Indiana Regional Councils

Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG)

MACOG represents two urbanized areas, the Elkhart-Goshen Urbanized Area and the South Bend Urbanized Area. MACOG's area of representation (1,896 square miles with 7 cities and 31 towns) also includes St. Joseph, Marshall , Elkhart, and Kosciusko Counties including the cities of South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart, Goshen, Nappanee, Plymouth, and Warsaw. MACOG also coordinates with the Southwestern Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) with planning for the urbanized area extending into Michigan.

MACOG is charged with the responsibility of promoting an efficient and effective intermodal transportation system. MACOG's programs include, but are not limited to transit, rail, highways, asset management, and active transportation. In addition to developing and implementing a 20-year Transportation Plan (TP) and a four-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), MACOG maintains a full line of traffic data analysis, conducts traffic counts, analyzes accident data, develops corridor and sub-area analysis, completes a railroad crossing inventory, and provides technical research and assistance to local officials. MACOG administers a fixed route service, known as the Interurban Trolley in the cities of Elkhart and Goshen.

In addition to transportation planning, MACOG serves as a broad range planning forum for decision makers, local elected officials, and planning agencies. MACOG works in the area of sustainability, focusing on air and water quality, alternative energy development (solar), and clean fuel fleets. Additionally, MACOG works with rural communities to assist in community development helping communities develop long-range visions and priorities and seek grant opportunities. The MACOG Policy Board also serves as the regions' Economic Development District responsible for developing and maintaining the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

MACOG also provides staff to the St. Joseph River Basin Commission (SJRBC). SJRBC works on water quality planning throughout the River Basin in Indiana. The Commission includes representatives from Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, St. Joseph, and Steuben Counties. SJRBC is the recipient of various grant funds related to the Clean Water Act, coordinated by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Northeastern Indiana Regional Coordinating Council (NIRCC)

NIRCC is the agency designated by the Governor to perform general purpose planning on a regional basis for Adams, Allen, DeKalb, and Wells Counties. NIRCC coordinates with other planning efforts to maximize benefits to the respective communities. NIRCC provides regional transportation planning services for both rural and urban communities within its jurisdiction. NIRCC is also heavily involved in various community development programs, both in the planning and implementation stages.

As the Metropolitan Planning Organization, NIRCC performs the transportation planning functions for the urbanized area of Allen County including the Cities of Fort Wayne and New Haven, and the Towns of Grabill, Huntertown, and Leo-Cedarville. The multi-modal transportation planning efforts include systems for highway, transit, bicycle and pedestrian travel. NIRCC performs studies through traffic monitoring and surveillance programs which gather vital information and report on traffic volumes, intersection flow, accident analysis, travel time, travel delay, capacity assessment, highway and transit demand forecasting, and site impact analysis.

These activities support the development and maintenance of the long-range transportation plan, congestion management program, and transportation capital improvement program. These multi-modal plans and programs are designed to improve the safety, accessibility, and mobility of people and freight throughout the metropolitan region. In addition, the plans and programs are implemented to support the economic vitality of the region, protect and enhance the environment, preserve the existing transportation system, and to improve the region's overall quality of life.

Area Plan Commission of Tippecanoe County (APCTC)

The Area Plan Commission of Tippecanoe County (APCTC) is the multi-jurisdictional planning agency serving the Cities of Lafayette and West Lafayette, the Towns of Battle Ground, Clarks Hill, and Dayton, and unincorporated Tippecanoe County. Created in 1959 and following its reorganization in 1975, the Governor designated APCTC as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Lafayette Urbanized Area. In 2010, APCTC was designated as the Rural Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) for adjacent Carroll County. APCTC was reorganized again in 2015 to include the following additions: its membership increased to seventeen (17) following the City of West Lafayette designation as a Class II city and a separate MPO Policy Board was created for the MPO. APCTC's membership now includes six (6) citizens and eleven (11) elected officials.

APCTC primary planning functions include comprehensive planning; current planning (zoning and land subdivision); transportation planning; demographic, housing and economic projections and forecasts; park planning; floodplain management; hazard mitigation planning; GIS functions including street addressing, and the key Census agency and depository for the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

The adopted Comprehensive Plan for Tippecanoe County is updated as needed and includes the following elements: land use, neighborhood and corridor plans; Metropolitan Transportation Plan; bicycle-pedestrian; thoroughfare; housing; parks and recreation; and multi-hazard mitigation plans.

The APCTC supports multi-modal relationships with CityBus and Purdue University and its airport in long-range planning.

In 2012, APCTC and its member jurisdictions adopted the current Metropolitan Transportation Plan for 2045; it contains the community's Complete Streets Policy and guarantees that ten percent of its Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funds be dedicated to stand-alone bike and pedestrian infrastructure projects on existing streets. Following adoption by both the MPO Policy Board and the Area Plan Commission, all long-range transportation plan elements are recorded, which makes it officially part of the Comprehensive Plan for Tippecanoe County.

