About

Roles and responsibilities, common practices, helpful information about the board.

POWERS AND DUTIES

The State Transportation Board is granted policy powers and duties in addition to serving in an advisory capacity to the Director of the Department of Transportation.

The board is responsible for establishing a complete system of state highway routes and has the final authority on establishing, opening, relocating, altering, vacating or abandoning any portion of a state route or state highway, including establishment of parkways and historic and scenic roadways.

The board awards construction contracts, monitors the status of construction projects and has the exclusive authority to issue revenue bonds for financing needed transportation improvements throughout the state.

The State Transportation Board has the exclusive authority to issue revenue bonds for financing needed for transportation improvements throughout the state.

As part of the planning process, the board determines priority program planning with respect to transportation facilities and annually adopts the five-year construction program.

With respect to aeronautics the State Transportation Board distributes monies appropriated from the State Aviation Fund for planning, design, development, land acquisition, construction and improvement of publicly owned airport facilities. The board also approves airport construction.

For more information on the State Transportation Board, you may read its policies.

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BOARD MEETINGS

Board Meetings are held to review transportation project, legislation, financing, and planning activities that affect the state's operations.

Board Meetings typically cover five key areas. Refer to posted meeting agendas for specific information.

  1. Transportation Financing
  2. Review of recent Planning Activities
  3. Five-Year-Plan Project modifications and adjustments are reviewed and approved (or not).
  4. Legislative actions overview/briefing – i.e. national and state transportation legislation.
  5. Construction Contracts are awarded to transportation construction partners.

PUBLIC HEARINGS

Public Hearings are held with the object of reviewing programs related to the  Five Year Program. Public hearings are held for the Board to receive and consider information or input from any interested person regarding the programs listed in the meeting notice.

BOARD MEETINGS VS. PUBLIC HEARINGS

The State Transportation Board Meetings and Public Hearings are separate events, and the public is invited to attend and participate in both. Board Meetings and Public Hearings may be scheduled on different days or together on the same day. When they occur together, they still remain separate events. One meeting concludes and closes before the other begins.

MEETING CALENDAR

Meeting dates are established at the January organizational meeting of the board.

Historically, it has been the responsibility of the vice chair of the board to maintain the board’s calendar. Any invitations for meetings outside Phoenix should be directed to the vice chair’s attention for discussion with the board under the appropriate agenda item.

In the interest of the time of both board members and the executive staff, the board strives to keep meetings to once each month. Meeting dates are established at the January organizational meeting of the board.

All comments of board members, staff or the public attending official meetings should be made through the presiding chair.

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MEETING MATERIALS

It is important that all meeting agendas and supporting materials be sent to members of the board one full week in advance of meetings, even though this often requires preparation of a revised agenda. Any material for this initial mailing of agendas should be in the director’s office a full week in advance of meetings.

AGENDA ITEMS

Agenda items must be added in advance to allow members to review them.

A member wishing to have an item added to an agenda should first discuss the item with the chair. The director should then be notified so that the item can be included when the agenda is prepared in his or her office. Any background information on the item may be supplied to the director’s office to be distributed with agenda material. Agenda material must be received for mailing one week before the scheduled board meeting.

After receiving the agenda and supporting material, each board member is expected to review carefully items to be covered, making note of questions, and to otherwise prepare for the voting responsibility. Staff will be available at meetings to clarify any items in question or may be contacted prior to meetings as appropriate. Prior to a formal meeting, questions relating to the agenda should be directed only to the director’s office or the appropriate division head.

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THE BOARD, THE TRANSPORTATION DIRECTOR AND STAFF COMMUNICATIONS

Arizona law is clear in placing all administrative responsibilities for the department with the Transportation Director. The board, however, is advisory to the director, and its members represent an important "conduit" to the director for observations and matters arising in the individual board districts.

Board members can also assist the department in sharing their knowledge of board and department policies and functions with the public as well as relaying accurate information on current issues.

Operational, non-policy matters that have been brought to the members' attention may be referred to the director, deputy director, the assistant directors in charge of the divisions or the district engineer. It is recommended that contact not be made below these levels. Care should be taken to avoid implying board authority in these contacts on operational matters.

Board members should contact the director with comments and requests for information or to discuss issues. The term "director" here includes the director and his or her immediate staff of deputy director and assistant to the State Transportation Board. By directing matters to the director or the director's immediate staff, a board member can be sure the director's office will coordinate and follow through.

Board members should be aware of the unique needs for information and closer contact between the board member and the district engineer in the nonmetropolitan districts. A board member appearing before a local group, for instance, can be sure questions of an operational nature will arise from the group; therefore, the board member should feel free to invite the district engineer as a resource for answering operational questions. Board members can transmit correspondence on either board or operational matters to the director's office for the drafting of responses. On board matters, unless the member desires otherwise, the response will be researched and the member will be telephoned to approve the drafted reply before it is mailed. Copies will be provided to the responding board member, the chair or others as appropriate to the subject matter. When letters involving operational matters addressed to a board member are received in the director's office, a courtesy acknowledgment will be prepared for the member, followed by a reply from the director, deputy director or appropriate division head.

Any written communication a board member wishes to originate may be sent to the director's office for final preparation and forwarding. Members sending letters directly from their own private offices may use the director's office as a distribution point for copying others, such as the chair or fellow board members.

Historically, it has been the policy of the board that when using board stationery to express personal views, members clearly indicate the stated opinions are their own and not necessarily the official position of the State Transportation Board. It has also been the general rule that communications sent to the board will be answered by the chair on behalf of all members, unless decided otherwise in specific situations. Where policy matters not as yet discussed by the board are involved, any substantive response will be delayed until discussions can take place.

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BOARD APPOINTMENTS AND BRIEFINGS

Board members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. Each of Arizona's transportation districts is represented by a board member with staggered service terms. Each time a member’s term expires, a new member is appointed from the same district, with membership rotated among the counties within the district.

When a new State Transportation Board member is appointed by the governor, the director and board chair will contact the new member to offer assistance through the senate confirmation and final appointment.

The director, after conferring with the chair, will schedule a briefing session as soon as practical with the chair and the new board member. This briefing session may precede senate confirmation to enable the new member to be prepared fully for voting membership once the appointment process is concluded.

On behalf of the board, the director will forward to the new member copies of appropriate printed material about the department, including the board’s most recent five-year construction program for highways and airports, instructions from the assistant to the State Transportation Board on details of board membership such as expense claims and travel orders, and detailed information regarding the time and location of the next board meeting.

The director, when possible, will schedule for the new board member a tour of his or her district and a walking tour of the ADOT Headquarters facilities.

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BOARD MEMBERS

See our Members page for more information.

Richard Searle

Richard Searle, Chairman

Jenn Daniels

Jenn Daniels, Vice-Chairman

Jamescita Peshlakai

Jamescita Peshlakai

Sam Elters

Sam Elters

Ted Maxwell

Ted Maxwell, Member

Jennifer Howard

Jenny Howard

person

Vacant