Public Participation Plan

The Regional Transportation Council approved a Public Participation Plan [PDF] in November 2018 (and updated in March 2020). This plan outlines the metropolitan planning organization’s responsibility to inform and involve individuals and communities. The plan discusses the principles, goals and strategies NCTCOG employs to broadly engage the diverse audiences living and working in North Texas.

The NCTCOG Transportation Department begins by adhering to federal requirements for public involvement and then goes beyond these requirements by finding new ways to engage the public in the transportation planning and programming process.

Public participation by NCTCOG is guided by four principles.

Consistent and comprehensive communication
Commitment to diversity and inclusiveness
Collaboration with audiences and stakeholders
Consultation with committees

In keeping with federal regulations, NCTCOG provides information in alternative formats or languages upon request.

Public Comment Procedures

The Public Participation Plan also outlines procedures for seeking public comments on the following documents and presenting these comments to the Regional Transportation Council:

Transportation Planning Action	Minimum Public Involvement Opportunity	Length of Comment Period	Minimum Notification of Opportunity
Development or update of the Public Participation Plan	One public meeting shall be held at least 30 days prior to requesting RTC approval. At a minimum, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at www.nctcog.org/video. Whenever possible, a livestream will be provided as well.	45 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
Update to one or more Public Participation Plan appendices or legislative references in the document	Proposed changes posted online for public review and comment at www.nctcog.org/input	45 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
Typographic or grammatical correction	None	Not applicable	Not applicable

Transportation Planning Action	Minimum Public Involvement Opportunity	Length of Comment Period	Minimum Notification of Opportunity
Development of the UPWP	One public meeting shall be held at least 30 days prior to requesting RTC approval. At a minimum, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at www.nctcog.org/video. Whenever possible, a livestream will be provided as well.	30 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
Modifications	Recommendations posted online for public review and comment at www.nctcog.org/input	30 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release

Transportation Planning Action	Minimum Public Involvement Opportunity	Length of Comment Period	Minimum Notification of Opportunity
Development of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan	A public meeting shall be held at least 60 days prior to requesting RTC approval. A second public meeting will be held at least 30 days prior to RTC approval. At a minimum, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at www.nctcog.org/video. Whenever possible, a livestream will be provided as well.	30 days following each meeting	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
Metropolitan Transportation Plan Update	A public meeting shall be held at least 60 days prior to requesting RTC approval. A second public meeting will be held at least 30 days prior to RTC approval. At a minimum, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at www.nctcog.org/video. Whenever possible, a livestream will be provided as well.	30 days following each meeting	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
Metropolitan Transportation Plan Amendment	One public meeting shall be held at least 30 days prior to requesting RTC approval. At a minimum, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at www.nctcog.org/video. Whenever possible, a livestream will be provided as well.	30 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
Metropolitan Transportation Plan administrative revisions	Summary of modifications accessible from www.nctcog.org/input for informational purposes.	Not applicable	Availability of information included on next notice for a public input opportunity

Transportation Planning Action	Minimum Public Involvement Opportunity	Length of Comment Period	Minimum Notification of Opportunity
Development of the Transportation Improvement Program	One public meeting shall be held at least 30 days prior to requesting RTC approval. At a minimum, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at www.nctcog.org/video. Whenever possible, a livestream will be provided as well.	30 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
TIP Revisions requiring Regional Transportation Council approval	Recommendations posted online for public review and comment at www.nctcog.org/input	30 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
TIP Administrative Amendments	Summary of modifications accessible from www.nctcog.org/input for informational purposes.	Not applicable	Availability of information included on next notice for a public input opportunity
Project changes not requiring TIP modification (i.e. staff action) and modifications supporting previous RTC action	None	Not applicable	Not applicable

Transportation Planning Action	Proposed Minimum Public Involvement Opportunity	Length of Comment Period	Minimum Notification of Opportunity
Transportation Conformity determination draft related to development of the Transportation Improvement Program or Metropolitan Transportation Plan	One public meeting shall be held at least 30 days prior to requesting RTC approval. At a minimum, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at www.nctcog.org/video. Whenever possible, a livestream will be provided as well.	30 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
Transportation Conformity determination draft related to update or amendment of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan	One public meeting shall be held at least 30 days prior to requesting RTC approval. At a minimum, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at www.nctcog.org/video. Whenever possible, a livestream will be provided as well.	30 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
Transportation Conformity draft related to changes to the transportation system	One public meeting shall be held at least 30 days prior to requesting RTC approval. At a minimum, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at www.nctcog.org/video. Whenever possible, a livestream will be provided as well.	30 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
Transportation Conformity draft related to changes in the emissions budget of the State Implementation Plan and/or nonattainment area boundary changes	Draft conformity determination and supporting data posted online for public review and comment at www.nctcog.org/input	30 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
Transportation Conformity approval by federal partners	None, final approval available at www.nctcog.org/conformity	Not applicable	News release announcing federal approval

Transportation Planning Action	Minimum Public Involvement Opportunity	Length of Comment Period	Minimum Notification of Opportunity
Draft Programs of Projects for Urbanized Area Formula Program funds (includes Job Access / Reverse Commute projects)	One public meeting shall be held at least 30 days prior to requesting RTC approval. At a minimum, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at www.nctcog.org/video. Whenever possible, a livestream will be provided as well.	30 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release
Funding recommendations for other Federal Transit Administration formula programs, e.g., Bus and Bus Facilities, Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities and State of Good Repair	One public meeting shall be held at least 30 days prior to requesting RTC approval. At a minimum, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at www.nctcog.org/video. Whenever possible, a livestream will be provided as well.	30 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release

Transportation Planning Action	Minimum Public Involvement Opportunity	Length of Comment Period	Minimum Notification of Opportunity
Publishing of Annual Listing of Obligated Projects	Review only at www.nctcog.org/annual	Not applicable	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media

Transportation Planning Action	Minimum Public Involvement Opportunity	Length of Comment Period	Minimum Notification of Opportunity
Development of the Congestion Management Process	One public meeting shall be held at least 30 days prior to requesting RTC approval. At a minimum, the meeting will be recorded and posted online at www.nctcog.org/video. Whenever possible, a livestream will be provided as well.	30 days	Information sent to public involvement contact list NCTCOG publication article Social media Newspaper ad, including minority publications News release

Evaluation

The Public Participation Plan provides measures for evaluating the effectiveness of NCTCOG Transportation Department's public involvement activities regarding the transportation and air quality planning process. Evaluation helps staff understand how to better engage the public and allocate time and resources. Since 2019, NCTCOG has published a report summarizing the efforts for each fiscal year.

FY2020 Public Involvement Annual Performance Report [PDF]
FY2019 Public Involvement Annual Performance Report [PDF]