The Central Region Council of Mayors and the North Central Council of Mayors are two essential groups of eleven subregional councils representing a total of 270 suburban municipalities. The Councils were created by and authorized by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) Policy Committee in 1965 to accomplish the following:

• Provide input to the region’s transportation policy decisions
• Communicate between the local governments and the regional transportation agencies and
• Establish the priorities for the local STP program and implement the programmed projects

The Central Region Council of Mayors is an organization of fifteen municipalities in west Cook County. The member communities of the Central Region Council of Mayors include: Berwyn, Brookfield, Cicero, Countryside, Forest View, Hodgkins, Indian Head Park, LaGrange, LaGrange Park, Lyons, McCook, Riverside, Summit, Stickney, and Western Springs.

The North Central Region Council of Mayors is an organization of twenty muncipalities in west Cook County. The member communities of the North Central Region Council of Mayors include: Bellwood, Berkeley, Broadview, Elmwood Park, Forest Park, Franklin Park, Harwood Heights, Hillside, Maywood, Melrose Park, Northlake, Norridge, North Riverside, Oak Park, River Forest, River Grove, Rosemont, Schiller Park, Stone Park, and Westchester.

Each of the subregional councils appoints two mayors to serve on the regional Council of Mayors policy board called the Council of Mayors Executive Committee. The Central Council’s mayoral representatives are President Alice Gallagher, Village of Western Springs, and President Jim Discipio, Village of LaGrange Park. The North Central Council’s mayoral represenatives are Mayor Jeffrey Sherwin, City of Northlake and Mayor Joseph Tamburino, Village of Hillside.

The WCMC Transportation Committee will serve as the Council’s acting body. The Transportation Committee is comprised of all communities in both Councils of Mayors. Alice Gallagher, Village President of Western Springs, serves as the Transportation Committee Co-Chair with Mayor Sherwin of Northlake as Co-Chair as well.

 

Surface Transportation Program (STP)

Congress has extended the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) which was originally authorized in June of 1998 for a total of $218 billion for highway, highway safety, transit and other surface transportation projects through the year 2003. This transportation bill replaced the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) guaranteed six-years in programs and new funding sources. Of the major federal-aid transportation programs in TEA-21, the Surface Transportation Program (STP) provides the most direct role for local governments.

The Surface Transportation Program dollars provide funding to the state departments of transportation. A portion of this funding designated by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is distributed in northeastern Illinois among the eleven Councils of Mayors and the City of Chicago. Local Surface Transportation projects are selected and programmed by the eleven Councils of Mayors across the six-county metropolitan area.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is the designated metropolitan planning organization for northeastern Illinois and facilitates the distribution of these funds.

Under ISTEA, the eleven suburban councils of mayors received forty percent of the STP dollars in northeastern Illinois as the city of Chicago received sixty percent. With the passage of TEA-21 there is a new agreement of the split of STP funds. The CMAP Policy Committee has officially approved the new funding agreement between the city of Chicago and the suburban councils of Mayors, both parties have agreed to a fifty five/forty five distribution ratio of STP funds received by northeastern Illinois with five percent comming off the top for projects of regional significance in the City of Chicago. The Councils of Mayors receive fifty five percent of the STP dollars for northeastern Illinois as the City of Chicago receives the remaining forty five percent. The portion of STP dollars that each of the eleven councils of mayors receives is based on a percentage of population.

Each Council has developed a set of project guidelines. These guidelines set the parameters by which the councils select which of the locally submitted projects will receive federal funding. Each local council oversees the planning and programming of these STP funds within their own region.

Each year the Central and North Central Councils of Mayors receives an allocation of these funds to be programmed by the Councils for transportation projects.  The Central Council of Mayors’ allocation of funds is available to the municipalities of Berwyn, Brookfield, Cicero, Countryside, Forest View, Hodgkins, Indian Head Park, LaGrange, LaGrange Park, Lyons, McCook, Riverside, Stickney, Summit, and Western Springs. All municipalities are encouraged to apply for STP funding.  The North Central Council of Mayors’ allocation of funds is available to the municipalities of Bellwood, Berkeley, Broadview, Elmwood Park, Forest Park, Franklin Park, Harwood Heights, Hillside, Maywood, Melrose Park, Norridge, Northlake, North Riverside, Oak Park, River Forest, River Grove, Rosemont, Schiller Park, Stone Park, and Westchester.

The Councils hold a call for projects for their multi year programs.  Applications for STP projects are reviewed and ranked according to the Central and North Central Councils of Mayors Methodology. However, projects may be submitted on an on going basis to the Transportation Committee for inclusion in the STP Program. The Central and North Central Councils of Mayors, review the STP Program on a quaterly basis at scheduled committee meetings.

All selected projects are submitted to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for inclusion in the Transportation Improvement Program. The Central and North Central Councils of Mayors provides funding at 70/30 federal/local match for Engineering II, Construction, and Construction Engineering. However, please note that IDOT reviews all Phase I agreements for members of the Central Region.

If you are interested in the Central or North Central Councils of Mayors Surface Transportation Program Project Selection methodology and application, please contact the appropriate Planning Coordinator.

 

Central Council of Mayors Transportation Plan
The Central Council of Mayors has undertaken this study to provide implementation guidance for the newly established STP-Shared Fund. The objective of this summary is to collaborate with Central Council communities, identify projects, and develop a path towards maximizing the potential of STP-Shared Fund projects within the Central Council of Mayors. The report can be found HERE.