NEFCO FAQs

Northeast Ohio Four County Regional Planning and Development Organization.

175 S. Main Street, Suite 211, Akron, Ohio 44308

Councils of governments are governing bodies of any two or more counties, municipal corporations, townships, special districts, school districts, or other political subdivisions may enter into an agreement with each other, or with the governing bodies of any counties, municipal corporations, townships, special districts, school districts or other political subdivisions of any other state to the extent that laws of such other state permit, for establishment of a regional council consisting of such political subdivisions. Councils of governments are permissible by Ohio Revised Code Chapter 167.

A good place to start is StatsAmerica which is a portal to U.S. Data supported by the Economic Development Administration (EDA).  The U.S. Census Bureau is the most comprehensive website for data.  

Not at this time. Please check back often.

NEFCO is a designated Areawide Clearinghouse for Intergovernmental Review.  NEFCO performs this review on behalf of Summit County.  Organizations required to undergo this process as part of their request for federal and state funds may submit their proposal information to NEFCO to initiate a review.  Only activities affecting Summit County communities are processed for intergovernmental review by NEFCO.  For projects affecting Portage, Stark and Wayne County communities, please contact the county planning offices to find out their submission requirements.

NEFCO does not distribute grant funding. NEFCO can provide technical assistance in certain situations. 

Not at this time.

Qualified opportunity zones were created by the federal 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and designed to spur economic development by bringing private investment to areas that might otherwise have difficulty attracting it. To access the Opportunity Zone Tool visit: Opportunity Zones

The dues-paying governments in the NEFCO region are its four counties, Portage, Stark, Summit and Wayne, and the largest city in each of those counties: Akron, Canton, Kent and Wooster.

The amount of dues are recommended to the General Policy Board by NEFCO’s Budget Committee based on information supplied to the Committee by NEFCO’s Executive Director.

The amount of local funds (dues) is established in June of each fiscal year by the General Policy Board. Each dues-paying member is billed in semiannual installments.

From its inception, NEFCO has been supported by local dues which are utilized to attract federal and state grants to carry out the planning program.  NEFCO’s eight dues-paying members are currently contributing $214,795 on an eighteen cents per capita basis or as determined annually by the Board.  These funds are used to match some state and federal grant programs.  These grants come from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA),  the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA), the Ohio biennium budget, and from other agencies.

No

NEFCO is organized as a four-county regional council of governments. Its Bylaws are written to allow for membership by the largest city within each member county. Dues are established by formula for each member of NEFCO. The staff reports to the agency’s Executive Director and the Executive Director reports to the General Policy Board. Regional planning commissions (RPC) are usually comprised of the local and county governments in the agency’s county(ies). The governing board is the county planning commission. A county planning department is typically one of a county’s departments and it reports to the board of county commissioners.

No. NEFCO coordinates its services and work programs with those of area regional planning agencies to ensure there is no duplication and that the agencies’ activities are supportive of each agency’s goals. NEFCO’s Bylaws prohibit it from performing reviews or related activity for land subdivisions or zoning. These are typically functions of a municipal or county planning agency.

NEFCO as an example of a regional council of governments (COG) has no state or federal requirements for membership. NEFCO’s current members are those described in the organization’s bylaws.  Provisions for additional members are included in the bylaws and would require action by the NEFCO General Policy Board.

NEFCO has no power over its counties or local governments. NEFCO’s planning activities and staff use the ‘power of persuasion” to convince its members to follow its policies and recommendations.

NEFCO’s General Policy Board is the governing body of the organization. Representation on the Board is set by the agency’s Bylaws, which contains a formula to determine the number of representatives per county based on the most recent decennial census. Every local government within NEFCO’s four counties is eligible for membership in the organization, as are all public special purpose districts and authorities. Details pertaining to membership are contained in the agency’s bylaws.

No, but NEFCO does use collaboration to demonstrate the shared positive impact that our recommendations can have on affected counties and/or local governments.

Yes! Please contact our staff and we will discuss the project or study need with you. This information will be used in forming future work programs or grant applications.  If the requested study/project is not something that NEFCO is able to do, we will inform you of that and explain why.