The decision this week by the federal Office of Management and Budget to halt a proposed change to the definition of a Metropolitan Statistical Area is being welcomed by the Berrien County Board of Commissioners. Speaking during this week’s meeting, Commissioner Bob Harrison said the numbers used by the government to define an MSA do matter to communities.
“Years and years ago, I was a regional health planner, and the reliance on those types of governmental designations was really critical in formulating, in my case, health policy but also in respect to money that comes to the region from both the state and federal government,” Harrison said.
ADMINISTRATION ENDS PROPOSAL TO CHANGE METRO AREA STATUS devilslakejournal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from devilslakejournal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Jul 14, 2021
Mansfield and Richland County is expected to keep its’ status as a Metropolitan Statistical Area, which means millions of dollars in federal funding will continue to come to the area. RichlandSource.com reports, the proposal change was that an area needed to have a population of 100,000, not the current 50,000. Mansfield mayor Tim Theaker said he was happy with the announcement. Senator Rob Portman said the idea was dropped to ensure fairness to smaller areas. Jodie Perry, from the Richland Area Chamber said, to lose that funding right now would be catastrophic.