The MPO's Technical Transportation Committee meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 2 PM in Lafayette City Hall. The MPO Policy Board meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at 2 PM in Lafayette City Hall. The Area Plan Commission meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 6 PM in the Tippecanoe County Office Building.

The Executive Director and four additional staff dedicated solely to transportation planning keep the APCTC and all member jurisdictions in compliance with transportation planning requirements. Additional staff is used for some aspects of transportation planning as needed and in keeping with their expertise. Staff's work is supervised by APCTC, its Policy Board and supported by the Technical Transportation Committee.

Kokomo-Howard County Governmental Coordinating Council (KHCGCC)

The Kokomo and Howard County Governmental Coordinating Council is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Kokomo, Indiana urbanized area. The Council was designated as the MPO on March 2, 1982. It succeeded the Kokomo-Howard County Administrative Committee and Technical Committee. They were created on February 14, 1964.

The Council consists of a Policy Board and Technical Advisory Committee. The Policy Board is composed of top elected officials from the City and County, the president of the City and County Plan Commissions, and representatives from the Indiana Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration. The Technical Advisory Committee is composed of senior officials of various agencies, departments, public transportation providers and boards involved in transportation affairs. The Council’s staff is assisted by various City and County departments.

The primary responsibility of the Coordinating Council (KHCGCC) is to carry out transportation planning responsibilities for the Kokomo Metropolitan Planning Area. This is an area bound by County Road 600 North, to County Road 500 South, County Road 500 West and County Road 500 East.

The Kokomo and Howard County Governmental Coordinating Council activities include, among other duties, the production of a 25 year Long Range Transportation Plan, a three year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a planning overall work program (Statement of Work) along with other important documents.

Public involvement in the Kokomo and Howard County Governmental Coordinating Council’s transportation planning process is invited and encouraged. Opportunities for public participation include all Policy Board meetings, Technical Advisory Committee meetings, and special hearings to discuss the Long Range Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program. You may also click on Contact Us to provide specific comments.

Finally, our mission is to make sure our transportation dollars are spent cost effectively, to support economic progress while making sure to safeguard our environment. Kokomo and Howard County Governmental Coordinating Council oversees about two million in transportation investments with the cooperative effort of the Indiana Dept. of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration

Terre Haute Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (THAMPO)

The Terre Haute Area Economic Development Corporation (THEDC), was designated as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Terre Haute Urbanized Area (UA) by the Governor of Indiana on January 1, 2020. As a non-profit public-private partnership, the THEDC operates under contract with both city and county governments, while receiving financial support from private companies. Governed by a member-board of business and industry leaders, the THEDC proudly serves as Terre Haute's local economic development organization, committed to serving all those looking to invest in, visit, or do business throughout West Central Indiana.

The THEDC is focused on providing an environment that supports and encourages the recruitment of new businesses to the Greater Terre Haute Area, as well as supporting the needs of existing businesses and local unites of government throughout the west central Indiana region. Currently, the corporation is composed of two divisions: Business Attraction & Retention and Transportation Planning & Programming. Services provided by these divisions are generally available to local officials, development groups and residents within the Terre Haute Urbanized Area and surrounding West Central Indiana Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA).

On July 1, 2020, the THEDC began providing staff to serve as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the West Central Indiana MPA, referred to as the Terre Haute Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (THAMPO). THAMPO is charged with administrating the multi-modal metropolitan transportation planning process prescribed in 23 U.S.C. 134 and 49 U.S.C. 6303.

THAMPO’s Transportation Policy Committee (TPC) serves as the decision-making body for the metropolitan transportation planning activities. This committee is made up of elected or appointed officials who represent the local government entities serve by THAMPO (City of Terre Haute, City of Brazil, Towns of Harmony, Knightsville, Seelyville, and West Terre Haute; Vigo County and the northern portion of Clay County), representatives of various transportation modes, and representatives of the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). THEDC/THAMPO staff and representatives of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) serve as non-voting advisors to the TPC.

The TPC is also advised by the Transportation Technical Committee (TTC) on technical matters. The TTC provides an important link between project planning and project implementation. A Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), a general public forum, affords opportunities for public to provide input and feedback about programs and projects as part of the TPC decision-making process.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (IMPO)

Planning Area: The MPO is responsible for transportation planning in the area defined by the most current Census as being urbanized, plus the area anticipated to be urbanized by the year 2035. This area is known as the Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA). The present MPA is based on the 2010 Census and includes all of Marion County and portions of the surrounding counties of Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Morgan, and Shelby where suburban growth has occurred. The current MPA includes the following cities and towns:

Core Activities: The core activities of the MPO involve the Indianapolis Regional Transportation Plan, the Indianapolis Regional Transportation Improvement Program (IRTIP), Air Quality Conformity Analysis (for both the Plan and the IRTIP), and the Public Involvement Plan. In addition, the MPO annually prepares a Unified Planning Work Program of transportation-related planning studies/activities to which it recommends committing currently available funds over the next twelve months.

