Board Action August 12, 2005

Governing Board Action: August 12, 2005

At its August meeting, the NOACA Governing Board approved a resolution of support for increasing the U.S. Census Funding levels for Fiscal Year 2006 as recommended by President George Bush. The Senate Appropriations Committee has reported out a fiscal year budget of $727 million, $150 million less than the level requested by the President. If the Senate funding level were adopted, several beneficial programs could be eliminated, including a program that provides NOACA with detailed community level population and population characteristic (household size, employment, commute information, etc.) data. This serves as fundamental data for NOACA’s transportation modeling and planning efforts.

The Board authorized NOACA’s Executive Director to request funds from the State of Ohio to hire a consultant to assist with the consolidation of the Workforce Development agencies in the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. The two Workforce Development agencies will be combined and replaced by a new Regional Council of Governments. NOACA is serving as Interim Fiscal Agent during the reorganization period. NOACA has supported these agencies for several years by funding transportation programs designed to help people get back to work.

The Board approved a resolution of support for the Balanced Growth Initiative. The Ohio Lake Erie Commission has solicited proposals for implementing planning activities leading to Watershed Balanced Growth Plans. The focus for these Growth Plans is to conserve and protect areas of the Lake Erie watershed that are undeveloped while simultaneously promoting economic development and sustainable quality of life in developed areas. Four Balanced Growth Initiative proposals have been prepared in the NOACA region:

Upper West Branch of the Rocky River, Medina County
Chippewa Creek, Cuyahoga County
Doan Brook – Euclid Creek area, Cuyahoga County
Chagrin River, Cuyahoga, Geauga and Lake Counties

NOACA will be a planning partner in each of these projects, to help applicants develop their Balanced Growth Plans.

Governing Board members discussed the recently approved surface transportation bill, known as the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2005: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA–LU). The six-year, $286 billion bill, which allocates funding for preserving the nation’s highway and transit systems, easing congestion and improving safety, also contains earmarks for specific highway and transit projects, 66 of which are in NOACA’s five-county region.

Howard R. Maier also announced at the meeting that EcoCity Cleveland awarded NOACA a 2005 GreenCityBlueLakes Award in the Sustainable Transportation category for the Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI). NOACA launched the TLCI this past year, awarding 20 communities funds for transportation planning projects and technical assistance. “We’re proud to receive this award, and the recognition it brings the TLCI program,” noted Maier. “It speaks well for the hard work of our Board, committees and staff.”