MOUNT VERNON — Knox County residents are being asked for their input on what direction Knox and 11 other counties should take over the next 30 years. The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission is asking residents to take part in a survey that is part of its Shaping Our Future program.
Bernice Cage, public information officer for MORPC, said she believes taking the survey is very important for the public because it gives the citizens a chance to voice their concerns for the future of central Ohio.
“We are developing a plan for the central Ohio area and that’s why we need a survey,” Cage said. “This plan will cover 12 counties and will encompass disciplines such as housing, energy, air and water quality, local food, economic development, farmland preservation and transportation. Many of these things we have never really looked at before. A plan of this size and of this scope is a first for us.”
MORPC is an organization of local governments in the central Ohio area. It is made up of 12 counties: Knox, Franklin, Marion, Morrow, Union, Delaware, Licking, Madison, Fairfield, Fayette, Pickaway and Ross.
For the Shaping Our Future project, MORPC has been working with its members, county Chambers of Commerce, local governments and County Commissioners. This is why Cage believes the survey is important.
“What we needed to do to define our goals, which is the very first phase of the plan, is to ask the residents who live, work and play here what they would like to see here in central Ohio,” she explained. “And it also asks them what they are currently doing. Questions in the survey addresses those disciplines. We’re asking them if they believe there is climate change, do they know about the air quality alerts, about housing and foreclosures, and if it is affecting their community. We want to know what they think will make central Ohio more livable.”
Cage said this is an excellent chance for residents of central Ohio to have input into making a plan for the good of the region. It will address concerns of both urban and rural communities, and those that are unique to each area. Cage said the goal of MORPC is not to focus on ideas from any one area, but to incorporate those ideas that will do the most good for all areas.
The survey is open to anyone in the 12 counties. It can be taken online, or a hard copy with return envelope can be obtained by contacting Cage at or calling (614) 233-4157.
The survey may be taken online at http://regionalplan.questionpro.com.
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