By Brian Massie, A Watchman on the Wall
Thanks to Geauga’s Skip Claypool for sending us his slide show on the Lake / Geauga County Metropolitan Planning Organization. Mr. Claypool has been advocating for Lake, Geauga, Medina and Lorain to pull out of NOACA. It is not a simple procedure. As I understand it, the NOACA Board and the Governor of Ohio would have to approve the creation of a new MPO, which is mandated by the Federal Government.
The Case
The following provides a case for Lake and Geauga Counties to leave NOACA
and form their own MPO.
- A metropolitan planning organization (MPO) is a federally mandated and
federally funded transportation policy-making organization in the United
States that is made up of representatives from local government and
governmental transportation authorities. MPOs were introduced by the
Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1962, which required the formation of an MPO
for any urbanized area (UZA) with a population greater than 50,000.
Source: Wikipedia.org - Organized under federal code: 23 CFR 450.310
MPO’s are organized locally given the needs of the local authorities and
approved by the governor.
Structure
- MPOs differ greatly in various parts of the country and even within
states. Some have large staffs, while others may include only a
director and a transportation planner. Sometimes the professional
staff of an MPO is provided by a county or a council of governments.
Source: Wikipedia - Locally organized and approved by the governor.
MPO’s Structure
- High-level summary. MPO’s are created to perform planning for
infrastructure, air quality, and water quality. This planning is generally
funded by federal and state tax dollars. MPO’s organize differently
and many effectively operate under existing planning organizations.
Some are larger and more complex. Some simple.
Can we separate from NOACA and form and other MPO
- Lake and Geauga Combined Urbanized population
| County | Total 2010 Population | Total Urbanized Population |
| Geauga | 93,389 | 20,818 |
| Lake | 230,041 | 215,021 |
| Total Area Population | 323,430 | 235,839 |
Why Form a New MPO?
- Increased funding for projects in Lake and Geauga County $7.2 million
- Greatly improved control over decisions (Cuyahoga county controls the board and
project allocation decisions) - Less project conflict (NOACA defined programs [TLCI, disadvantaged communities] saps
project dollars) - Better alignment of cultural criteria leading to improved project decisions
- Reduced project approval times
- Reduced complexity (political, bureaucratic, environmental)
- Reduced legacy cost and legacy overhead
- Reduced Overhead (administrative overhead exceeding 20% in NOACA)
- Better negotiating position for CMAQ dollars
- Control over water and air quality strategies and plans, resulting in greatly improved delivery efficiencies
Why Separate From NOACA 7 Mill is bigger than what we get today.
Total Estimated Allocations (Developed in cooperation with ODOT)
Geauga – Lake County Project Dollars
$6,582,593.80
Administration Dollars
$622,918.06
Total $7,205,511.86 (This is an estimated total a Lake/Geauga MPO would receive.)
- Geauga County has received 1 to $2 million historically and is receiving close 0 to a few thousand dollars after 2018 (STBG Dollars)
- Lake County historically has received less that $2 million annually (STBG Dollars)
- Funding for a Lake-Geauga MPO is estimated at $6.5 million with $623,000 of
administrative dollars.
NOACA Wants to Tax Us
NOACA proposes being a taxing authority.
NOACA has no shame.
They are Cuyahoga/Cleveland focused. They crave power and control.
That alone is the reason to leave NOACA.
Categories: Lake County - General, State of Ohio