The City of DeKalb now is the leader of the Metropolitan Planning Organization.

In a meeting consisting of 18 officials from state and local governments, a vote named DeKalb as the lead in the four-agency MPO.

DeKalb takes the lead partly because it occupies 71 percent of the population counted in the MPO, Mayor Greg Sparrow said. The other bodies, Cortland, DeKalb County and Sycamore, account for the remaining 29 percent – Sycamore with 20 percent.

Also voted upon was the motion to require six out of eight votes for money decisions within the organization. The motion came from Sycamore Mayor John Swedberg.

“… That way any new group has to do their politics, and there is no slanted angle for the money,” Swedberg said.

As the lead agency of the MPO, DeKalb would be the direct recipient of any federal funds related to the MPO.

Sycamore City Administrator Bill Nicklas was concerned with the way votes would be taken, however. He said there are other entities that eventually will want votes, citing the DeKalb Park District.

This met with some discussion as those in attendance said they would like to see the park district remain in the technical advisory committee, without a vote.

“We don’t want to let the technical committee get too big because people just stop showing up for meetings,” said Bill Lorence, DeKalb County engineer who has 27 years of experience with four other MPOs.

DeKalb City Planner Ray Keller presented the members with a draft of a proposed budget for January 2003 to June 2004. For that 18-month period, an estimated $402,000 will be needed, with local funds estimated at $80,400 and a request for federal funding to cover the rest.

Bob Soltau, metropolitan planning manager for the Illinois Department of Transportation, said the state cannot guarantee that much money, but will continue to work with the organization.

The next step for each body represented in the MPO is to come to terms in the intergovernmental agreement. Once those are approved by the respective city councils or Board of Trustees, in NIU’s case, the MPO may begin work.

Within the budget, the number of employees needed for the MPO was questioned by several people, including NIU President John Peters. He said that the amount of people, two full-time people and several part-time, and the $163,000 needed seemed too high.

But Paul Rasmussen, DeKalb’s director of community development, who has had experience with MPOs in Minnesota, said the first couple months are hectic and need that many people. He added that the numbers usually dwindle after that.

The biggest concern of the meeting was timing. Because Rod Blagojevich will take the governor’s office in January, the committee wants to get all bodies in the MPO in agreement and the necessary paperwork filed so work can begin.

“If we don’t get it in on time, the new governor may not get it done in time,” Sparrow said. “The sooner, the better based on the time limitations of the [current] governor.”

Sparrow added that with a new administration in Springfield, questions will be asked about the MPO allocations.

Lorence countered that with faith, the state would recognize the needs of the MPO.

“I have worked in other states where there would be no money coming from the state,” Lorence said. “But Illinois is the forerunner in providing state funds.”

The group will meet again at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 26 to discuss the developments of the agreement.