2015 Biennium Goals and Objectives
General Operations
Director's Office
- Promote long-term fiscal stability within the department.
- MDT has submitted and is managing its 2013 biennium budget.
- The department has recently completed the Tentative Construction Plan through 2015, which plans how to utilize all federal aid authority through the next five years. This allows fiscal management and constraint over the long term for both state and federal dollars.
- Maximize utilization of Federal Highway Funds
- MDT continues to utilize all available federal highway funding and will apply for additional funds through earmarks and redistributions.
- Ensure that all available Federal Funds are obligated
- All federal funds will be obligated.
- Deliver an environmentally responsible highway construction program
- MDT will comply with federal and state requirements under NEPA and MEPA.
- Promote department operations in a streamlined, efficient manner
- MDT continues to promote department operations in a streamlined, efficient manner.
- Promote coordination between entities for highway traffic safety programs.
- MDT manages a highway traffic safety grants program and puts priority towards traffic safety when allocating financial resources.
Audit Services
- Encourage taxpayer compliance through a comprehensive audit program to level the "playing field" for all taxpayers.
- Fulfill our contractual audit requirements under the IFTA and IRP programs.
- Improve our taxpayer account selection process to optimize revenues and voluntary compliance, and minimize evasion.
- Provide management with independent, objective assurance and consulting services designed to add value and improve department operations.
- Promote compliance with laws, regulations, policies, procedures, rules, and agreements through reviews and analyses of the department's activities.
- Promote adequate systems of internal control.
- Improve operational efficiency and effectiveness.
- Advance contract compliance.
- Develop an annual audit plan that evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, operational and governance processes.
- Conduct quality assurance reviews in accordance with professional auditing standards.
- Monitor office operations and staff engagement for conformance to IIA Standards.
Human Resources Division
- Expand the succession planning process identifying critical positions; establish a key talent pool and provide effective development tools and programs.
- Continue building strong relationships with key universities for college recruiting and enhance internship program to create a pipeline of quality talent.
- Implement MDT's Construction Career Days for High School students that will excite and pique interest in careers in transportation and the public sector.
- Continue development and implementation of an efficient Talent Management system that integrates all processes; Recruitment and Selection, Performance Management, Training and Development, Career Planning and Succession Management.
- Provide efficiencies by expanding e-learning delivery methods for effective distance learning.
- Implement an EEO/Labor Compliance toolkit for the contracting community that incorporates training, services, and regulatory requirements.
- Continue implementation of the job safety analysis process to identify, analyze and record potential safety and health hazards to reduce the risk of a workplace injury or illness.
- Ensure a safe working environment for all work locations by increasing oversight, training, and consultation services to managers and employees
- Reduce the cost of work injuries by maintaining an early-return-to-work program.
- Reduce the cost of insurance premiums by participating in defensive driving, property loss management and early-return-to-work programs.
Information Services Division
- Maintain MDT's computing resources and environment
- Provide after-hours on-call support for MDT's computer network
- Provide hardware repair and maintenance support on an on-going basis
- Develop and implement a long-term computer equipment replacement plan
- Perform daily network maintenance and support activities as necessary
- Provide MDT computing resources to meet the business requirement demands of the agency as necessary
- Maintain existing application systems
- Correct all MDT application bug fixes within 24 hours of problem identification
- Identify and manage all routine MDT application maintenance needs as necessary
- Create new and enhanced applications to meet the business needs of MDT
- Perform all approved MDT application enhancement requests on an on-going basis
- Perform all approved new application development work on an on-going basis
- Provide customer support for all ISD services
- Provide computer help desk support for MDT users between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
- Provide records center support for MDT users between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
- Provide Print Shop support for MDT users between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
- Procure all routine purchase requests within four weeks of receipt
- Provide continual support for all approved MDT application requests
Administration Division
- Protect departmental assets
- Continue to assess, implement and monitor internal controls associated with the department's material business processes.
- Continue to strive to maintain a stable and well-trained workforce
- Continue to identify opportunities for career growth
- Provide management with sound financial information to make operational and investment decisions
- Continuously monitor department finances, trends and revenue data to project budgetary needs and fund stability.
Construction Program
Engineering Division
- To survey, design, acquire the right-of-way, and construct safe, cost effective highway improvement projects in order to develop and maintain a cost effective, efficient and safe transportation system.
- 85% of projects planned for the fiscal year are ready for contract
- Maintain statewide average construction engineering costs under 10% of total contract costs.
- Maintain statewide final costs under 7% above award amount.
- Proactively manage to ensure a high percentage of all projects have a certificate of completion within 180 days of finishing the construction.
- Obligate 100% of available federal funds.
Maintenance Program
- Maintain safe winter driving conditions through snow removal and application of abrasive materials and anti-icing chemicals to reduce roadway hazards and slippery surface conditions.
