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Interlocal agreements are a highly effective way for a group of cities or towns to work together toward a common goal and save money at the same time. The agreement is established as a contract among governmental entities who want to work together to provide services to the taxpayers for a minimal cost.
Utah Code 11-13 is the interlocal cooperation act. This code states that the "purpose of this chapter is to permit local government units to make the most efficient use of their powers by enabling them to cooperate with other localities on a basis of mutual advantage and thereby to provide services and facilities in a manner and under forms of government organization that will accord best geographic, economic, population, and other factors influencing the needs and development of local communities, and to provide the benefit of economy of scale, economic development, and utilization of natural resources for the overall promotion of the general welfare of the state."
Interlocal agreements allow local government agencies to: (1) make budget dollars stretch farther; (2) work with other entities to accomplish common goals; and (3) combine resources to acquire items that they can't afford on their own.
Some examples of interlocal agreements include:
The South Utah Valley Municipal Water Association, for example, was formed to pool water rights and water rights acquisition; work as a group to compete with larger entities; have a stronger voice with the CUP, make limited water resources go father; conduct a ground water study in Southern Utah Valley and a regional waste water treatment study.
An equipment pool interlocal agreement allows each city to list their equipment with an hourly cost (with or without providing an operator). Then they have a system in place for cooperating cities to be able to rent the equipment they need (and the personnel if needed) from other cities who have the equipment (and trained personnel) already.
The Utah Municipal Power Agency combines the cities of Provo, Spanish Fork, Salem, Nephi and Levan to allow them to buy power as a group for a better price than they could get on their own.
Working through an interlocal agreement, Springville, Spanish Fork, Payson, Salem and Santaquin are utilizing GPS/GIS technology and services. This agreement was initiated in 1997, to reduce the cost of implementing this vital technology. In 2001 they were able to provide this service for only $36/hour, where an independent consultant would charge $120/hour.
Springville, Mapleton, Spanish Fork, Salem, Elk Ridge, Payson, Santaquin, Genola and Goshen work through an interlocal agreement to save money in chip seal operations. The cost to bid chip spreading before the agreement was $1.05/square yard. With the agreement, the cost is $0.64/square yard; a savings of 39%!
As illustrated with these examples, interlocal agreements are indeed a cost-saving measure available to Utah cities and towns. They become particularly helpful with smaller entities that need to provide service to the public, but have very limited funds available to do so.
To learn more about these interlocal agreements, please contact Richard J. Nielson, P.E., Assistant Public Works Director with Spanish Fork City. He can also be reached by e-mail at [mielson@spanishfork.org] or by phone at (801) 798-5000 x. 26. Or you can contact Keith Broadhead, Public Works Inspector for Spanish Fork City by e-mail at [kbroadhead@spanishfork.org] or by phone at (801) 798-5000 x. 25.
You can also learn more at the Utah T² Center Web site [www.utaht2.usu.edu].
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Of the $326 million, $175 million is dedicated to planning for first responders. An additional $56 million is devoted to Emergency Operation Centers and $50 million is devoted to the Citizen Corp as a modest down payment. The balance would go toward enhancing FEMA's urban search and rescue teams.
NACo's Task Force on Homeland Security has called for the creation of new and highly sophisticated planning and management systems at the city-county and multi-county level to strengthen the existing Integrated Emergency Management System (IEMS), which has been poorly funded for years. This is where we call for an additional $500 million for this effort.
Governor Ridge has emphasized that comprehensive planning must be approved before funds are dispersed. (Contact Donald Murray by phone at (202) 942-4239 or e-mail [dmurray@naco.org].)
An additional $200 million was provided to the Federal Aviation Administration to compensate airports for new security requirements imposed after 9-11. Additionally, $850 million will be available for modification of airports for the purpose of installing baggage explosive detection systems and $630 million for the purchase by airports of explosive detection systems. The bill also provides $75 million for grants to port authorities for security enhancements. (Contact Bob Fogel by phone at (202) 942-4217 or e-mail [bfogel@naco.org].)
In recent weeks, a battle had been brewing between the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and the House Appropriations Committee over legislation (H.R. 3900) introduced by the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Bill Young (R-FL), that calls for the elimination of the RABA provision for FY 2003. With the reauthorization of TEA-21 up in 2003, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee strongly opposes H.R. 3900 fearing its enactment would set a precedent that RABA is unnecessary.
The leadership of the two committees worked together to come to an agreement to accept the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee's adopted version of H.R. 3694. In exchange for agreeing to the legislation, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee will accept authorizing language from the House Appropriations Committee for $124.2 million for 49 earmarks on highway projects that had previously been deemed ineligible for funding by the Department of Transportation.
