ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Facing criticism from small cities that feared losing status and funding, the federal government said Tuesday that it won’t raise the population threshold for what qualifies as a metro area.
The Office of Budget and Management said it will keep the minimum population needed in a community’s core city at 50,000 residents in order to be designated a “metropolitan statistical area,” also known as an MSA.
That means Columbus and Bartholomew County, which are an MSA unto themselves, will retain that current status.
“The City of Columbus is pleased the OMB did not substantially change the standards for delineating core based statistical areas, which allows the city to maintain its MSA designation. As many other communities across the nation, we rely on federal funding to help in many areas, including community development, transportation and planning,” said Columbus Mayor James Lienhoop. “Many local street, transportation and neighborhood projects benefit from these dollars and enhance our ability to provide services to city and regional residents, particularly under-served populations. We greatly appreciate the assistance we have received from Congressman Pence and our other representatives in Washington.”
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
