About
Established in 1958, Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (TCRPC) serves the Tri-County Region of Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford Counties, located in Central Illinois. The Tri-County Region is comprised of three counties, supporting 48 communities, and over 350,000 residents.
The primary function of TCRPC is to study the needs and conditions of our region and to develop strategies that enhance the region’s communities. TCRPC seeks to promote intergovernmental cooperation, regional planning, and a vision for the future by offering a forum for leaders of local government, defining regional issues, setting goals, and cooperatively implementing plans for the Tri-County area. Tri-County Regional Planning Commission is the “Steward of the Regional Vision” in Greater Peoria. Additionally, TCRPC serves as the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
Tri-County Regional Planning Commission
The Full Commission, the TCRPC full board, is the primary decision-making body for the organization and acts as the Policy Committee for the Peoria-Pekin urbanized area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The Full Commission meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 9:00 am, unless otherwise posted. To view future meeting dates and meeting materials, visit our Meeting Materials page.
Additionally, the Full Commission may establish committees to assist in the operation, management, and program planning activities of TCRPC. Committees may focus on internal operations (e.g. Ways and Means Committee, Personnel Committee) or may focus on a specific issue or project. All committees are made up of Commissioners.
The Executive Board serves as the policy and formulation body for the Commission. The Executive Board consists of eight Commissioners appointed by the full board. All Executive Board members serve one-year terms. The executive director of TCRPC also serves as a non-voting, advisory member of the Executive Board. The Executive Board may perform most of the functions and duties of the Commission, excluding MPO activities, should a full quorum of Commission members not be present. The Executive Board meets monthly, on the Monday before each Full Commission meeting, unless otherwise posted.
The Ways and Means Committee reviews and advises the Commission on the fiscal affairs of the Commission. The Ways and Means Committee meets the first Wednesday of every month before the Full Commission meeting at 8:30 am, unless otherwise posted.
The Personnel Committee reviews and advises the Commission on personnel matters, and carries out other responsibilities as specified by the Commission. The Personnel Committee only meets when needed.
The Nominations Committee nominates Commissioners to serve in officer positions and to serve on committees. The Nominations Committee meets yearly–typically in the month of May–to prepare nominations for the coming fiscal year, unless otherwise posted.
Metropolitan Planning Organization
TCRPC established the Peoria-Pekin Urbanized Area Transportation Study (PPUATS) in 1976 to function as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Peoria-Pekin urbanized area. PPUATS was comprised of two committees: the Policy Committee and the Technical Committee. The Policy Committee was the decision-making body of PPUATS and was made up of elected officials representing their respective communities. The Technical Committee serves as an advisory body and is made up of public works and transportation staff.
The MPO carries out the federally-required continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive (3-C) transportation planning processes for the Peoria-Pekin Urbanized Area. Members of the MPO include the counties, numerous municipalities, the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District, IDOT, and the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria.
The planning process brings together local governments, transportation authorities, and interested public members to assist in creating transportation policy and developing comprehensive plans that reflect the area’s transportation vision for the future. The MPO jurisdiction consists of the urbanized area defined by the US Census Bureau and the adjacent area likely to be urbanized in the next 20 to 25 years.
The Technical Committee is the MPO technical advisory body. The Technical Committee is made up of transportation professionals representing their member communities and provides transportation expertise to the MPO planning process. The Technical Committee prepares, reviews, and recommends actions to the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission for their approval.
The Technical Committee meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 9:00 am, unless otherwise posted. Additionally, the Technical Committee may establish subcommittees to assist in the operation and program planning activities, such as project review subcommittees. To view future meeting dates and meeting materials, visit our Meeting Materials page.
TCRPC & PPUATS Merger
From 1976 to 2021, the PPUATS Policy Committee functioned as the MPO for the Peoria-Pekin Urbanized Area. Effective July 1, 2021, the PPUATS Policy Committee merged with the TCRPC. Following the merger, the Full Commission assumed the MPO’s role, duties, and responsibilities. The Technical Committee continues preparing, reviewing, and recommending actions to the Full Commission for approval.
The merger allows TCRPC to more effectively represent the region by becoming one united front and removing redundancies between the Full Commission and PPUATS Policy Committee. With the merger, the Full Commission switched from consisting of 22 members, with seven (7) representatives from each county, and one (1) representative from the Illinois Department of Transportation, to 21 members, with 13 representatives from 11 municipalities, two (2) representatives from each county, one (1) representative from the Illinois Department of Transportation, and one (1) representative from the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District.
Human Services Transportation Plan
Human Service Transportation Plan (HSTP) Steering Committee is comprised of public, private, and nonprofit transportation agencies, human services providers, and the public, for Illinois Region 5 and the Peoria-Pekin Urbanized Area. HSTP meets on the first Tuesday on even months at 12:00 pm, unless otherwise posted. To view future meeting dates and meeting materials, visit our Meeting Materials page.
The Committee ensures that federal transportation funds are used according to regional planning priorities and federal guidelines. The committee is used as a platform to allow human services transportation stakeholders to regularly discuss specific transit needs, share locally sourced solutions, and review national best practices. For more information, visit the HSTP Region 5 webpage.
County Links & Resources
Find more information about Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford Counties by visiting their government webpages.