By Brian Wright
Casa Grande Dispatch
Two planning organizations pitched their wares at the Maricopa City Council this week, seeking the city’s membership.
Council members now have to decide whether to sign on with either group.
Benjamin Bitter, senior management analyst for the city of Casa Grande, spoke on behalf of the Sun Corridor metropolitan planning organization.
While Bitter said Casa Grande was basically “forced into” creating a metropolitan planning organization he said it’s “good for the region” and a “good opportunity for us.”
MPOs are federally mandated and federally funded transportation policy-making organizations for larger cities.
Bitter said Casa Grande became an “urbanized area” of more than 50,000 population in March 2012. By March 2013, he said Casa Grande will “have to have that designation,” and it will be approved by the governor.
The other organization represented was the Maricopa Association of Governments. Dennis Smith, executive director of MAG, discussed the benefits Maricopa would receive as a member of the Maricopa County organization.
In a way, it was similar to two guys trying to convince the same girl to go to prom. Maricopa was the one being courted, and the council members had the opportunity to sit back and listen to pitches from both entities, knowing the city could not be a member of both.
Councilman Marvin Brown and Vice Mayor Ed Farrell said especially regarding the MPO, the council was not given ample time to consider the merits of theorganization. Farrell said he felt he was being pressured into a decision by the Sun Corridor MPO.
Farrell said he wasn’t happy with the fact that Maricopa was the last city in western Pinal County consulted about joining the MPO.
To that point, the council decided to wait until its Dec. 18 meeting to give city staff direction on which organization to join.
