NOACA

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Northeast Ohio Areawide
Coordinating Agency


NOACA is such an enormous problem, we have a whole page devoted to it.
If you are already familiar with the details, take a look at what you can do to help:
Act Now on NOACA.

NOACA In A Nutshell
Questions and answers on the purpose, structure, and pitfalls of NOACA

What is NOACA?

NOACA stands for the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency.  It is a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) that covers five Northeast Ohio counties:  Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina.

What is an MPO?

MPO stands for Metropolitan Planning organization.  An MPO is a regional transportation organization established by the Federal Aid Highway act of 1962.  The act dictates that regions with metropolitan areas greater than 50,000 residents receiving federal funding must be a member of an MPO.

What are MPOs supposed to do?

MPOs are supposed to be organizations that help manage and approve federal expenditures for regional transportation projects.

How is an MPO funded?

MPOs have two funding sources:  first, the member counties pay yearly dues to the MPO; second (and more substantially), the federal taxes that are collected on gas purchases in each county are set aside and then granted back to the counties through grants for MPO-approved projects. 

How does NOACA operate?

NOACA is made up of a Board of Directors and approximately 40 full-time staff members.  The Board consists of elected officials from its five member counties.  NOACA does not design or execute transportation projects; it merely decides, by majority vote, which projects will receive MPO funding.

Who is on the NOACA Board?

The NOACA Board has 48 voting members.  Nearly all of them are elected officials from the five member counties.  Serving on the NOACA Board is one of the duties of certain locally-elected positions.  (e.g., County Commissioners, Mayors, City Council members, etc.).  The board also has a few state-wide members. 

Who has power on the NOACA Board?

Presently, Cuyahoga County holds undue power on the NOACA Board.  There are 26 voting members from Cuyahoga County, 4 from Medina, 7 from Lorain, 5 from Lake, and 3 from Geauga, along with 3 state-wide seats.  This means it is extremely difficult for any of the “rural” counties to get approval for transportation projects that do not directly benefit Cuyahoga County.  Even all the rural counties combined cannot stop Cuyahoga County from passing their projects, nor from using gas tax funds from the entire region to fund Cuyahoga projects.

How is that fair?

Put simply:  it’s not.  When NOACA was created, there was at least an appearance of balance-of-power, as the Board was comprised then of three Commissioners from each county and a few other elected officials (e.g., the Mayor of Cleveland).  As originally designed, no one county had an overbearing majority.  However, through legal action, bullying, and coercion, centralized Cleveland/Cuyahoga County has wrested control of the board away from the other counties. As a result, nearly all spending and initiatives are exclusively dedicated to “progressive,” Cuyahoga-led endeavors.

That seems annoying and unfair, but is it really a big deal?

Well…yes, it is.  Here’s why:  Instead of sticking to the federally-described mandate of an MPO (i.e., granting fuds for transportation projects) NOACA leadership has decided to expand the organization’s mandate into a variety of wide-ranging areas that should be under the control of locally elected officials whose fidelity is to their own constituents.  For instance, NOACA is…

  • … taking out loans to fund programs and using existing tax dollars to fund bicycle trails, TLCI (Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative) projects, and other non-road and -bridge projects.  For reference, the goals of TLCI projects include “positive public health impacts,” investment in underutilized or vacant/abandoned properties, and “integrating principles of accessibility and environmental justice,” none of which are within the purview of an MPO;
  • …using tax dollars to lobby for funding and/or changes to law that favor Cuyahoga County over the other member counties, with no recourse for the counties to reclaim their tax dollars;
  • …using race-based criteria in its decision making, which appears to violate the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments.
Does that mean those projects or ideas are bad?

No, it doesn’t mean those types of projects or ideas are bad.  It means it should be up to each community’s locally-elected officials to fund those types of projects or not, depending on the needs and priorities of their community.  If one city, county, or township wants to prioritize zero carbon emissions over economic development, for instance, that should be decided by their own constituents and implemented by their own local-elected officials.  If the NOACA board were balanced, each county would have a chance to weigh in on these differing priorities.  As it stands now, the needs, priorities and values of Cuyahoga County and the NOACA leadership are all that matter.  Their Climate Action and Equity goals involve decisions that intimately affect residents in the region, and as such, should be under the purview of our locally-elected officials, not a remote conglomerate where our representatives have no power.

