May 2026

Brian O. Martin, AICP

MVRPC 2026 Annual Spring Dinner

MVRPC hosted its Annual Spring Dinner on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at the Marriott at the University of Dayton. MVRPC’s Chairperson and City of City of Troy Mayor, Robin I. Oda, First Vice-Chairperson and Greene County Commissioner, Richard "Dick" Gould, Second Vice-Chairperson and City of Trotwood Mayor, Yvette F. Page and Third Vice-Chairperson and Preble County Commissioner Rachael Vonderhaar along with MVRPC’s Executive Director, Brian O. Martin, presided over the event which was attended by nearly 300 guests. During the dinner, the Arthur D. Haddad Regional Steward award was presented to City of Dayton Commissioner Matt Joseph and the Regional Partner Award was presented to Michael M. Parks, President of The Dayton Foundation.

Matt Joseph, City of Dayton Commissioner, received this award for his strong commitment to regional thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving. Brian O. Martin, MVRPC’s Executive Director, stated, “Matt’s years of dedication to improving his community as well as his support to the Region as an active member of the MVRPC Board of Directors and executive committee in addition to his leadership on the Institute Steering Committee embody the definition of this award”

Mike Parks, President of The Dayton Foundation received the Regional Partner Award for his leadership and collaborative spirit as CEO. “On behalf of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, I would like to express gratitude to The Dayton Foundation and Mike's partnership and continued support of our agency” stated Mr. Martin, “Together and under his leadership we have achieved award winning solutions to support our residents.

The MVRPC Annual Spring Dinner was made possible by support from generous sponsors including our top tier Visionary sponsors for 2026 - American StructurePoint, Burgess & Niple, City of Dayton, Greater Dayton RTA, Montgomery County, Verdantas. And so many more who helped make this dinner possible. 

RPC (Regional Planning Commission) Members adopted the following Resolutions:

• Resolution 26-14: Approving the Submission of the SFY2027 Final Budget and Work Program to Grantor Agencies

• Resolution 26-13: Approving the Recommendation to the Dayton Foundation to Fund the 2026 Livable, Age-Friendly Communities Grant

MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) Members adopted the following Resolutions:

• Resolution 26-10: Recommended Adoption of the 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan

• Resolution 26-11: Recommended Adoption of Revision #9 to MVRPC's SFY2026-2029 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

The following Information Items were presented:

• Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) Update for Considering Major New Capacity Projects, presented by MVRPC Short Range Planning Coordinator, Brad Daniel

• Going Places Implementation Tools, presented by MVRPC Director of Community and Regional Planning, Martin Kim

Our 2026 Board of Directors roster lists each voting delegate for every MVRPC member jurisdiction. **Please note, this list is subject to change as new delegates are appointed. If your organization's delegate is blank, please contact Savannah Diamond at sdiamond@mvrpc.org

MVRPC Executive Committee Approves Resolution for Adoption of Generative AI Usage Policy

On Thursday, May 7^th, 2026 the MVRPC Executive Committee approved a resolution adopting a Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy to guide the responsible use of generative AI tools by staff and contractors. As these technologies become more prevalent in day-to-day work, the policy establishes clear expectations that allow the agency to take advantage of AI’s benefits—particularly in data-intensive areas—while protecting employees, members, and the agency from associated risks. The policy outlines permitted and prohibited uses, requires supervisor and director approval before staff use generative AI tools for routine work, prohibits the entry of agency or proprietary information into AI platforms, and requires that all AI-generated content be reviewed and verified for accuracy before being relied upon. It also reinforces that AI must be used in a manner consistent with MVRPC’s values and existing conduct, anti-discrimination, and technology-use policies. A full copy of the policy is available here. For more information regarding MVRPC's Generative AI Usage Policy, contact Tiffany Thomas at tthomas@mvrpc.org.

Miami Valley Regional Housing Study Releases Map Gallery as Part of its Data Hub

MVRPC is pleased to share the launch of a new suite of interactive maps as part of the Miami Valley Regional Housing Study. Published as part of its Data Hub, the Map Gallery features a total of fifty maps, grouped in three sub-topics: Households and Demographics; Supply and Market Conditions; and Affordability and Stability.

The map gallery is the second published component of the Miami Valley Regional Housing Study’s Data Hub, which serves as a central source for data, maps, and insights. These maps explore key housing indicators at a regional and local level, complementing the previously published Data Dashboards. 

The Miami Valley Regional Housing Study was launched in February 2025 to increase awareness of current housing issues and provide tools and best practices resources. The Miami Valley Regional Housing Study consists of three main interrelated components: Data Hub; Issue Briefs; and Resource Hub. These components are designed to inform housing policies and programs at the local level by providing data and information.