Community Involvement: teMPO is the email-newsletter of the regional transportation planning process, which is distributed to more than 2,300 individuals and organizations, including elected officials, neighborhood and civic associations, special interest groups, news media, libraries and government agencies. The newsletter is issued several times a month. To stay up-to-date with what's happening in Indianapolis' regional transportation planning, subscribe to receive the latest edition of teMPO by clicking on the Subscription Page. To view past issues of teMPO, click on teMPO-Newsletters.

Decision-Making: MPO plans and recommendations are developed in cooperation with the Indianapolis Regional Transportation Council (IRTC). MPO plans and recommendations are presented to the IRTC for approval and/or adoption. The IRTC is a voluntary, inter-governmental body, created to promote cooperation and coordination among the area’s local governments. The IRTC is composed of a Policy Committee and an Inter-agency Technical Committee. The IRTC Policy Committee consists of the heads of local governments and public agencies within the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Area. The IRTC Inter-agency Technical Committee consists of planners and engineers from the local governments and public agencies within the MPA. The IRTC meets quarterly. MPO plans and recommendations are endorsed by IRTC’s Inter-agency Technical Committee before going to its Policy Committee. The Policy Committee approves and/or adopts plans and recommendations, typically by resolution.

Madison County Council of Governments (MCCOG)

The Madison County Council of Governments (MCCOG) is a cooperative, county and regional-wide planning organization that serves seventeen cities and towns, including all of Madison County and parts of Delaware, Hamilton, and Hancock Counties. The prime purpose of the Council of Governments is to increase communication, cooperation, and coordination among local governments in planning and implementing programs to meet mutual challenges and problems for the overall improvement of the region's quality of life. Each local government has the opportunity for involvement in policy making and programming of MCCOG.

As the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the region, the agency develops the regional long-range transportation plan as well as an annual four-year Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). It works cooperatively with the Columbus and Indianapolis MPOs as one of the three central Indiana agencies responsible for air quality compliance issues in the greater region. MCCOG undertakes studies through traffic monitoring and surveillance programs which gather vital information and reports on traffic volumes, intersection flow, accident analysis, rail inventory, travel time, travel delay, capacity assessment, highway and transit demand forecasting, corridor and sub-area studies, bicycle and pedestrian studies, and site impact analysis. These multi-modal programs and plans are designed to improve the safety, accessibility, and mobility of people and freight throughout the metropolitan region.

Additionally, the agency has an extensive and successful background in other areas of planning, grantsmanship, and program administration. These services include, but are not limited to, a wide range of services that includes comprehensive and land-use plans, downtown and redevelopment plans, capital improvement plans, economic development assistance and planning, environmental plans, geographic information systems (GIS) mapping, housing rehabilitation and plans, recreational and park plans, and site design and landscape plans.

The Council of Governments is also responsible for the operation of the TRAM program, a rural transit system for Madison County residents.

Delaware-Muncie Metropolitan Plan Commission (DMMPC)

The Delaware-Muncie Metropolitan Plan Commission (DMMPC) is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), as designated by the Governor in the 1970’s, for the Muncie Urbanized Area and is charged with carrying out a federally mandated continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning program that is required in order for Delaware County and its communities to received federal transportation funds. The MPO works with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to carry out these activities and programs. Since Delaware County was declared a nonattainment area for air quality (ozone) purposes in 2004, the MPO is charged with carrying out additional responsibilities related to Transportation Conformity and works with the above agencies as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). Delaware County is now in attainment and is considered a Maintenance Area for air quality purposes but the additional responsibilities remain in effect until 2015, at minimum.

The MPO Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA) is all of Delaware County (excluding the Anderson Urbanized Area which extends into the Daleville area) and a part of Randolph County where the Muncie Urbanized Area extends to Parker City. The area is serviced by State Roads 3, 32, 67, 28, 167 and 332, US 35 and I-69. The DMMPC is responsible for Air Quality Transportation Conformity for all of Delaware County.

The DMMPC is also a metropolitan advisory plan commission created in 1965 to carry out the planning and zoning functions for the City of Muncie and unincorporated Delaware County, Indiana. The Commission makes recommendations to the Muncie City Council and the Delaware County Commissioners on matters dealing with rezonings and ordinance amendments. The Commission has final jurisdiction over subdivision plats, administers the Uniform Numbering System (addressing), assists with floodplain management, provides liaison assistance for the Census Bureau, and assists the City and County Building Commissioners and Zoning Administrators.