As previously reported, the Senate has its own version of the highway funding restoration legislation, S. 1917. It has not yet been marked-up by the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee which has jurisdiction over the bill. S. 1917 has been pulled from the Committee's schedule three times as Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT), Chairman of the Committee, is hoping to increase support for his proposal to set the highway funding level at $5.7 billion instead of the $4.4 billion restoration supported by the House. A mark-up of S. 1917 has not yet been rescheduled.
Every voice counts, and this site makes things easier than ever for you to make a difference in influencing policy in Washington. Your experience and ideas count!
Our hats are off to the many fine equipment operators who participated in the annual "Truck Road-eo" sponsored by the Utah Local Governments Trust at Road School in April 2002.
Great works guys!
There are tens of millions of mailboxes on rural and suburban roads and streets. Accident data have shown that mailbox supports can contribute to the severity of an accident. AASHTO publishes A Guide for Erecting Mailboxes on Highways (Mailbox Guide) which contains information on mailbox supports and their location on the roadside.
Local agencies should communicate with their citizens, particularly the home-building community, to ensure that mailbox support systems do not contribute to the severity of accidents.
The Utah T² Center has two very effective videos illustrating the dangers from mailbox supports that do not "breakaway" upon impact:
To checkout these videos (and publications) from our free lending library, please contact the Utah T² Center. You can call us at 1-800-822-8878, or go on-line to our Website at [www.utaht2.usu.edu] for a complete listing of available materials from our lending library. You can search by keyword or title.
Other safety materials related to roadway and roadside design are also available from the Utah T² Center library.
Our thanks to these important partners for sharing this information and working with us in our efforts to serve the local agencies of Utah.
Sydney Fonnesbeck will conduct this training.
This three-day conference highlights important municipal topics. Keynote addresses, concurrent workshops and a trade show provide excellent information for all who attend. A spouse's program also offers informative workshops for the spouses of elected and appointed officials.
Discussion topic: confined space and trench shoring.
Discussion topic: GIS and stop-sign/streets/sidewalks inventory.
This is offered in conjunction with POST and UAC. The 8 hour training costs $15 for URMMA and UAC members and $30 for non-members. This training meets URMMA requirements for Defensive Driver Training.
Cost for this training is $35 for URMMA members, $70 for non-members.
The cost for this training is $15 for URMMA members, $30 for non-members. Morning sessions are for city employees while evening sessions are for elected and appointed officials.
The cost for this training is $5 for URMMA members, $10 for non-members.
The cost for this training is $5 for URMMA members, $10 for non-members.
The cost for this training is $5 for URMMA members, $10 for non-members.
Cost for this training is $5 for URMMA members, $10 for non-members.
The cost is $20 for URMMA members, $50 for non-members.
This 8 hour training costs $20 for URMMA members, $40 for non-members.
Cost for this training is $25 for URMMA members, $75 for non-members. October 1 will focus on law enforcement; October 2 will be a supervisor's lecture; and October 3 will be a general risk management workshop.
This price schedule allows agencies to save money by sending their employees for a flat rate based on the number of employees who need training. The fee includes the ATSSA kit, AATSSA pocket guides, and traffic control manual provided to each employee trained.
It's not too late to arrange flagger training for your summer employees. You are also encouraged to plan ahead for your fall training needs...call today to get the best date for your agency!
Contact Stuart Thompson with the Utah T² Center to schedule "on demand" training for full- or part-time employees. You can reach him by calling toll-free 1-800-822-8878.
An easy-to-use, economical, GIS-based system is being developed at the the Utah T² Center. This system is targeted to those agencies that are currently not using a Sign Management System, those that wish assistance in taking advantage of technological advances in database managment, and those that choose not to invest in higher-end management systems.
The Center will offer training on implementing this program in your agency. Contact Stuart Thompson with the Utah T² Center for more information. He can be reached toll-free at 1-800-822-8878.
17 Hot Mix Asphalt Construction Workshop (SLC)
18 APWA Monthly Luncheon
24 Closed
11-13 Utah League of Cities & Towns Annual Convention (Salt Lake Sheraton)
16 Winter Maintenance & Anti-icing Workshop (Nephi--tentative)
17 Winter Maintenance & Anti-icing Workshop (Cedar City)
18 Winter Maintenance & Anti-icing Workshop (Richfield)
19 Winter Maintenance & Anti-icing Workshop (Vernal--tentative)
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In the months following the terrorist acts of 11 September, intense effort has been focused on understanding the state of security of travel on the nation's roadways, and on improving the existing level of security. These efforts have taken place within and across modes and between agencies that had not previously had reasons to work together. The activity has encompassed agencies at federal, state and local levels, as well as the private sector, academia, and many associations supporting these participants. Progress has been significant but not particularly visible. This article describes some of the effort, the findings and the results.
