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5. Advisory Board Meeting - February 3 2026

Advisory Board Meeting Minutes of February 3, 2026

The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) Advisory Board met on February 3, 2026, at 9:30 AM at the call of Michael Tusino, Advisory Board Chair/Framingham.

A roll call of members present was conducted; in attendance were: Ed Burman/Ashland-Vice Chair, Michael Tusino/Framingham-Chair, Debbie Dupois/Holliston, Shahidul Mannan/Hopkinton, Kristina Johnson/Hudson, Michael Walsh/Milford, Morgan Griffiths/Natick (left 9:56 AM), Robert Wolff/ Sherborn, Sam Stivers/Southborough (arrived late), Nickole Boardman/Sudbury, Joseph Nolan/Wayland-Clerk, and Sheila Page/Wellesley.

Also in attendance: Jim Nee/Administrator, Mark McClanan/Deputy Administrator of Operations, Nelson Mui/Deputy Administrator of Administration and Finance, John Glynn/CFO, Patrick Moynihan/General Counsel, Jordan Tong/IT Consultant, Linda Murtagh/Executive Assistant/HR Manager, Joy Glynn/Grants Manager, Jeff Coletti/Grants Assistant, Paula Doucette/Accounts Payable, Tyler Terrasi/Government Affairs Officer, Cameron Sullivan/Procurement Specialist, Zach Jones/Route Planner, Jennifer Franco/ Manager of Travel Training & Community Outreach, Bruce Willens/Assistant Fleet Director, Mark Dempsey/MetroWest Center for Independent Living (MWCIL), Sadie Simone (MWCIL), and Maurice Bell/Keolis Transit Services, Inc. (arrived 10:13 AM).

Board members absent: Kevin McCabe/Dover, Carole Mullen/Hopedale, Heather Gutierrez/Marlborough, and Jean MacQuiddy/Weston.

 

With a quorum declared present, the meeting was called to order at 9:32 AM with Mr. Tusino presiding. Mr. Tusino reviewed the meeting agenda.

 

Public Questions/Comments: No public comments were presented.

 

Review and Approval of Meeting Minutes – October 1, 2025:  A motion was made by Mr. Burman of Ashland:  Approve the minutes of October 1, 2025. Second by Mr. Walsh of Milford. The motion carried by a majority vote.

 

Administrator’s Report – Discussion:  Mr. Nee reported the following items:

·         MWRTA has experienced year-to-year increases in ridership throughout its fixed route and demand response services, with total ridership eclipsing pre-COVID levels. Fixed route ridership growth has been higher throughout FY26 due to the recent introduction of new services. The Authority is currently on track to serve 900,000 riders in FY26 and hopes to reach 1,000,000 riders in FY27.

·         MWRTA has taken delivery of nine (9) CNG-powered heavy-duty Gillig buses and has secured funding for an additional nine (9) Gillig buses, along with one (1) battery electric bus. These procurements are primarily funded through the Commonwealth’s regional transit authority capital program and the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

·         MWRTA’s Blandin Hub Operations Facility Expansion Project is proceeding through the schematic design phase. Upcoming stages will involve environmental review and final design. Groundbreaking on construction is slated for the end of 2026.

·         MWRTA is seeking discretionary funds to construct a new Vehicle Maintenance and Fueling Facility to support its fleet of larger-capacity, heavy-duty buses. The current facility will continue to support light-duty vehicles.

·         Phase 1 of MWRTA’s Fixed Route Redesign Initiative is now complete. MWRTA is developing Phase 2 based on public feedback. Board members are encouraged to promote continued public outreach during the required Phase 2 Title VI Analysis.

·         Mr. Nee presented conceptual renderings for the expanded administrative hub and Vehicle Maintenance and Fueling Facility.

·         MWRTA has hired Nelson Mui as the Deputy Administrator of Administration and Finance, and Jennifer Franco as Manager of Travel Training and Community Outreach. Both new hires provided brief introductions to the Board.

Discussion/Approval of Retiree Supplemental Health & Dental Insurance: Mr. Moynihan summarized the MWRTA’s draft retiree health/dental insurance policy provided to the Board. MWRTA will enter into individual annual contracts with retirees aged 65+ to provide supplemental health and dental insurance coverage. This recommended approach for such coverage now given the  current number of MWRTA retirees, informed by an analysis of the arrangements of other regional transit authorities and MWRTA member municipalities, offers retirees 80 percent reimbursement of healthcare costs, capped at $388 per month. MWRTA may consider joining a group insurance commission (GIC) or regional health consortium in the future as funding permits. MWRTA estimates the number of retirees will remain low in the short term and increase over time. This benefit would take effect as of the beginning of FY2026. MWRTA’s short-term budget will not be severely impacted by the adoption of this policy, which will be revisited by the Board as required.

