert Almon - Vice Chair
A.D. Christian
James C. (Jimmy) Hamner
Bill Herz
Joe McDonald
Tommy Nix
Curtis Travis
Mike Wright

Northport:
Lewis (Lew) C. Drummond
Robert Green
Glenn Griffin
Thomas Peters
Tim Stone - Chair
Dewitt Williams
** Vacant **
** Vacant **

Tuscaloosa County:
Rod Coleman
Deb Geisler
Bruce Higginbotham
Earle Kelley
Beverly Roboski
Steve Terry - Vice Chair
Allen Walker
** Vacant **

Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee

The MPO (Policy Committee) authorized the formation of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee (BPC)in 1997. The committee assists the MPO in developing plans, programs, and projects related to bicycle and pedestrian activities. The BPC consists of individuals from many areas of the community who share a common interest in improving bicycling and walking in Tuscaloosa County. Membership on the committee ranges from professional planners to avid bicyclists. The MPO left the organization of this committee unstructured in order to encourage participation. There is no set membership list.Anyone who attends the BPC meetings is considered a member and has voting privileges. The BPC usually meets on the second or third Monday of even numbered months.