FHWA's activities in surface transportation security are aimed at ensuring that surface transportation operating agencies throughout the nation have the necessary tools, techniques, information, and understanding to be able to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and man-made disasters.
The goal is to have operational policies, protocols, procedures, practices and improvements in place within each region that will enable people and goods to move safely and effectively during threatening situations while still enabling emergency access to the scene(s), and to facilitate re-establishment of transportation after an emergency.
FHWA and related activity is best understood in stages, based on the structure in use by the Office of Homeland Security (OHS). This structure divides an emergency into six stages, chronologically: Detection; Preparedness; Prevention: Protection; Response; and Recovery.
To accomplish this, FHWA is working with AASHTO to survey the state of emergency management plans and to develop technical guidance on "state-of-the-art" emergency planning for the new and emerging threat scenarios.
There is a solid foundation on which this is being built, including the expertise at federal and state emergency management agencies, as well as the experience that transportation agencies have had in planning for emergencies such as hurricanes and earthquakes, and huge special events like Olympic Games.
FHWA, in support of regional emergency planning is conducting three series of workshops in 2002. One of these series focuses on transportation supporting military mobilization and another on response to and recovery from unpredicted events such as acts of terror
In the last of these workshops, FHWA will be working with up to 10 metro areas and regions to bring together the many organizations involved in (or dependent upon) transportation at the time of an emergency, and working through two "tabletop exercises" to identify areas in which preparedness can be strengthened.
A second area has been protection during special events. USDOT has been an active partner and provider of expertise, most visibly in preparation for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Although details have not been released regarding the specific measures implemented, transportation security was at heightened levels, and accomplished in ways designed to minimize impact on transportation effectiveness and assure that those affected had ample warning so they could make appropriate travel provisions.
USDOT has developed, and distributed to state DOTs, a process that will enable state and local agencies to assess the threats to their critical infrastructure, and to take preventive measures. FHWA is working with AASHTO to develop a comprehensive survey of techniques to identify, assess threats, and to develop protection plans for critical transportation infrastructure. FTA has developed a technique specialized for transit agencies, and is funding its use at 33 of the largest transit agencies around the United States. FHWA also is working with AASHTO in discussions of fielding teams of experts to assist states in answering specific questions about critical infrastructure, with a particular focus on major structures such as bridges, tunnels, and interchanges.
FHWA has been working with organizations involved in developing and deploying '511' telephone traveler information systems to understand how 511 (and other traveller information tools) support getting information to citizens at the time of an emergency, and how these systems are "stressed" by the extremely high demands for information under those circumstances.
One particularly critical element in response is the ability of agencies to communicate with one another. FHWA's Incident Management workshop, implemented through the National Highway Institute (NHI), is being offered around the country to assist in bringing transportation and public safety (police, fire, and emergency medical) responders together to discuss and work on how to address incidents that occur on or that affect the transportation network.
FHWA Divisions play a key part in processing state requests for emergency relief funds, a special category of federal -aid highway funding that can be available following a catastrophic failure of highway infrastructure due to an external cause. FHWA also is active in improving how transportation is carried out when areas, such as those contaminated by hazardous materials, must be avoided for an extended period.
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Click, Listen & Learn is a workshop training program being developed by the American Public Works Association (APWA) and co-sponsored by the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP). The purpose is to help keep the cost of training to a minimum as well as make information more easily accessible to government agencies throughout the United States.
These workshops are conducted over the Internet as well as by phone so that interested individuals can participate from across the nation. The visual portion of the program is transmitted over the Internet and the audio portion is transmitted over the phone lines. This format makes it easy for any agency to put on a Click, Listen & Learn workshop. All that is needed is a meeting room with Internet access and a telephone system with a speaker phone.
The subjects are primarily related to the transportation industry and deal with new or changing regulations or old maintenance practices being done in a new way.
The workshops should prove very useful for most government agencies throughout the state and the nation. Workshops are two hours in length and normally run from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. MST.
The following are examples of the subjects that have been or will be held in the near future:
Already Conducted
Upcoming Workshops
Click, Listen & Learn workshops have a registration fee of $125.00 per site, which is paid to APWA to cover the cost (telephone and Internet access) of the workshop. The Utah T² Center will try to schedule convenient locations that will maximize attendance and keep costs at a minimum.
Information about the Click, Listen & Learn program, schedule, past discussion, questions and answers from past sessions can be accessed on the Internet at [http://www.apwa.net/education/cll/].
