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DEVELOPMENT SERVICES MEMORANDUM <br /> No. <br /> September 23, 2014 <br /> TO: Honorable Mayor Michael T. McElroy and City Council <br /> FROM: Ryan P. McCrady, City Manager <br /> Rick Marley, Public Works Director <br /> Billy Tyus, Assistant City Manager <br /> Joselyn A. Stewart, Transportation Planner <br /> SUBJECT: Resolution authorizing Intergovernmental Agreement with the Illinois <br /> Department of Transportation to Fund Midwest Inland Port Transportation <br /> Study. <br /> SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of a resolution <br /> authorizing the execution of an agreement providing $180,000 in funding from IDOT for <br /> Midwest Inland Port Transportation Study. <br /> BACKGROUND: The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity <br /> (DCEO) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) have agreed to assist the <br /> City of Decatur in funding two transportation studies related to the community's growth <br /> as a multimodal transportation hub. The funds will cover the cost of studies examining <br /> how to increase and better handle freight moving through the region and how to best <br /> capitalize on the growth of multimodal shipping in and around the Brush College Road <br /> area specifically as it relates to the new Midwest Inland Port. The first study will cover <br /> industrial transportation and will be followed by a study that examines infrastructure <br /> needs. <br /> Points to be covered in the reports include forecasted trends in freight movement and how <br /> they could affect the Decatur region's rail lines, industrial parks, brownfields and state <br /> and local highways. The goal of these all-important activities would be to support overall <br /> economic growth locally and in the region and to define ways to preserve and protect <br /> neighborhood livability for the area residents. A long-term plan will be generated using <br /> input from regional development and governmental agencies, businesses as well as public <br /> hearings. <br /> The attached Intergovernmental agreement, if approved, will provide $180,000 in state <br /> Planning and Research Funds from IDOT, allowing for the completion of the Midwest <br /> Inland Port (MIP) Transportation Study. The City's required match is $45,000, which is <br /> being funded through a grant from DCEO. <br />