To date, the Housing Study has released the Housing Mobility & Accessibility Assessment, published a Resource Hub, and facilitated three Youth Group Housing Workshops.

For questions or more information on the Miami Valley Housing Study, contact Martin Kim, Director of Community and Regional Planning at mkim@mvrpc.org. 

MVRPC Hosts its Third Youth Group Housing Workshop

MVRPC hosted its third informative workshop on the topic of Youth Group Housing on Tuesday, April 7th at the Montgomery County Employment Opportunities Center. This workshop was a chance to continue to discuss and learn the impacts and implications Group Housing for Youth has on community service providers, notably Schools, Family and Social Services, and Health Services.

A total of 43 attendees representing government, nonprofit, and private sectors in the fields of education, medical professionals, children’s services, and planning were in attendance. In addition, several group home operators and the head of the group homes association attended the workshop.

The workshop included a brief presentation given by Ms. Kathryn Youra Polk of MVRPC to provide an overview of the issues, background context and data resources on the subject, with Ms. Emily Crow (City of Dayton) and Ms. Shannon Meadows (Harrison Township) giving updates on both the status of their youth group home moratoriums and how each jurisdiction. Following the review presentation, a panel of community service providers that included Ms. Kaylyn Drodge (ADAMHS), Ms. Courtney Patel (Daybreak), Dr. Kelly Blankenship (Dayton Childrens Hospital), Dr. David Lawrence (Dayton Public Schools), Ms. Sarah Hackenbracht (Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association), and Ms. Jennie Cole (MCDJFS - Children Services) all shared their experiences and relationships interacting with youth group housing in their line of work.

Attendees came away with a further understanding of the complex issues, barriers and workarounds Youth Group Housing concentration has within community service fields and what solutions they’re implementing to better improve outcomes.

To find additional information about the workshop, please visit MVRPC’s Youth Group Housing page. The Youth Group Housing Wokshop is hosted as part of the Miami Valley Regional Housing Study launched in February 2025 to increase awareness of current housing issues and provide tools and best practices resources. 

For more information regarding the Miami Valley Regional Housing Study, contact Martin Kim, MVRPC’s Director of Community and Regional Planning, at mkim@mvrpc.org.

Public Health Perspective Added to PLAN4Health’s Healthy Communities Needs Assessment

MVRPC PLAN4Health – Miami Valley Initiative promotes cross-sector collaboration between planners and public health professionals to foster innovative community design and integration of public health into the planning process.

Local community planners shared how they plan for public health in their work as part of the previously published Healthy Communities Needs Assessment. Now, MVRPC has released the Planning Collaboration: Public Health Perspective, which served as an equivalent for public health professionals to share how they see collaboration with local planners in the Miami Valley. 

The Public Health Perspective covers major topic areas such as communication, data usage, resources, and ideas for collaboration with planners. In addition, it features comparisons between responses from planners and public health professional, highlighting areas where both sectors are in alignment, and areas where both have differing perspectives.  

 MVRPC’s PLAN4Health – Miami Valley Initiative was launched in the Spring of 2021 to explore how planning can impact health outcomes. The PLAN4Health - Miami Valley Initiative is a multi-year effort with a focus on projects and programs intended to:

• Promote and advocate for “Health in All Plans and Policies”
• Convene and engage partners to improve conditions that are known to be key determinants of health
• Advance planning efforts aimed at creating conditions for healthy people and communities

For questions or to learn more about the PLAN4Health – Miami Valley Initiative, contact Martin Kim, MVRPC’s Director of Community and Regional Planning, at mkim@mvrpc.org.

On a monthly basis MVRPC is highlighting funding opportunities for member villages, cities, counties, and townships on our website. We include a description, contact information and program links. We have also listed other valuable resources for finding funding opportunities for our regional jurisdictions and organizations. Explore more on our Grant and Funding Opportunities page.

This month we are featuring information on:

• H2Ohio Conservation Ditch Program– Deadline: June 1, 2026
• NatureWorks– Deadline: July 1, 2026 

If you have any questions, please contact Kathryn Youra Polk at kyourapolk@mvrpc.org or 937.223.6323.

Mid America Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (MAASTO)

ODOT is hosting MAASTO, the Mid America Association of State Highway Transportation Officials in Cincinnati Ohio. MAASTO 2026 - Connecting People, Places and Possibilities provides the opportunity to learn, network, and dream about transportation solutions in Ohio, the Heart of it All. Registration is now open for the conference held August 10-12, 2026.

Join us in Cincinnati, Ohio!

May MVRPC Meeting Calendar

Please check the agency calendar on mvrpc.org or contact Savannah Diamond at sdiamond@mvrpc.org for the status of your meeting.

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