NEMO Regional Planning Commission Celebrates 40th Anniversary at Membership Meeting in Edina

A large near capacity crowd attended the Northeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission celebration of its 40th Anniversary at their Annual Spring Membership Dinner Meeting on Monday, April 13 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Edina, Missouri.  Ninth District Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer was the keynote speaker.
Following the speech by Congressman Luetkemeyer special proclamation recognitions were presented to the NEMO RPC by the Missouri House of Representatives and the City of Kirksville.  Representing the Missouri House of Representatives in making the presentation were Brian Munzlinger, State Representative, District 1, Rebecca McClanahan, State Representative, District 2 and Tom Shively, State Representative, District 8.  Martha Rowe, Mayor of Kirksville presented a proclamation on behalf of the City of Kirksville.
Missouri State Senator Wes Shoemyer, District 18 and Llona Weiss, District Assistant for U.S. Senator Hon. Claire McCaskill also addressed the group.
During the business meetings of the Northeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission and Rural Economic Development Corporation (NEMO RPC & RDC) new officers were elected for the upcoming year.  Members elected the following slate of officers for the NEMO RPC & RDC Executive Committee: Knox County Presiding Commissioner L. P. “Pete” Mayfield, Chairman; Adair County Presiding Commissioner Gary Jones, Vice Chairman; Schuyler County Associate Commissioner Jim Werner; Secretary; and Kahoka Mayor Wayne Blum, Treasurer.
Also, during the meeting outgoing NEMO RPC Chair Lewis Presiding Commissioner Nancy Goehl was recognized with a special plague recognizing her leadership, service and dedication to the NEMO RPC as past chair for 2005-2009 and she was given a standing ovation by those present.
Meetings of the NEMO Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO); NEMO Region “C” Solid Waste Management District (SWMD) and NEMO Regional Public Housing Agency (PHA) were also held.
Terry Marble was the lucky winner of the $100.00 cash door prize compliments of Charlene Boyes, executive director of the Missouri Rural Enterprise & Innovation Center (MREIC) and the NEMO Innovators’ Café located at the NEMO RPC & RDC Office at 326 East Jefferson Street, Memphis, Missouri.
The Northeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission and Rural Development Corporation (NEMO RPC & RDC) is one of nineteen regional planning commissions in the State of Missouri, which are authorized by the State of Missouri Regional Planning and Community Development Act of 1966, Revised Missouri Statutes Chapter 251.  The Regional Planning and Community Development Act of 1966 permitted the establishment of regional planning commissions to formally organize and band together by counties to promote the spirit of cooperatively working together to solve problems and plan the future development of regions and the State of Missouri.
The six counties (Adair, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Schuyler, and Scotland) of the Regional Planning Commission/Rural Development Corporation are bound together by Executive Order as the Northeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission. The region shares, as local units of government, not only a boundary line as such, but the active spirit of cooperatively working together to solve problems and plan the future development of the Northeast Missouri Region.  The region experiences the same human, natural, and economic development needs. The region as a unit promotes the public safety, general welfare, and the economic prosperity for our citizens.
The region is tied to and accounts for the relationship with our geographic and topography, the existence of our agricultural, rural and urban development. The region has uniform physical, social, and economical problems regional in nature.