DMD

Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization
City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD)
Division of Planning, Transportation Section 
Mike Peoni, Manager
200 E. Washington Street, Suite 1841   
City-County Building
Indianapolis, IN 46204 
Phone:    (317) 327-5151
Fax:        (317) 327-5103
Email: mpeoni@indygov.org
Website: http://www.indygov.org/indympo/

1990 Urbanized Area Population: 914,761
2000 Urbanized Area Population: 1,179,270 (estimated)
2000 Urbanized Area Population: 1,218,919 (final)

Planning Area: In the Indianapolis region the MPO is staffed by the Transportation Planning Section of the Division of Planning, Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD). 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 2025. This area is known as the Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA). The present MPA is based on the 1990 Census and includes all of Marion County and portions of the surrounding counties of Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks and Johnson 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 Community 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: One of the distinctive activities of the Indianapolis MPO is its public involvement process. The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) advises the IRTC on a variety of transportation-related topics. Although its members are appointed to ensure diverse regional and philosophical representation, this loosely organized group encourages the participation of all interested parties. The CAC meets at least every quarter at the City-County Building in downtown Indianapolis, and is taped by the government access channel for rebroadcast. In addition, the MPO publishes and distributes CAC Minutes – a meeting report which offers a brief synopsis of agenda topics.

The CAC is only one component of the MPO’s Community Involvement Plan. Another major element is teMPO, the newsletter of the regional transportation planning process, which is distributed to more than 2300 individuals and organizations, including elected officials, neighborhood and civic associations, special interest groups, news media, libraries and government agencies. Four quarterly and two special issues are prepared annually. For past issues, or to receive teMPO free of charge in the future, contact Mike Peoni, MPO Manager at 317/327-5133 or mpeoni@indygov.org.

Decision-Making: As the governing body for the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD), the Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission officially adopts all plans prepared by the MPO.

MPO plans and recommendations are developed in cooperation with the Indianapolis Regional Transportation Council (IRTC). Once endorsed by the IRTC, MPO plans and recommendations are presented to the Metropolitan Development Commission for 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 Mayor of Indianapolis traditionally chairs the IRTC Policy Committee; the Director of the Indianapolis Department of Public Works (DPW) traditionally chairs the Inter-agency Technical Committee. 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 endorses all plans and recommendations before they are presented to the Metropolitan Development Commission (MDC). Because the MDC has never contradicted its endorsement, the Policy Committee can be said to make the decisions.

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