The Utah T² Center goal is to have complete coverage of the state and is looking for locations to hold Click, Listen & Learn workshops. If you have a meeting room with Internet access and telephone service and are interested in co-sponsoring a Click, Listen & Learn workshop please contact the Utah T² Center by calling 1-800-822-8878 or (435) 797-2931.
You can also contact Dee Hadfield for site set-up details and assistance. He can be reached through the Center phone numbers (given above) or by e-mail at [dhadfiel@cc.usu.edu]. Our goal at the Utah T² Center is to get information and low cost training to as many agencies as possible. Be sure to keep these courses in mind when looking for convenient, high quality training.
HyperCalc Plus provides a convenient means for converting between English and Metric (SI) units. For example the "Length" Context provides the functionality to convert between five metric units and nine English units. One meter equals 39.370 or 39 and 3/8 inches. Entering a value on the meter side automatically produces the equivalent inches, and vice versa.
There are 13 Contexts for common units. In addition there are two specialty groups of units: "Civil Structural" containing 12 contexts including mass, force, pressure, moments, etc. and "Electrical" containing 18 contexts.
HyperCalc Plus also provides forms for "Transportation" equations including:
Forms for "Drainage" equations include: Continuity, Darcy-Weisbach, Friction Factor, Hazen-Williams, Mannings, Circular Shape Properties, Trapezoid Shape Properties, Rational Formula, and Reynolds Number.
Extensive help files are included. HyperCalc Plus may be downloaded free at the Utah T² Center Web site at: [www.utaht2.usu.edu]. (You simply select the Downloads item under Services.)
The application was developed at Utah State University as part of a joint project involving Utah State University, the Utah Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration. It is provided as Free Ware, no registration or licensing fees are required. Professor William J. Grenney, Ph.D. was the Principal Investigator on the project.
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The following pieces of information from the federal government are of particular interest to local agencies. Action on these items is recommended.
"On behalf of the MUTCD Team, this is to announce that Proposed Revision No. 2 of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) has been published in the May 21, 2002 Federal Register (page 35850).
The text of the entire MUTCD reflecting all the proposed Revision No. 2 changes, and a "Change List" detailing each proposed change, can be accessed on the MUTCD Web page [mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov]."
The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles (VMT) continued its downward trend to 1.50 in 2001, from the rate of 1.52 in 2000. The total number of people killed in highway crashes in 2001 was estimated to be 41,730, compared to 41,821 in 2000. The number of people injured dropped from 3.2 million in 2000 to 3.0 million in 2001. In 2001, vehicle miles traveled increased slightly to 2.778 trillion in 2001, up from 2.75 trillion in 2000.
"Losing nearly 42,000 of our friends, neighbors and family members to highway crashes is unacceptable," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta. "All of us individuals as well as government must work together to change the nation so that highway safety is every American's priority."
The 2001 statistics also continue to show the increased risk of death and injury when drivers and passengers do not wear seat belts or have their children properly restrained in child safety seats: 60 percent of those killed in crashes last year were not belted.
"As an emergency physician, I can tell you firsthand that a seat belt often makes the difference between survival and death in a crash," said Jeffrey W. Runge, M.D., NHTSA Administrator. "The data are clear about the value of seat belts in reducing the severity of injury and the economic cost to society."
NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) also shows that, in 2001:
NHTSA annually collects crash statistics from 50 states and the District of Columbia to produce the annual report on traffic fatality trends. The final 2001 report, pending completion of data collection and quality control verification, will be available in August. Summaries of the preliminary report are available on the NHTSA Website at [www.nhtsa.dot.gov].
For more information please contact Rae Tyson at (202) 366-9550.
The long awaited 2002 APWA Manual of Standard Plans & Specifications is now available to purchase. The cost is $55 for a set, plus $10 shipping.
To order, please contact the Utah T² Center:
We'll need your name, agency, mailing address, and phone to process your order. Check, money order, or agency POs are welcome.
The 8th International Conference on Low-Volume Roads is scheduled to be held in Reno, NV on June 22-25, 2003. This conference is held every 4 years. The last one was held in Baton Rouge in 1999 and had an attendance of nearly 400, representing 30+ countries. The Transportation Research Board is leading the conference planning effort. For the Conference Announcement and Call for Papers, please go to the following Web site [www4.trb.org/trb/calendar.nsf/web/lvr8].
At this Web site and the related links, you will find information about the conference hosts, sponsors, conference information, pre- and post-conference workshops, and call for papers. You are invited attend the conference and also, if interested, submit a paper for possible presentation. Areas of subject content include: