By Chase Kamp | Southeast Valley Ledger
The recently announced formation of a new metropolitan planning organization (MPO) in Pinal County has prompted some town to shuffle their alliances. Still, local government leaders say the creation of the Sun Corridor Municipal Planning Organization will help to more closely define the needs and goals of specific regions as they plan for the future.
At a meeting of the Pinal Partnership organization on Jan. 18, 2013, (moderated by RLG founder Jordan Rose) three Pinal mayors and heads of the two major counsels of governments discussed why the Sun Corridor MPO had to form, which towns and entities are interested in joining and what it means for the region as a whole.
MPOs serve to guide the transportation, environmental impact and other future issue planning for specific regions. The Sun Corridor MPO is being formed by the City of Casa Grande because the city reached beyond a 50,000 population threshold, explained Mayor Bob Jackson, a requirement of a new federal transportation law.