A motion was made by Mr. Stivers of Southborough:  Approve Retiree Supplemental Health & Dental Insurance plan as presented for a three (3) year term. Seconded by Mr. Walsh of Milford. The motion carried by a majority vote, with Wellesley voting no.

Discussion/Approval of FY26 Safety Plan: Mr. Nee stated that the MWRTA has developed its FY26 Public Transit Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) in collaboration with the Boston MPO, in accordance with federal requirements. Notable revisions include modifications to individual targets.  MWRTA’s 6-member PTASP Committee meets on a quarterly basis, and the Authority regularly collaborates with its employees and its service contractor to address safety concerns as they arise. Overall, safety-related incidents remain low; current targets have been developed to maintain the highest reasonable safety standards. MWRTA will present its PTASP to the MPO Board later in February. MWRTA will consult Federal Transit Administration guidance to determine whether the Massachusetts Department of Public Health infectious disease mitigation standards should be added to the PTASP.

A motion was made by Mr. Burman of Ashland:  Approve the FY26 Safety Plan, pending the correction of a typographical error on page 2 and possible addition of Commonwealth of Massachusetts infectious disease mitigation efforts. Seconded by Ms. Page of Wellesley. The motion carried by a majority vote.

 

Discussion/Approval of FY26 Transit Asset Management (TAM) Plan:  Mr. Nee stated that the TAM Plan, which outlines individual benchmarks related to the state of good repair (SGR) of MWRTA facilities and fleets, is revised annually. MWRTA’s fleet remains in SGR, despite ongoing supply chain issues which have impacted the delivery of light duty vehicles. Heavy duty vehicles have been delivered on-time or ahead of schedule.

A motion was made by Mr. Stivers of Southborough:  Approve the FY26 Transit Asset Management Plan as presented. Seconded by Mr. Burman of Ashland. The motion carried by a majority vote.

 

Discussion FY26 YTD Budget to Actuals Report:  Mr. Glynn stated that the MWRTA’s current operating budget for FY26 is ahead of the projected budget by $147,400.

 

Discussion/Approval of Administrator Contract (Held over from 6/25/2025):

a.       FY26 Administrator & Authority Goals: Mr. Nee presented the FY26 goals which were initially discussed and tabled at the board’s June 26, 2025meeting. Mr. Nee recommended that the following new goals be adopted for FY26:

1.       Agency:

·         reach or exceed 200,000 demand response trips per year;

·         reach or exceed 2.25 Demand Response trips per service hour;

·         reach or exceed 600,000 Fixed Route trips per year;

·         reach or exceed 5.5 Fixed Route trips per service hour.

2.       Administrator:

·         develop comprehensive customer service and satisfaction standards and policies;

·         create updated marketing and branding strategy;

·         secure grant funding to begin/complete the design/construction of the back entrance facility expansion and the heavy duty maintenance facility.

·         Successfully complete Title VI public engagement process for Fixed Route redesign.

b.       FY26-FY28 Performance Evaluation Criteria: Mr. Nee proposed that the board consider adopting a standard set of criteria for the Administrator performance evaluation process using FY25 scale of exceptional, highly effective, proficient, inconsistent and satisfactory. Establishing this criterion would simplify the annual review process for FY26 through FY28. To this end, Mr. Nee recommended that the board evaluate his performance in each fiscal year based on the achievement of the authority and administrator goal established annually, as well on the general categories of;

·         communications;

·         vision and strategy;

·         budget and operational management, and

·         overall performance.

c.       FY26-FY28 Optional Bonus “Not to Exceed” Amount:  Mr. Nee proposed that the Board adopt a “Not to Exceed” amount for the Administrator’s optional bonus through FY28 in order to simplify the annual Administrator Performance Review process.

A motion was made by Mr. Stivers of Southborough:  Approve the agency/administrator FY26 goals and the FY26-FY28 performance evaluation criteria as presented, and to establish  a “Not to Exceed” amount for the optional FY26-FY28 bonuses at 10 percent. Second by Mr. Burman of Ashland. The motion carried by a majority vote.

Board Member Comments: No board member comments were presented.

 

Scheduling of Next Meeting: Mr. Nee stated that the next meeting will take place between late March and early April 2026 and will involve the review and approval of the Authority’s draft FY27 budget.

 

Adjourn: The meeting adjourned at 10:43 AM.

Certificate

The undersigned, being the duly qualified clerk of the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board acknowledges that the foregoing minutes accurately reflect the actions taken at a legally convened meeting of the Advisory Board held on February 3, 2026.

 

____________________________

Joseph Nolan, Clerk

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