What can be done?
  • Long-term strategies should include challenging the legality of MPOs, working to define the scope and purview of MPOs, and addressing the legality of the changes to the NOACA Board structure.
  • In the short term, the answer is straightforward:  GET OUR COUNTY OUT OF NOACA.  While we are federally required to be in an MPO, we are not required to be in this particular MPO.  Contact your Geauga County Commissioners today and tell them you want our county to leave NOACA and form a new MPO.
    • Call:  440-279-1660
    • Attend a Commissioners Meeting and tell them in person.  Meetings are held every Tuesday morning at 9:30am at 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Room B303, in Chardon.

The Problem with NOACA, or The No Good, Very Bad Climate Action Takeover
Many citizens in Northeast Ohio are alarmed by a movement underway to usurp the authority of our duly elected local officials…

The Problem with NOACA, or The No Good, Very Bad Climate Action Takeover

Many citizens in Northeast Ohio are alarmed by a movement underway to usurp the authority of our duly elected local officials.  This usurpation is happening at the hands of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (“NOACA” for short).  NOACA is the federally-mandated Metropolitan Planning Organization (“MPO”) in effect across five Northeastern Ohio Counties (Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, and Cuyahoga). 

MPOs were established by the Federal Aid Highway act of 1962.  The act dictates that regions with metropolitan areas greater than 50,000 residents receiving federal funding must be a member of an MPO. This raises a number of sovereignty issues relative to states’ rights.  While there is a constitutional Tenth Amendment issue with this law, it has not yet been challenged. 

In Ohio there are 17 MPO’s. NOACA is one of the largest and arguably the most far-Left, politically “progressive” MPO in Ohio.   The result is undue federal oversight of large population centers and an unfortunate spillover of influence throughout each county and adjacent counties, far outside of the metropolitan areas.  In theory, MPOs were created to help facilitate regional oversight of bridge and road projects.  In reality, NOACA has become a tool used almost exclusively by urban Cuyahoga County to divert the resources of the other four, largely rural counties, in service of their far-left, ideologically-driven vision.  

NOACA’s Tyrannical Makeup

The makeup of the NOACA Board is an example of unelected tyranny.  While most members of the Board hold elected office in their respective areas, the idea of representation is illusory. Representatives from counties other than Cuyahoga hold largely symbolic positions on the NOACA board; scant few members can in any way impact the actions of the organization. 

When NOACA was created, there was at least an appearance of balance-of-power, as the Board was comprised then of three Commissioners from each county and a few other elected officials (e.g., the Mayor of Cleveland).  As originally designed, no one county had an overbearing majority.  However, through legal action, bullying, and coercion, centralized Cleveland/Cuyahoga County has wrested control of the board away from the other counties. In fact, all four rural counties in NOACA (Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina) combined cannot counter the vote of Cuyahoga alone.  As a result, nearly all spending and initiatives are exclusively dedicated to “progressive,” Cuyahoga-led endeavors.

In the 1970’s the NOACA contract was changed to a set of bylaws that stipulated board makeup based on population alone.  There is NO evidence the original contract was voided or waived.  No county signed or agreed to waiving the contract that was originally used to create NOACA.  There is an argument that the current bylaw configuration is not legal.  These actions have created an organization that is violating their own “Equity Policies”.  Anything and anyone not in agreement with far-Left, “progressive” policies can have no voice.

The following is from the original 1968 contract.  Notice 3 elected officials from each county, along with the Mayor of Cleveland and one representative from Urban Affairs.

Imbalance of Power Results in Far-Left Mission Creep

MPOs were created and chartered to perform road and bridge planning; yet, without an articulated charter to broaden its scope and authority, NOACA is attempting to be a regional planning organization that violates basic sovereignty of other political entities (cities, counties, planning organizations, etc.).   Compounding this effect, NOACA received a grant from HUD to perform a multi-MPO NE Ohio social engineering effort including land use, infrastructure, equity, zoning, water quality, air quality, and economic development.  That effort, originally named NEOSCC, now called eNEO2050, has never been approved by a vote of the board, yet it serves as the foundation of NOACA’s current climate change and equity initiatives.

