In the flurry of County government reform, which gave our Cleveland region a better engine for cross-jurisdictional collaboration, you may have gotten the impression that our Regionalism interest is on hold. Not so. The Northeast Ohio "Regional Prosperity Initiative" (www.neo-rpi.org) has produced detailed interim reports and final to-do lists on a 16-county plan for regional land use planning and "New Growth Tax-base Sharing." The latter proposal is expected out in its final form by late March.
Additionally, the "Ohio Commission on Local Government Reform and Collaboration" (www.ohioreformandcollaboration.org) is working hard to craft legislative carrots and/or sticks to make these and other collaborations more advantageous and achievable statewide.
LWV Cuyahoga Area regionalism program positions* have already been adopted by two other League chapters and, through additional presentations, LWV Cuyahoga Area will be encouraging more League chapters to adopt the regionalism program positions. It is because of program positions that the League is able to do advocacy work.
For additional information about the Regional Prosperity Initiative, visit their website.
A new "Google Group" on Regionalism has been established by LWV Ohio. It will facilitate communication between League members across the state. If members have information on regionalism to be shared or are interested in being a resource to Barbara Guy, Google Group facilitator and member of the LWV Shaker Heights, please contact the state office at 1-877-LWVO-OHIO (1-877-598-6446).
*To learn more about LWV Cuyahoga Area's program and how it adopts positions, visit: www.lwvcuyahogaarea.org/program.html
