Collin County Commissioner Duncan Webb Elected Chair of RTC

Arlington, Texas – Collin County Commissioner Duncan Webb was elected chair of the Regional Transportation Council on Thursday and will lead the 44-member transportation policymaking body for the next year.

Webb takes over for Commissioner Theresa Daniel of Dallas County, who has chaired the RTC through its transition from virtual meetings to in-person gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Webb will steer the RTC through the 88th Texas Legislature, which begins in January.

Collin County Commissioner Duncan Webb

Webb has served on the transportation policymaking body since 2011 and has represented Collin County as a commissioner since 2011. He spent the past year as vice chair of the RTC after a year as secretary.

Fort Worth Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens was elected vice chair, and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins will be the next secretary. Bivens has represented Fort Worth on the RTC since August 2021, while Jenkins was appointed in 2011. The new officers will serve in their positions through June 2023.

The RTC includes local elected or appointed officials from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and representatives from the area's transportation providers. As the transportation policymaking body for the 12-county Dallas-Fort Worth area, the RTC oversees transportation planning for the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country, which has a current population of approximately 8 million people.

The RTC guides the development of roadway, rail and bicycle-pedestrian plans and programs; allocates transportation funds; and recommends projects to the Texas Transportation Commission for other programs. The policymaking body also ensures transportation services are coordinated throughout the region and the metropolitan area complies with federal air quality standards.

One of the RTC’s core functions is the development of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan, a blueprint for the transportation system over a period of 20-25 years. An update to the current plan, Mobility 2045, was approved by the RTC on Thursday. Mobility 2045: 2022 Update must now receive a transportation conformity determination by the U.S. Department of Transportation certifying that it complies with federal air quality regulations.

The region's long- and short-range transportation plans must comply with federal air quality regulations as 10 Dallas-Fort Worth area counties – Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise – are in nonattainment for ozone pollution.

The RTC has historically taken an innovative approach to meeting the region’s transportation and air quality challenges, allowing the policymakers to enhance the quality of life of people throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

About the North Central Texas Council of Governments:
NCTCOG is a voluntary association of local governments established in 1966 to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit and coordinating for sound regional development. NCTCOG's purpose is to strengthen both the individual and collective power of local governments and to help them recognize regional opportunities, eliminate unnecessary duplication and make joint decisions.

NCTCOG serves a 16-county region of North Central Texas, which is centered on the two urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth. Currently, NCTCOG has 238 member governments including 16 counties, 169 cities, 22 school districts and 27 special districts. For more information on the NCTCOG Transportation Department, visit www.nctcog.org/trans.

About the Regional Transportation Council:
The Regional Transportation Council (RTC) of the North Central Texas Council of Governments has served as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for regional transportation planning in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 1974. The MPO works in cooperation with the region’s transportation providers to address the complex transportation needs of the rapidly growing metropolitan area. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area includes Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise counties. The RTC’s 44 members include local elected or appointed officials from the metropolitan area and representatives from each of the area’s transportation providers. More information can be found at www.nctcog.org.