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63 , f 2 RUFZAL PLANNING ORGANIZATION REPORT January 18 , 2002 North Carolina Department of Transportation ( NODOT ) , to ensure that all rural counties will k�e able to farm a Mural Planning Organization} ( RPO ) with other counties having similar transportation interests and needs , has requested that counties consider their interest in participating in the RPO Program . The following repast gives a brief out Ine of tho program , orange County ' s options and advantages and disadvantages of each option for Orange County , Background North Carolina General Assembly , In 2000 , enacted legislation that authorized North Carolina Department of Transportation in cooperaUori with local elodad officials to establish Rural Transportation Planning Organizaticris ( RP' Os ) to plan rural transportation systems and to advise the DOT on rural transportation policy, The purpose of the RPO program is to provide a cooperative unified void for rural entities to , advocate for their funding and project needs , and to be meaningfully involved in integrated multi- modal transportation planning and the project programming process . Participation in the program is voluntary . The core functions of the RPO are : ( 1 ) to owrdinate locai . and regional multimmodal transportation plans ; ( 2 ) to provide a mechanism for meaningful public participation in the transportation planning process , ( 3 ) sto develop and prioritize transportation projects for input Into the Statewide Transportation improvement Program (STIP ) I, and ( 4 ) to provlda a transportation - related information clearinghouse ( informs or) resource center) for local gevarrrments and other interested organizar cns and persons . The Rural Planning Organization includes representatives frorn three to fifteen contiguous counties , with total population of at least 60 , 000 , and Is set up like the Metropolitan Planning Organization ( MPO ) with a lead planning agency ( LPA ) . However , the RPO , unlike the MPO which is a policy board , acts in an advisory capadty . The State has appropriated a bass of $80 , 000 and a ceiling of $ 100 , 000 for each RPO _ Local jurisdictions mast provide a twenty - percant match . The funds are being made avaiiable to pay for lead planning) agency staff end their planning work . The local entities seeking to establish are RPO in their region would develop a Memorandurn of Understanding ( MOU ) , to bo signed by all local members , as Well as by NCDOT , The RPO hr OU specifies theRPO ' s geographic area * mission , eligible