2018 Ohio Public Works Expo

Registration is open for the Ohio Public Works Expo to be held June 20-21 at the SeaGate Convention Centre in Toledo. See the details in the brochure after the jump: workshops and other great information. You may also register on-line at http://ohio.apwa.net. 

TMACOG Partner NORED Annual Meeting

Time is running out to register for the 2018 NORED Annual Meeting to be held Thursday, March 15, 2018 at the Holiday Inn French Quarter in Perrysburg.

This year's speaker is Gary Leidich, a consultant to the electric industry and Board Member of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council.

Registration for individuals and reserved tables of eight are available at Eventbrite using the link below when paying by credit card.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-nored-annual-meeting-tickets-41878070436

Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments | www.tmacog.org

TMACOG Celebrating 50 years at the 2018 General Assembly

Join fellow TMACOG members to celebrate 50 years of TMACOG history and to plan for the future.

General Assembly

Monday, January 29, 2018, 8 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Holiday Inn French Quarter, Perrysburg

Registration is open

www.regonline.com/tmacog_2018_general­_assembly

What fellow members were talking about in their caucus sessions today

The TMACOG General Assembly was held today. Members met in caucus sessions before the business meeting. Here's what they talked about: 

Counties Caucus

Notes presented by Doris Herringshaw, Wood County Commissioner

• Heroin/opiates epidemic and its influence on law enforcement and impact on families.
• Insufficient funding for necessary infrastructure.
• Water quality and supply discussion recognizes that we have made progress as a region in designing a safe and fair system.
• County officials are anxious to see what’s in the new state budget particularly in the Medicaid sales tax issue.
• They discussed if counties of northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan should create an emergency plan for zero carbon energy.

City Caucus

Notes presented by Mike Beazley, Administrator for the City of Oregon

• Agreed that the water discussion was making progress.
• Discussed a law slipped into a bill that allows microcell towers to be erected in right of way with little warning to the community. Cities are looking at legal options.
• Like the counties, city representatives are worried about proposed changes to Medicaid which could cost millions.
• The struggle to provide adequate public services (streets, legal services, criminal justice) is  Recommended that elected officials start talking to gubernatorial candidates now because it will be too late to be effective after an election.

Village Caucus

Notes presented by Gordon Bowman, Mayor of Pemberville

• ·         Appreciated a presentation from TMACOG Vice President Kurt Erichsen on the regional water planning progress
• ·         Noted EPA water requirements that are difficult for villages to meet
• ·         Community policing is a big challenge: cost of training, getting enough coverage from officers, turnover among staff. Some village are having to change part-time to full-time to hold on to staff.
• ·         Heard from First Energy about the role of Davis Besse to the regional energy grid and tax consequences of closing that facility.

Township Caucus

Notes presented by Mark Hummer, Lake Township Administrator

·            Thanked TMACOG for providing a forum for discussion.

·            Is grateful that townships are heard in the water policy discussion.

·            Noted that townships have room for growth and need to be part of economic discussions.

·            Noted that noise ordinances, zoning compliance are difficult to enforce.

·            Identified firing ranges as a source of complaints.

·            Noted lack of funding for road repair.

Schools, Colleges & Universities

Notes presented by Anne Theis, Dean, Business, Information & Public Services at Owens Community College

• Community colleges and 4-year colleges are offering new programs in cyber security, agribusiness. Nursing continues to be strong
• BGSU and the Toledo Museum of Art have been discussing a summer program in technology aimed at young people who live within a mile of the museum
• The concept of coding boot camps was discussed as a strategy for training a lot of people quickly for jobs that are available now. Private partnership seems to make these successful.
• Universities said that it is hard to keep faculty in coding and technology because the jobs for people with those skills are very well paid.
• Community colleges are partnering with industry for non-credit training in pre-apprentice programs
• New high school graduation requirements in Ohio are a source of great concern. Many current juniors are not on line to graduate.
• Programs that give college credit to high schoolers don’t know how they are going to handle students who can’t graduate high school and move to college.

