EVENTLINE
February / March 2011

FEATURE____________________________

Orient yourself to TMACOG Resources – February 10
All TMACOG members, particularly those who are newly elected in their jurisdictions or who have new committee assignments at TMACOG, are invited to attend an informal orientation session at TMACOG offices on Thursday, February 10, 4-6 p.m...more



ENVIRONMENT__________________________

Workshop: Management of Water and Sewer Utilities
TMACOG invites mayors of small communities, members of village councils, and people serving on boards of public utilities to attend a full-day workshop about the business and finances of running water and sewer utilities. Tom Fishbaugh of the Ohio Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP) will be the instructor...more

New Data Facilitates Sewer Planning
The Areawide Water Quality Management Plan (the 208 Plan) is updated frequently by regional partners. This next update will be made with the benefit of improved GIS mapping....more

TMACOG’s Environmental Council Addresses Costs of Sewer Mandates
At its regularly scheduled January 27 meeting, members of the Environmental Council took up some big questions of the cost of mandated water projects. When the EPA tells a community that they need to take steps to protect clean water, the cost can be more than a community can summon. In the Village of North Baltimore, council and the village administrator have put together a tenuous package of rate increases, loans, and grants to try to cover costs. The village council raised water and sewer rates 20 percent, got some stimulus funding, and qualified for some low-interest loans to help pay for an EPA mandate to separate sanitary and storm sewer systems and do essential repairs. “It’s frustrating,” said Village Administrator Kathy Healy...more

TRANSPORTATION_______________________

Specialized Transportation Funds Provide Van for Christmas
A grant program from ODOT that TMACOG helps to administer and a donation from the Downtown Toledo Rotary Club led to a new van for the Little Sisters of the Poor based in Oregon. The Sisters took ownership just before Christmas with a program and a press event ...more

Where will Construction be?
The newest update to the TMACOG construction maps shows continuing work and a preview of projects coming up later this year. See the map here, and click here to see a spreadsheet with additional details. Projects listed below are in Toledo unless noted otherwise....more

Transportation Improvement Program Updates
TMACOG administers our region’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to allocate federal transportation dollars to Lucas and Wood counties and the three southern townships of Monroe County, Michigan. The TIP Committee accepts applications, evaluates and ranks them, makes a list of projects that are going to happen, and then monitors the pipeline of projects going out two to five years. The annual budget for our region is more than $12 million of federal funding and is broken down into three categories: Surface Transportation Program (STP), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), and Transportation Enhancement (TE) programs...more

MEMBER HIGHLIGHT_____________________

Member Highlight: City of Toledo

While TMACOG members come from six counties in Ohio and one in Michigan, and include cities, villages, and townships, the City of Toledo is the largest single member in terms of population. In the 2000 census, the city had a population of 313,619 and was the 57th largest city in the United States....more

NEWS__________________________________

First Reports on 2010 Census
TMACOG monitors and analyzes census data for members and has received the first reports of the 2010 Census.

Ten states - including Ohio and Michigan - lost congressional seats in 2010. The other states are Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Because these states will have fewer representatives, they will need to redistrict, to change the geographical boundaries and create fewer districts. The reapportioned Congress will convene in 2013.

Other facts from the 2010 Census:

• The population increased 9.7 percent between 2000 and 2010. From 1990 to 2000, the increase was 13.2 percent.
• The average number of people represented by each member of the U.S. House of Representatives is 710,767.
• 308,745,538 is the official resident population of the U.S. on April 1, 2010.

TMACOG Forum: Ohio State Budget and
Local Governments
Following the December meeting of the TMACOG Board of Trustees, an invited panel addressed the budget deficit of the state of Ohio and the implications for local governments. Panel members included Ottawa County Commissioner and former TMACOG Chair Steve Arndt, State Representative Randy Gardner, and City of Oregon Administrator Mike Beazley...more

Check Your Mailbox!

All TMACOG member and non-member jurisdictions in 13 counties of northwest Ohio and two Michigan counties should have received a request from TMACOG in early January to update some basic information. The information you provide will allow us to update the Directory of Public Officials with the most current data. If you haven’t yet, we’re asking you to please review and return our request so that we can get to work updating this important reference book.

This comprehensive manual provides contact information for elected officials as well as information on state and federal agencies, social service agencies, schools, media, and more. The new directory will be distributed in March. The Directory of Public Officials is a benefit of membership in TMACOG. Extra copies can be purchased by members at $50 each. Non-members may purchase the directory for $150.

TMACOG Welcomes New Members
Thank you and welcome to Swanton Local Schools and Monroe County Chamber of Commerce, the newest members of TMACOG.

Swanton Local School Superintendent Paulette Baz states that, “Swanton Local Schools decided to join TMACOG as an opportunity to work with other agencies and businesses to keep our district up to date with happenings in and around us in the region.”

School districts participate in TMACOG as governmental members and representatives have full opportunity to serve on TMACOG councils and committees. More than 12 other school districts from six counties are members of TMACOG.

Copyright © 2011 Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments

Recent Events
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Upcoming
Events
TMACOG Orientation and Update
Thursday, February 10
TMACOG offices
300 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Suite 300, Toledo