WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?

In August 2017, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) designated Twin Falls and Jerome Counties as a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) from their previous designation of a Metropolitan Statistical Area.  MSAs can be designated at anytime by the OMB to analyze labor market and economic conditions with a geographical area.  Statistical data about MSAs helps government officials and businesses review information about per capita income, spending patterns and unemployment rates. The resulting data can be used to formulate policies designed to stimulate economic growth in the region. The MSA does not equate to an urban-rural classification; many counties included in MSAs, and many other counties, contain both urban and rural territory and populations.

Recently, there appears to be some confusion regarding the difference between an MSA and a Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA).  The MPA is a boundary establishing the area in which the Metropolitan Planning Organization conducts federally mandated planning work. Through the release of the U.S. Census Bureau's Decennial Qualified Urbanized Areas update, an area which has more than 50,000 in population, will be classified as an Urbanized Area (UZA); which leads to the creation of a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).  An MPO is a federally mandated and federally funded transportation policy-making organization that is made up of representatives from local government and governmental transportation authorities. 

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is predicting that the Twin Falls area will meet that 50,000 population threshold when the Census is conducted on April 1, 2020; possibly requiring that an MPO be established in 2022.  ITD is dedicated to helping the Magic Valley be successful and therefore, has created an Advance Team to assist all partners and stakeholders throughout this process.  ITD, in conjunction with the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA), the Lewis-Clark Metropolitan Planning Organization (LCVMPO) and the Bannock Transportation Planning Organization (BTPO) are here to provide stakeholders with information about the possible development of the Magic Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization.  During this time, we would like to provide some educational information about the Metropolitan Planning Organization process, federal requirements, and answer any question or concerns you may have. Mostly, we would like to introduce ourselves, as well as, bring everyone to the table to begin the continuing, corroborative and comprehensive relationship we will build throughout this process. 

YOU ARE INVITED!

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) invites interested community leaders and agencies to learn more about the proposed Magic Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (MVMPO). This meeting intends to educate stakeholders about the:

• Difference between a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and a Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA);
• Federal and state process of designating the MVMPO; 
• Impacts of the MVMPO for the area;
• Potential membership and structure of the Policy Board, Technical Advisory Committee and Citizens Advisory Committees;
• Roles and responsibilities of the organization;
• Products and plans the MPO will be required to produce;
• Understanding of relationships between organizations;
• Decision-making process used by the MPO;
• Potential challenges of the organization; 
• Transportation funding availability to the area; and
• ITD's role in making the MVMPO successful within the next 5 years.

Registration is free and open to anyone interested in attending.  Please forward and share this event with those that may be interested.  We request that you register in advance if possible so that we know how many may be in attendance.  Furthermore, by registering in advance, the Advance Team will be able to build a database of interested attendees as well as print name tags for those in attendance.