The very premise of a large federally-directed planning organization violates the basic concept of voter representation and sovereignty of legal boundaries.   Citizens from Geauga County do not vote for and cannot remove elected officials from Cleveland/Cuyahoga County.  If we had a balanced MPO that allowed for negotiation, compromise, and realistic political maneuvering, the rural counties would have a chance of representation.  Unfortunately, the NOACA board is so egregiously imbalanced and so overreaching in its usurpation of powers, that our counties have no hope of receiving fair representation.  That means taxation and/or use of tax dollars without representation.  NOACA is making decisions that the elected officials of each sovereign community should be making.  Ohio is allowing a federally guided organization to usurp Ohio authority. 

Some examples of the harm created by NOACA’s imbalance and overreach include (not a comprehensive list):

  • Tax dollars are not distributed fairly; e.g.; Geauga residents contribute over 10 million dollars in federal gas tax dollars and are returned close to 0 dollars.
  • NOACA is taking out loans to fund programs and using existing tax dollars to fund bicycle trails, TLCI (Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative) projects, and other non-road and -bridge projects.  For reference, the goals of TLCI projects include “positive public health impacts,” investment in underutilized or vacant/abandoned properties, and “integrating principles of accessibility and environmental justice,” none of which are within the purview of an MPO.
  • NOACA is using tax dollars to lobby for funding and/or changes to law that favor Cuyahoga County over the other member counties, with no recourse for the counties to reclaim their tax dollars.
  • NOACA uses race-based criteria in its decision making, which appears to violate the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments.
  • NOACA is broadening its scope without authority into areas that do harm to our communities.   The most recent example is its effort to create a Climate Action Plan.  There is very little that NE Ohio can do to significantly impact an atmosphere as large as one we exist in, yet NOACA presumes to spend each of our counties’ resources on projects they imagine will ameliorate this “emergency” in our region (projects which overwhelmingly benefit Cuyahoga County and the climate-warrior reputations of her politicians). It should be the purview of our locally elected officials to prioritize climate change versus other societal and economic initiatives, not a remote board that has no incentive to represent all citizens within its region.  Furthermore, decisions that so intimately impact our lives should be decided by representatives who are intimately accountable to voters.
  • NOACA violates the First Amendment rights to free speech and the ability for citizens to be heard and to seek redress.  Recent actions to manipulate citizen input and to limit the five-county citizens (especially conservatives) from being able to be heard is blatant, with abundant evidence.  Ostensibly public meetings have provided no opportunity for public input, as the NOACA board barred the public from speaking, and even physically impeded members of the public from entering the building.  On other occasions, NOACA allowed a few members of the public to speak, but opened the speakers list to their preferred (NOACA-friendly) speakers before the general public, so that only NOACA’s hand-picked speakers were granted time.  Additionally, the President of the NOACA Board, John Hammercheck, personally drafted a note expressing animus and empty accusations toward the public who traveled to attend in person.  The appearance of soliciting public engagement, while in fact blocking it, is conduct unbecoming of any organization that wishes to present itself as community-based and which presumes to take charge of activities that stand to impact nearly every aspect of life.
  • NOACA uses a corrupt process and methodologies to support its decision making.
  • NOACA recently aligned with ICLEI, a Marxist United Nations organization headquartered in Bonn, Germany.
  • NOACA uses Equity as a guiding principle.   Equity is a betrayal of the oath to uphold and defend the constitution of the U.S. and the principle that “all men are created equal.”

What Can We Do About NOACA?

There are a number of possible actions that can be taken to mitigate the harm being created by NOACA’s actions.  (This list is not comprehensive.)

