Membership Benefits

MISSION

AMPO is committed to enhancing MPOs’ abilities to improve metropolitan transportation systems….

HELPING HAND

At AMPO, we strive to support our members with the information needed to carry out all the functions of an MPO. Whether you are a travel modeler, an air quality specialist, a policy director, or a manager, we have something for you…

Policy

AMPO is a 501c4 non-profit. This designation allows us to lobby for the policy positions that we craft with our members, in the interests of all MPOs. In SAFETEA-LU, AMPO successfully lobbied for the PL increase. We know that the next reauthorization is not about a “single win,” and have been working with our Board, the member driven Policy Committee, Hill Staff, MPOs, and Associations in order to craft a metropolitan vision for the future.

THE BENEFITS

• Access to archived and current policy materials drafted by the AMPO Policy Committee on the future metropolitan vision.
• Legislative tracking and regular updates on all Congressional items relating to transportation systems and metropolitan planning.
• The opportunity to hold a seat on the AMPO Policy Committee. This Committee is the liaison between the AMPO Board/Staff and the MPO Community.

Technical

AMPO is recognized as the leader in providing technical expertise and assistance to the MPO community. The member run Technical Committee was formalized last year and is working to define the planning practices that lead to development of good systems. The three AMPO Work Groups, Travel Modeling, Air Quality, and Operations, each meet twice a year to share their expertise, network, learn and advance the MPO technical community.

THE BENEFITS

• Access to the AMPO Wiki website. A wiki is a medium that is used to collaborate and edit ideas on topics of your choosing and link from one web page to another. This tool allows for online collaborative writing and reviewing. The AMPO Wiki will be a repository for technical knowledge that is important to MPOs. (New 2008 Member Benefit - See Members Only Page)
• The opportunity to hold a seat on the AMPO Technical Committee or one of the three Work Groups. AMPO members who regularly participate receive a $300 travel subsidy when attending a Work Group meeting.
• Technical assistance from AMPO Staff as needed for any transportation related inquiries.

Education

AMPO offers the best tools and resources for MPOs seeking to gain knowledge in any facet of the metropolitan planning field. The AMPO Annual Conference is quickly becoming known as the premiere event for MPOs to learn and network. Sessions are taught by experts and offer a combination of presentations and hands-on learning.

THE BENEFITS

• Discounted rates at Annual Conference
• AICP credits offered at a discounted rate for workshops approved by the American Planning Association (New 2008 Member Benefit - See http://www.ampo.org/content/index.php?pid=177 )
• Advanced notice for special AMPO workshops that have limited space
• Discounted rates to conferences/events of other Associations

Communications

AMPO offers online, email, and print resources. aMPO eMAIL, our bi-weekly newsletter offers pertinent updates in all areas of metropolitan planning and is subscribed to by over 1,200 transportation professionals. Our website is full of surveys, policy archives, events, and our members only page will soon be home to the wiki, an online sharing tool for best practices. We publish Metros quarterly and focus each issue on a subject area, such as visualization or climate change. PROFILES is a directory of MPOs, mostly valued for showcasing the subject areas that each individual MPO covers.

THE BENEFITS

• Receive Metros quarterly print publication free of charge
• Access to Members Only page
• Free copy of bi-annual publication, PROFILES of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
• Free employment posting

Technology

AMPO is partnering with Neighborhood America to offer members their Public Comment® solution at an exclusive discount rate. The Web-based software enables work teams to create online public outreach forums around projects, issues, events, legislation and rulemaking initiatives. Public Comment greatly simplifies the public participation process as it collects, analyzes, and creates reports of all public comments captured online, at meetings, or both. (New 2008 Member Benefit - See http://www.ampo.org/content/index.php?pid=153 )

THE BENEFITS

• Increase and enhance citizen participation with an easy to use, online solution.
• No software to load.  No hardware or IT involvement necessary.
• Immediately report and map citizen responses by location.

THE ROAD AHEAD

The world is changing and transportation is at the forefront of this discussion. The system is aging, regions are disjointed, the money is running thin, but MPO’s are still charged with “keeping us all connected.”  AMPO is focused on metropolitan transportation planning, with the goal of keeping MPOs viable and empowered through innovative solutions.