By Dave Vieser. Cornelius Commissioner Michael Miltich has been elected to a one-year term as chairman of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization. The selection was made at the January CRTPO meeting of the influential planning body which carries out future transportation planning for the Charlotte Urbanized Area.
The federally designated group has road jurisdiction over all of Mecklenburg County as well as Iredell and Union counties. Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles chaired the CRTPO back when I-77 toll lanes were a riveting issue in Lake Norman,.
“It’s really a huge honor to be selected CRTPO chair,” Miltich said. “This organization oversaw the distribution of approximately $1 billion in 2019 alone for planning, roads, pedestrian, bike, greenway, and rail projects. To be elected a leader by fellow municipal leaders is a humbling experience.”
CRPTO’s membership is comprised of 32 representatives from the region. Per the legislation which formed CRPTO, weighted voting gives Charlotte representatives a majority…a sore spot from which suburban members have been seeking change from their state legislators.
MILTICH
The entire region under CRPTO’s jurisdiction has seen tremendous growth over the past 20 years, but its infrastructure has lagged due primarily to insufficient funding. New funding formulas were enacted at the state level in 2014, and the region is now being more appropriately funded.
“Despite the increase in transportation funding, it will never be enough,” Miltich said. “Our challenge is to be sure every dollar is efficiently spent across the region, and that there is coordination to make our transportation infrastructure effective. Land use plans across the region also need to be considered in the process.”
The CRTPO board meets at 6 pm on the third Wednesday of every month, and special meetings are called on an as-needed basis. Their meetings take place in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, located at 600 E. Fourth St. in uptown Charlotte.
Miltich, 68, was appointed as the Cornelius CRTPO representative four years ago. He was initially elected to the Town Board in 2015 and re-elected twice. He also served as Mayor Pro Tem from 2017-2019.
Previous chairs include Michael Johnson, a Statesville council member, and Vi Liles, who is now the mayor of Charlotte.