  • Eliminate MPOs at the Federal Level.
  • Change Federal law to limit the powers of MPOs.
  • Create Ohio state legislation to limit the powers of MPOs.
  • Take local action for a county to leave NOACA.
  • Two or more counties may leave NOACA and form a separate MPO.
  • Form a conservative coalition of elected officials and board members.  Begin a legal action to restore balance to the board.
NOACA Panel Discussion May 12, 2023
Lake County Liberty Coalition hosted a debate between John Hamercheck, John Plecnik, Lake County Commissioners and previous Geauga County Commissioner, Skip Claypool regarding NOACA’s involvement on Climate Issues…

From our Post by Sharon Madger…
Lake County Liberty Coalition hosted a debate between John Hamercheck, John Plecnik, Lake County Commissioners and previous Geauga County Commissioner, Skip Claypool regarding NOACA’s involvement on Climate Issues at Citipointe Church before a large room of taxpayers/voters from Lake and Geauga County on May 12, 2023.  Noticeably missing were the Geauga County Commissioners.  Where were they on such an important issue? I was made aware that they were invited. What was the reason that not even one of them attended?

There is a video recording of this event on rumble Here. The debate starts at the 50-minute mark. Please watch it. It is important to our future.

From our post by Geauga County Commissioner, Skip Claypool:

What you will hear from the commissioners in this event is that they think it is better to try and work with NOACA and that playing the game in a different way will deliver better results.    Let me offer you this thought.   You cannot negotiate with or work with tyrants… Our founders thought that using logic and trying to work with a tyrant (King George) would succeed.  They sent him multiple letters appealing to logic.  They attended court.  Nothing worked because tyrants are without honor… In dealing with NOACA it is best to follow Ted Roosevelt’s tactic:  Carry a big stick.  

Geauga could learn a thing or two from these Medina Commissioners
Medina County Commissioners discuss the problems with NOACA imposing their misguided, unrealistic, and inappropriate climate action goals…

Medina County Commissioners discuss the problems with NOACA imposing their misguided, unrealistic, and inappropriate climate action goals. Note: The Commissioners refer to “Grace” in this video – that is Grace Galluci, Executive Director of NOACA.

Letter from Medina County Commissioners, September 21, 2023

Medina County Commissioners sent a letter to other NOACA members, calling out the inappropriate overreach of NOACA’s Climate Action Plan initiatives. “Regrettably, the recent efforts to formulate a region-wide Climate Action Plan appear to be more of a top-down application of political power and opinionated policymaking, rather than a culmination of local decision-making. From the perspective of many of our residents and businesses involved in the process, it is an affront to the limited powers granted to us that are derived from the consent of the governed.” Read the entire letter below.

WATCH: CO2 is NOT the Climate Change Culprit You Have Been Told

With the gracious consent of the Foundational Science Consortium, we are pleased to offer an insightful and invaluable webinar, “CO2 is NOT the Climate Change Culprit You Have Been Told”. 

For decades, the prevailing “science” has been an alarmist drumbeat of doom, painting Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as a planet-killing poison to be feared and curtailed at all costs. Ask anyone under the age of 20 and you are sure to hear the panic that has been fed to them throughout their school years. But is CO2 really the monster it’s made out to be? Or is it just an easy scapegoat, used as an excuse to tax and control everything from agriculture to industry to transportation and housing? Are the methods used to measure and evaluate this “problem” sober and reasonable? Are the dire predictions and radical solutions justified?

Watch this fact-filled presentation to finally hear a scientific explanation of the issue that is not influenced by government, the main stream media, or anyone with a financial interest in furthering the climate panic narrative we have all been fed and discouraged from questioning. Topics covered include:

  • Man-made CO2 and greenhouse gasses science
  • Benefits of CO2
  • Greenhouse gas theory and global warming
  • Temperature measurement, data, and trends
  • Glaciers, ice sheets, polar bears, and sea level rise
  • Scientific consensus
  • Politics
  • The media
  • Education vs indoctrination

How does this relate to Geauga County? Part of “Don’t Cuyahoga our Geauga” is keeping urban expansion from changing the rural character of our county. Unfortunately, Geauga County is currently tethered to the urban planning interests of Cuyahoga County through our membership in NOACA, the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency. This agency, covering Geauga, Lake, Loraine, Medina, and Cuyahoga counties, has been diverted from its original purpose into a clearinghouse of rural tax dollars being used to fund Cuyahoga-centered projects. (Please start here if you are not already familiar with this problem.)

NOACA has expanded its own mandate into a regional “Climate Action Plan” which they are using as a justification for funneling our tax money into Cuyahoga-focused urban development projects. Part of fighting this influence in our county is knowing the facts on climate science.

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