Bloomington/Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization (BMCMPO)

The City of Bloomington Plan Commission was designated as the MPO for the Bloomington Urbanized Area by Governor Robert Orr in 1982. At that time, it was called the Bloomington Area Transportation Study (BATS), but recently adopted the new name of Bloomington/Monroe County MPO (BMCMPO). The City Planning Department serves as the staff agency for BMCMPO.

BMCMPO is comprised of a partnership of local governments and transportation service providers. MPO members include the City of Bloomington, Monroe County, the Town of Ellettsville, Indiana University, and the Bloomington Public Transportation Corporation. The MPO coordinates regional transportation planning efforts among these groups.

Columbus Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO)

The Columbus Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) was designated as the MPO for the Columbus Area by the Governor of Indiana on the 27th of February 2004. CAMPO is the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the City of Columbus, Bartholomew County, Blue River Township in Johnson County, and Jackson Township in Shelby County.

CAMPO is located on the second floor of the Columbus City Hall, next to the Engineering Department and City / County Planning Department. CAMPO does not perform other roles besides that of the MPO for the Columbus area.

Evansville Metropolitan Planning Organization (EMPO)

The Evansville Metropolitan Planning Organization (EMPO) was designated as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Evansville Urbanized Area in 1969. The Evansville MPO Planning Area (MPA) contains approximately 650 square miles in Indiana, including the City of Evansville, Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties, and a small area of the Evansville Urbanized Area extending into Posey County. In Kentucky, the Planning Area encompasses approximately 440 square miles which includes the City of Henderson and Henderson County. Evansville MPO also provides transportation planning assistance in the rural counties of Gibson and Posey.

EMPO regional transportation planning activities include the development of a long-range transportation plan and short-term transportation improvement program, traffic and air quality modeling, corridor and sub-area analysis, traffic counting and surveillance, railroad crossing inventories, growth impact studies, GIS analysis, public outreach, transit and bicycle and pedestrian planning. Staff also provides technical assistance to elected officials with reports on rezonings, impacts of access, reviews of development site plans, and subdivision impacts. EMPO assists local public agencies with project development and delivery, in addition to collaborating with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) by providing comments on design alternatives and additional support to facilitate bringing projects to timely construction.

A Policy and Technical Committees guide and assist the MPO in its regional planning activities. The Policy Committee is the chief advisory body and is responsible for policy formulation, project guidance, and administrative coordination. This includes delegation of and review of work activities for the EMPO Staff. Official actions taken by EMPO require approval by the Policy Committee. Committee membership includes elected or appointed officials from each local government within the Planning Area, as well as representatives from the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, Indiana Department of Transportation, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

The Technical Committee is composed of planners, engineers, state and federal agency representatives and operators of airport, port, rail and other transportation related departments or businesses. This committee is the chief working committee providing expertise, assistance, and support data for all phases of transportation planning. Each technical task undertaken by EMPO staff involves the participation of the Technical Committee. The Technical Committee coordinates and reviews the work of EMPO staff and prepares reports and recommendations for the Policy Committee.

It is the policy of EMPO to provide the public with access to the urban transportation planning process. By doing so EMPO is able to collect ideas, concerns and suggestions on various transportation-planning issues and offer recommendations to improve the transportation system.

Kentuckiana Regional Planning & Development Agency (KIPDA)

The KIPDA Transportation Division serves two purposes; one as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), as designated by the Governors of Kentucky and Indiana, and the other as the transportation planning component of the Area Development District (ADD) in Kentucky. The MPO area consists of the US Census-defined Louisville/Jefferson County KY-IN urbanized area, the Environmental Protection Agency-defined non-attainment area or the air pollutant ozone, and the area projected to be urbanized by the year 2020. For administrative purposes, the metropolitan transportation planning area thus includes Bullitt, Jefferson and Oldham counties in Kentucky and Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana. This area is further defined as a Transportation Management Area by the Federal Highway Administration, and the MPO is responsible for implementing the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act for the metropolitan area.

The KIPDA Transportation Division provides planning and technical assistance to help meet the transportation needs of all counties within the MPO area and the KIPDA region giving emphasis to bicycle, highway, paratransit, pedestrian and public transit modes of transportation. As KIPDA is not limited to planning within particular county boundaries, it provides the opportunity to plan regionally, where the actions of each county take into consideration the other counties in the region. The agency works to assure that transportation plans are coordinated with comprehensive land use planning and air quality planning carried out by other public agencies.

Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI)

The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) is a council of local governments, business organizations and community groups committed to developing collaborative strategies to improve the quality of life and the economic vitality of the region.

Formed in 1964, OKI has spent 42 years cultivating partnerships and alliances that range from the federal government to local councils. Its 117 members represent governmental, social and civic groups from 198 communities in the eight county, three-state region of Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana.