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Policy Committee
Council of Mayors
Work Program Committee
Other Committees & Task Forces     

The Policy Committee

The CATS Policy Committee is designated by the governor of Illinois and northeastern Illinois local officials as the region's Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). It is the decision-making body for all regional transportation plans and programs for this area. The Policy Committee consists of 21 policy-level representatives of local governments and transportation and planning agencies in our region. It is the forum through which local decision-makers develop plans and programs. Through their membership on the committee these transportation decision-makers cooperate to develop and maintain an affordable, safe and efficient transportation system. The Policy Committee carries out its responsibilities through the support of a committee structure. Although it is the final arbiter of major decisions, preliminary studies and discussions take place in various CATS committees, subcommittees, and task forces. There are two committees that report directly to the Policy Committee: the Council of Mayors Executive Committee and the Work Program Committee. The Policy Committee also has two subcommittees that report to it: the TEA-21 Policy Subcommittee and the Bylaws Subcommittee. These subcommittees meet infrequently and generally have very short-term, single purpose assignments. Click here for more on the Policy Committee >> [Top of page]

The Council of Mayors

The Council of Mayors is an important link between the CATS Policy Committee and the 279 municipalities in the region. The Council consists of 11 subregional councils plus the city of Chicago, representing a direct connection to all citizens of this region. Representatives of each subregional council meet as an executive committee on a regular basis. Click here for more on the Council of Mayors >> [Top of page]

The Work Program Committee

The Work Program Committee (WPC), made up of representatives of each of the Policy Committee member agencies along with six additional members, meets to address and review all the issues that will come before the Policy Committee for resolution. The committee structure is the result of a recent review of active participation of members and participants. Click here for more on the Work Program Committee >> [Top of page]

Other Committees & Task Forces

Committees are comprised of WPC members and generally have a long-term mission. For example, the Regional Transportation Plan Committee oversees the development of the long range plan and its updates. The chair of the WPC appoints the chairperson and members, and assigns the committee a particular charge or mission. Task forces can have either a short-term or long-term mission. For example, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Issues Task Force provides a participation mechanism in the transportation planning process for individuals and organizations interested in bicycle and pedestrian transportation planning and implementation. Although the WPC chair assigns the group a charge and generally appoints a WPC member to chair the task force, the group develops a draft of its own mission statement, objectives, additional citizen membership, and work plan for approval by the WPC. Fifty percent of task force membership is set aside for private citizens from a variety of special interest and citizen's groups. This task force composition helps to elicit the point of view of the average transportation user as a vital component in the planning process. Click here for more on Other Committees & Task Forces >> [Top of page]