Special Districts

Notes presented by Joe Cappel, V.P., Business Development, Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.

• Special districts contribute to quality of life which keeps young people in the area
• ·There are investments paying off right now: Overland Industrial Park, new Metroparks including one in downtown Toledo, Bike sharing program, new libraries
• The regional water plan is the best solution
• Regional planning and discussion is vital to economic development, road planning.

Non-governmental Members

Notes presented by Dennis McMickens, President & CEO, Safety Council of Northwest Ohio

• Business are concerned with protecting their property and employees
• Caucus members discussed creating emergency action plans including plans to address domestic violence that moves into the workplace.
• Private industry is concerned about cyber security

Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments | www.tmacog.org

Summer Caucus Notes

Find out what your fellow TMACOG members were talking about in their caucus sessions. See the links below to read notes from the seven separate sessions at the 2016 Summer Caucus and Forum with State Lawmakers held August 4.


City Caucus
Non-government Member Caucus
Schools, Colleges & Universities Caucus
Special Districts & Authorities Caucus
Townships Caucus
Villages Caucus
Counties Caucus

Senators Randy Gardner and Edna Brown at the 2016 Forum with State Lawmakers

Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments | www.tmacog.org

TMACOG Member Caucus Questions

At the TMACOG Summer Caucus and Forum with State Lawmakers held Wednesday, August 4, each of the seven caucus groups generated questions for the panel of lawmakers. Not all of the questions could be addressed in the time allotted. Read on to see what your fellow TMACOG members cited as their most important concerns for lawmakers.

Applications for Gas Station Cleanup Now Being Accepted

The second competitive round of the Abandoned Gas Station Cleanup Grant will open Monday, August 8. The grant provides funding for local communities to assess and clean up contaminated abandoned gas stations. A minimum of $3.5 million will be available in this round of funding, and for the first time county land banks are eligible to apply.

Grants up to $100,000 for assessment activities and up to $500,000 for cleanup may be awarded through the competitive program. Competitive applications are scored based on the impact the project will have on the environment, community and economy. Non-competitive Fast Track grants are awarded on an on-going basis for projects where the only likely contamination is associated with the underground storage tank location(s).

Applications for the second round of competitive funding are due to the Ohio Development Services Agency by Friday, September 9, 2016. The application along with the scoring matrix can be found online at https://www.development.ohio.gov/cs/cs_agsc.htm.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact April Stevens at (614) 466-4007 or via email at April. Stevens@development.ohio.gov.


Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments | www.tmacog.org

Welcome Tim W. Brown, new TMACOG President

Members of the TMACOG staff welcome Tim W. Brown (standing, third from left) after he is formally installed as the new president at the TMACOG Executive Committee meeting Wednesday, July 20, 2016. Brown is only the fifth full time chief executive since TMACOG was formed in 1968. 

Seated, Bill Best and David Gedeon. Standing, Christine Connell, Kurt Erichsen, Mr. Brown, and Peggy Ricard. 


Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments | www.tmacog.org

Caucus Sessions Show Concerns

At the annual TMACOG General Assembly held in January, members meet in caucus sessions of their peers. These discussions are one way that members share concerns and solutions. To see what they talked about, see the 2016 Caucus Notes.

The link takes you to one document that includes notes from the Counties, Cities, Villages, Townships, Schools & Colleges & Universities, Non-governmental Members, and Special Districts & Authorities caucus sessions.


Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments | www.tmacog.org

Help Wanted: TMACOG President

TMACOG President Tony Reams has announced his retirement, effective July 1, 2016. He is only the fourth full-time top executive at TMACOG since the agency was organized in 1968.

The job description and an outline of preferred experience for candidates is on tmacog.org here: http://www.tmacog.org/info_employment.htm.

