The Lima Allen County Regional Planning Commission has been selected by Governor Mike DeWine to become one of seven regional transportation planning organizations in the state. The newly formed West-Central Ohio Rural Planning Organization, or WORPO, will serve Auglaize, Hancock, Hardin, Mercer, Van Wert, Putnam, and Wyandot counties. This organization can give rural counties outside of the Allen County Metropolitan Planning Organization funding and resources for transportation projects and allow multi-jurisdictional collaboration. The process of getting this designation took two years but will now give rural counties an opportunity to finance more road projects.
Lima Sister Cities Association is celebrating a 25-year relationship with Harima-cho, Japan. To help mark the quarter century of friendship and collaboration, the organization is starting a large project to document the history of the sister city partnership. They are looking for old photos, videos, and even some short letters either from trips to Japan or from people hosting representatives of Harima-cho here in Lima. The project will not only show the cultural exchange between the two cities but also the growth of the program over the last two decades.
The City of Lima will be distributing over one million dollars of home and CDBG funds into the community for various projects. For 2024, a little over 275,000 of home funds and about $1.05 million of CDBG funds combined for a grand total of approximately $1.33 million will be funneled into the city. These numbers do not include additional carryover funds also being distributed out. Out of the 28 applications, 27 projects will receive a portion of these funds with the goal of positively enhancing community operations.
The Lima/Allen Co. Regional Planning Commission talks about the local issue of "Urban Sprawl," and how it is being address through the cable road project.