- Ensure the Interstate System has bare pavement within 24 hours of a typical winter storm event.
- Continue to research new equipment, materials, and processes to improve winter driving conditions of roadways.
- A biennial customer survey will be taken to determine the Maintenance Program's effectiveness.
- Perform pavement preservation activities to improve the system index.
- Improve customer satisfaction levels for Rest Area maintenance.
- Increase public and internal utilization of the Maintenance Program's electronic information systems.
- Provide visible, legible and understandable signs and pavement markings.
- 85% of roads under MDT jurisdiction will meet reflectivity standards for striping by July 1 annually.
- 90% of funding allocated for pavement work for the state maintenance program will be allocated based on Pavement Management System analysis.
State Motor Pool
- Provide efficient and reliable vehicles on a daily and extended use basis to state employees conducting official business.
- Maintain or reduce variance between actual and projected needs as identified in the annual fleet analysis.
- Ensure 90% of the fleet is meeting the Level II preventive maintenance schedule.
- Ensure safety inspections are performed on 50% of the fleet each year.
- Purchase vehicles meeting the 20X10 initiative.
- Enhance customer satisfaction.
- Maintain or enhance the customer satisfaction index through a biennial survey and comparison to established baseline.
Equipment Program
- Provide safe and reliable vehicles and equipment to meet the needs of the department's users.
- Maintain or reduce variance between actual and projected needs as identified in the annual fleet analysis.
- Ensure 90% of the fleet is meeting the Level II preventive maintenance schedule.
- Ensure safety inspections are performed on 95% of the fleet each year.
- Purchase vehicles meeting the 20X10 initiative.
Motor Carrier Services
- Protect Montana's and the federal government's investment in Montana's highway system and assure the safety of the traveling public through customer service oriented regulation of the commercial motor carrier industry and enforcement of state and federal commercial motor carrier laws and regulations.
- Establish 24 hour per day/seven day per week availability of services to the commercial motor carrier industry through the Internet.
- Maintain or enhance commercial motor carrier size and weight compliance through the annual development of the Federal Size and Weight Enforcement Plan. Annually submit the Federal Certification of Accomplishment Report.
- Maintain or enhance commercial motor carrier safety compliance through development and implementation of Montana's Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan and Certification. Ensure continued federal funding for Montana's commercial motor carrier safety program by submitting and implementing a federally approved Plan and Certification annually.
- Decrease the number of commercial vehicle related crashes and fatalities by reducing the number of safety non-compliant commercial vehicles and commercial drivers and motor carriers who operate on Montana roadways through effective vehicle, driver inspection and, public education and motor carrier compliance programs.
Aeronautics Program
- Advance further growth and promote Montana Aviation.
- Ensure Montana pilots register with the department.
- Provide for the protection of the flying public and the promotion of flight safety and accident prevention programs and other state aviation interests.
- Coordinate safety programs for pilots and other aviation industry interests.
- Continue to expand and improve the statewide air search and rescue program.
- Build relationships with statewide and federal partners that have the charge of search and rescue, emergency services and homeland security.
- Continue to provide aviation education and a resource aviation education center for Montana teachers and students.
- Conduct aviation educator program, career awareness programs and make available a library of resources.
- Provide airport development programs to assist airport sponsors to plan, construct, and maintain Montana's public use airports.
- Provide annual updates to state aviation system plan, offer technical assistance to airports and ensure loan and grant program information is readily available.
- Provide safe, modern, well-maintained state-owned and operated airports including the Yellowstone commercial service airport.
- 100% readiness for anticipated aircraft operations and 100% compliance with part 139 goals and recommendations. 100% readiness with ARFF and security requirements. 100% availability for aircraft and FBO hangar development.
Transportation Planning Program
- Develop and implement a long-range multi-modal construction program that addresses Montana's most important statewide transportation needs, is consistent with statewide long-range transportation plan and management system output, and maximizes the use of federal funds through the Performance Programming Process (P3).
- Ensure at least 70% of available federal and state resources are prioritized into a performance based funding plan to support core state highway system needs (I, NH, P) based on system goals defined through P3. P3 outcome goals include:
- Pavement Condition: provide a ride experience for the traveling public within desirable or superior range (average ride index above 60) with less than 3% of lane miles exhibiting poor ride characteristics,
- Reduce the number of structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges,
- Maintain average statewide mobility within desirable or superior ranges (Level of Service C or greater),
- Project selection supports the goal and objectives of the CHSP to reduce fatal and incapacitation injury crashes by half by 2030.
- Ensure 90% of the projects programmed are consistent with the funding plan developed through P3.
- For environmental documents with negotiated timelines, MDT will meet all timeframes barring unanticipated events.
- Utilize the Performance Programming Process to improve planning and programming decisions.
- Ensure progress or completion on 90% of the high priority goals and objectives identified in the department's long range multi-modal transportation plan.