The search for a new president is being led by the Leadership Development committee. Applications are due by end of business day on March 31. The committee plans to confirm a candidate by May and have a new president in place by June, 2016.
Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments | www.tmacog.org

Non-governmental Members - 2015 Summer Caucus

Call to Order/Welcome/Introductions – The meeting was held on August 5, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. in Room 1106 at Penta Career Center, 9301 Buck Road, Perrysburg, Ohio 43551.  Dennis McMickens, President & CEO of the Safety Council of Northwest Ohio and facilitator for the Non-governmental Members Caucus, called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone present.  Introductions were made by everyone present.

Special Districts - 2015 Summer Caucus

Call to Order/Welcome/Introductions – Joseph Cappel, Director of Cargo Development with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and caucus facilitator, called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone present. Introductions were made by everyone present.

Schools & Universities Notes - 2015 Summer Caucus

Call to Order/Welcome/Introductions – Rhonda Hogrefe, Adult Education Supervisor for Penta Career Center and facilitator for the School Districts and Colleges/Universities Caucus, called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone present. Introductions were made by everyone present. Twenty-four educators attended the session representing thirteen suburban and urban school districts, community colleges, and 4-year universities.

TMACOG members who were present included:

Townships Report - 2015 Summer Caucus

Call to Order/Welcome/Introductions – Leslie Kohli, Springfield Township administrator and caucus facilitator, called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone present. Introductions were made by everyone present.

TMACOG members who were present included:

·         Andy Bick – Trustee, Township of Richfield

Villages Report - 2015 Summer Caucus

Call to Order/Welcome/Introductions – Gordon Bowman, Pemberville Village Mayor and caucus facilitator, called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone present. Introductions were made by everyone present.

TMACOG members that were present included:

·         Donald Atkinson – Council Member, Village of Whitehouse

Cities Report - 2015 Summer Caucus

Call to Order/Welcome/Introductions – Michael Beazley, Oregon City administrator and caucus facilitator, called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone present. Introductions were made by everyone present.

TMACOG members who were present included:

·         Cecelia M.  Adams – Council Member At-Large, City of Toledo

·         Jim Bagdonas – Municipal Administrator, City of Waterville

County Report: Caucus and Forum for Lawmakers - August 2015

Call to Order/Welcome/Introductions – Doris Herringshaw, Vice President of the Wood County Board of Commissioners and caucus facilitator, called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone present. Introductions were made by everyone present.

TMACOG members who were present included:

·         Keith Earley – County Engineer, Wood County

·         Kenneth Fallows – Chair, TMACOG Water Quality Council and Representative, Lucas County

TMACOG Civil Rights Policy

TMACOG is required to regularly review and update the Title VI policy to state how the agency will comply with non-discrimination regulations. The new draft copy of the TMACOG policy is posted for public review on www.tmacog.org, under the Policy tab. The link is here. 

The updated policy describes how TMACOG includes a broad range of the interested public in planning activities and accommodates people with physical handicaps and language challenges. The policy includes forms and a complaint procedure for anyone who feels that they have been discriminated against based on protected status.  

Comments on the draft policy can be addressed to Bill Best, vice president of finance and administration and the staff person responsible for compliance, through Wednesday, September 2. E-mail or call 419.241.9155 ext. 108.

“No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

- Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments | www.tmacog.org

TMACOG and SEMCOG in Monroe County

The Monroe Evening News covered a meeting of the Monroe County Commissioners that featured presentations from TMACOG  and SEMCOG, its partner agency in Michigan. SEMCOG is the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. The topic was economic development potential created by widening of I-75 and a new international bridge to Canada.

See the Monroe Evening News story here.


Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments | www.tmacog.org

Member Thanks

TMACOG extends its thanks to Republic Services for the sponsorship of the April 17 TMACOG Tech session. That program provided Ohio Sunshine Laws training at Owens Community College. Sponsorship allowed TMACOG members and others to get required training close to home. 

Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments | www.tmacog.org